| China is one of the original countries of citrus, and it also has the largest growing area and fruit production in the world. Within China, the province of Guangdong is one of the main citrus-producing areas, which has a long cultivating history and many of its cultivating varieties are native varieties. Based on the suitable climatic condition and abundant native varieties, Guangdong has made many great progresses in citrus industry boosting both its citrus planting area and production to rank at the top of the whole country. However, to further develop the citrus industry in Guangdong still has to face many challenges including variety degeneration, concentrated collecting time, unreasonable variety structure, the lagging behind of breeding have handicapped the development of citrus industry. The comprehensive analysis and evaluation of germplasm diversity, the combination usage of conventional and modern breeding techniques, and the breeding of new varieties with high yield, good quality, stress resistance and different ripening stages, are basically important to keep the citrus industry healthy and sustainable. In recent years, a total of 33 cultivars, such as Jinkuimi tangerine, Wuzishatangju, and Shaohegonggan, have been selected and bred, thus, the renewal of varieties has offered powerful support for the development of citrus industry in Guangdong. This paper briefly introduce the distribution of citrus-producing areas, the adjustment of variety structure of citrus industry, the germplasm diversity, and the main methods of citrus breeding in Guangdong. Meanwhile, we list the achievements and existing problems of the variety selection of citrus, and discuss the technology and the key directions for citrus variety improvement in Guangdong. |
