Lemon & Lime
Citrus aurantiifolia / Citrus limon
The everyday acid citrus — kagzi lime and lemon — grown as much in backyards as in orchards. Regulating one main crop through a bahar treatment concentrates the fruit into the high-price summer window, and keeping citrus canker and drainage in check is what keeps the tree bearing for years.
- Crop type
- Perennial citrus
- Main crop
- Regulated (summer target)
- Suitable states
- 12+ major states
- First bearing
- 3–4 years
- Water requirement
- Moderate; regulated
- Temperature
- 20–32°C; frost-sensitive
- Soil type
- Light, well-drained loam
- Difficulty level
- Easy–moderate
- Expected yield
- 100–150 q/ha
- Key practice
- Bahar regulation for summer
Overview
Acid citrus — kagzi lime (Citrus aurantiifolia) and lemon (Citrus limon) — is among the most widely grown fruits in India, from Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra orchards to a tree in almost every southern and western backyard. It is hardy, quick to bear and in year-round demand for juice, pickle and cooking.
Left to itself, an acid-lime tree flowers and fruits in scattered flushes across the year, giving a thin, low-value crop whenever prices happen to be lowest. That is the trap most growers fall into: a tree that always has some fruit but never a paying crop.
The lever is bahar regulation — withholding water for a period and pruning to force a single, heavy flowering aimed at the high-price summer (or a chosen) window. This guide follows the crop with bahar treatment, citrus canker control and good drainage as the things that turn a backyard tree into a commercial orchard.
Crop timeline, sowing to harvest
A quick visual map of the season — jump to any section below for the detail behind each stage.
- Year 0
Planting
A budded/grafted sapling on a hardy rootstock set at 5–6 m in a monsoon-filled pit, staked and basin-irrigated.
- Year 1–3
Training & framing
The young tree is trained to a clean single stem and open head; light cropping begins in year 3–4.
- Apr–May
Bahar regulation
For a summer-harvest crop, water is withheld and light pruning done to force a concentrated flowering.
- May–Jun
Flowering
Fragrant flowers open on the new flush after the stress is released with irrigation and the fertiliser dose.
- Jul–Dec
Fruit development
Fruit sets and swells over the monsoon and post-monsoon; canker, leaf miner and drainage are watched.
- Jan–Feb
Maturity
Fruit reaches full size, the skin smooths and juice content peaks — mature but often picked green for market.
- Feb–Jun
Harvest
The main regulated crop is picked into the high-price summer, over several rounds as fruit colours.
Suitable states
States where this crop is grown at scale, highlighted below. Your local Krishi Vigyan Kendra is still the final word for your specific block.
- Jammu and Kashmir
- Himachal Pradesh
- Punjab
- Uttarakhand
- Haryana
- Delhi
- Uttar Pradesh
- Rajasthan
- Bihar
- Jharkhand
- West Bengal
- Sikkim
- Assam
- Arunachal Pradesh
- Meghalaya
- Nagaland
- Manipur
- Mizoram
- Tripura
- Gujarat
- Madhya Pradesh
- Chhattisgarh
- Maharashtra
- Odisha
- Goa
- Telangana
- Andhra Pradesh
- Karnataka
- Kerala
- Tamil Nadu
- Puducherry
- Ladakh
- Chandigarh
Grown here
Climate requirements
Acid lime is a warm-climate citrus that tolerates more heat and humidity than orange, but that same warm, wet weather drives citrus canker. The climatic lever is not survival but timing and sanitation: regulate flowering for the high-price window and manage the humidity-driven canker that comes with the territory.
Ideal temperature
20–32°C suits growth and fruiting; acid lime is more heat- and humidity-tolerant than sweet citrus, but young trees are frost-sensitive
Rainfall
Grows from 600 to 1,500 mm; too much rain and humidity favour citrus canker, so drainage and canker control matter in wet belts
Humidity
Tolerant, but high humidity drives citrus canker — the defining disease of acid lime in warm, wet regions
Sunlight
Full sun for good flowering, juice and fruit quality; a crowded canopy fruits poorly and stays canker-prone
Soil requirements
The soil rule for all citrus is drainage. Acid lime will grow on a light, even shallow soil, but it will not survive waterlogging, which causes root rot and gummosis at the collar. Plant on a mound or ridge on heavy land, keep the graft union high and dry, and never let water stand in the basin.
Suitable soil
Light, well-drained loam or sandy loam is ideal; acid lime tolerates lighter, poorer soils than sweet citrus but not waterlogging
pH range
5.5–7.5
Drainage
Good drainage is essential — citrus is very sensitive to waterlogging, which brings on root rot (Phytophthora) and gummosis and kills the tree
Organic matter
Moderate; responds to FYM, but avoid over-rich, over-wet conditions that push soft, canker-prone growth
Land preparation
Same four steps whichever region you are in — only the timing shifts with the sowing window.
- 1
Layout & pits
Mark a 5–6 m grid and dig pits before the monsoon, refilling with topsoil, FYM and a little phosphorus.
- 2
Mound on heavy land
On heavy or wet soil, plant on a slight mound and ensure drainage — citrus root rot and gummosis follow waterlogging.
- 3
Rootstock & clean plants
Source budded plants on a hardy, disease-tolerant rootstock (e.g. rough lemon/Rangpur lime) from a certified nursery.
Seed information
How the main varieties compare, so you can pick by duration, yield, disease pressure or what you are growing for.
| Variety | Duration | Yield | Disease resistance | Best state | Suitable for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kagzi Lime (Pramalini/Vikram) The standard acid lime of India — thin-skinned, juicy, prolific; Vikram and Pramalini are improved regular-bearing selections. | Regulated crop | High | Canker-susceptible | Andhra Pradesh | Juice, pickle, wide belt |
Balaji / Sai Sharbati Improved acid-lime selections with good yield and fruit quality for commercial orchards. | Regulated crop | High | Moderate | Andhra Pradesh | Commercial juice/pickle |
Kagzi Kalan / Pant Lemon North-Indian lemon types with larger, juicy fruit for the fresh and juice market. | Regulated crop | Medium–high | Moderate | Uttar Pradesh | Lemon, north India |
Assam Lemon A distinctive elongated, aromatic lemon of the north-east, prized locally and increasingly commercial. | Near year-round | High | Moderate | Assam | Fresh market, north-east |
Eureka / Lisbon (lemon) True lemon cultivars grown where a large, acidic, thick-skinned lemon is wanted for the fresh market. | Regulated crop | Medium | Moderate | Maharashtra | Fresh lemon market |
- Seed rate
- About 275–430 budded plants/ha at 6 × 6 m (lemon) to 5 × 5 m (lime)
- Certified seed
- Plant certified, disease-free budded plants on a hardy rootstock, not seedlings raised from fruit — a seedling is variable, slow and thorny. A tolerant rootstock is the cheapest long-term insurance against root rot, gummosis and salinity.
- Spacing
- 6 × 6 m for lemon (about 275 plants/ha); 5 × 5 m for acid lime (about 430 plants/ha)
- Seed treatment
- Not a seed crop — select clean budded plants, keep the graft union well above soil, and protect the collar against gummosis after planting.
Sowing guide
Plant at the monsoon onset with the graft union kept high — a buried union invites gummosis and lets the rootstock’s benefits be bypassed by scion roots. Decide early which bahar you will crop and lay the orchard out to regulate the tree for it.
- Best time
- Plant budded saplings at the onset of the monsoon (July–August), or February–March where water is assured and winters mild
- Row spacing
- 6 m (lemon) / 5 m (lime) between rows
- Plant spacing
- 6 m (lemon) / 5 m (lime) within the row
- Sowing depth
- Keep the bud/graft union well above the soil line; plant at nursery depth on a mound where drainage is a risk
- Method
- Plant budded plants into FYM-filled pits/mounds, stake, and give a basin irrigation immediately
Fertilizer schedule
A split dose beats one large dose applied at sowing — nitrogen especially is lost to the air and to leaching if it all goes in on day one.
- 1
With bahar treatment
Apr–May
Apply the main FYM and NPK dose when the bahar is released and irrigation resumes, feeding the flush that will flower.
- 2
Fruit development
Jul–Nov
A supporting dose with potash during fruit growth for size and juice; keep late nitrogen modest.
- 3
Micronutrients
As needed
Foliar zinc, manganese and iron correct the very common citrus micronutrient deficiencies on alkaline soils.
Irrigation schedule
1. Bahar rest
Apr–May
Withhold irrigation for a few weeks to stress the tree and force a concentrated flowering — the heart of bahar regulation.
2. Flowering & set
May–Jun
Resume irrigation with the fertiliser dose; steady moisture now sets and holds the crop.
3. Fruit development
Jul–Dec
Regular irrigation through fruit growth; keep it even, as wide dry-wet swings cause fruit drop and cracking.
Critical stages
- Flowering & set
- Fruit development
Water-saving tips
- The bahar “rest” is a deliberate dry period — no water is the point, so it costs nothing and forces the crop.
- Drip irrigation with basin mulch meets the moderate demand efficiently and keeps the collar dry.
- Even, moderate watering prevents the fruit drop and cracking that erratic irrigation causes.
Weed management
Common weeds
Organic control
- Basin mulching conserves moisture and suppresses weeds around the shallow roots.
- A short intercrop or cover in the early years shades out weeds and uses the space.
Chemical control
- Keep tree basins clean with a spot herbicide in young orchards, kept off the trunk and low branches.
- Mow the alleyways rather than deep-cultivating near the shallow feeder roots.
Nutrient deficiency identification
What a shortage of each nutrient actually looks like on the plant, so you can tell a deficiency apart from a disease before you spray the wrong thing.
Zinc
Visible symptom
Small, narrow, mottled “little-leaf” new growth with pale interveinal areas — the classic citrus deficiency.
Manganese
Visible symptom
Interveinal yellowing of young leaves in a fine network, on alkaline soils.
Iron
Visible symptom
Sharp interveinal yellowing of the youngest leaves with green veins (lime-induced chlorosis).
Nitrogen
Visible symptom
Uniform pale, small leaves and weak growth with light cropping.
Magnesium
Visible symptom
Yellowing from the older-leaf margins inward, leaving a green inverted-V at the base.
Diseases to watch for
Symptoms, likely cause and what actually treats it — not just a spray name.
Citrus canker
- Symptoms
- Raised, corky, brown scabby lesions with yellow haloes on leaves, twigs and fruit; heavy attack causes defoliation, dieback and blemished, unsellable fruit.
- Cause
- The bacterium Xanthomonas citri, spread by wind-driven rain and worsened by leaf miner wounds; favoured by warm, wet, humid weather.
- Treatment
- Prune out and destroy affected wood, and spray copper-based bactericides preventively through the wet season.
- Prevention
- Use clean planting material, control leaf miner (whose tunnels let the bacterium in), copper sprays, windbreaks and sanitation — this is the defining disease of acid lime.
Gummosis / root rot (Phytophthora)
- Symptoms
- Oozing gum and bark death at the collar and trunk base, with root rot and a slowly declining, yellowing tree.
- Cause
- Phytophthora fungi entering the collar, worst where the graft union is buried or the basin waterlogs.
- Treatment
- Expose and clean the affected bark, apply a recommended fungicide paste, and correct drainage; remove badly affected trees.
- Prevention
- Plant high on a tolerant rootstock with the union above soil, keep the collar dry, and never let water stand against the trunk.
Citrus tristeza & greening (HLB)
- Symptoms
- Tristeza causes stem pitting and slow decline; greening (HLB) causes blotchy-mottled leaves, lopsided bitter fruit and eventual tree death.
- Cause
- Tristeza virus (aphid-spread) and the greening bacterium (spread by citrus psylla); both are systemic and incurable.
- Treatment
- No cure — rogue and destroy declining, greening-struck trees to protect the block.
- Prevention
- Plant certified disease-free budded plants on tolerant rootstock and control the aphid and psylla vectors from the nursery on.
Powdery mildew / scab
- Symptoms
- Scab causes corky, warty spots on fruit and leaves; mildew whitens young flush — both worst in humid flushing weather.
- Cause
- Fungi favoured by humid conditions on tender new growth and young fruit.
- Treatment
- Protective fungicide sprays on new flush and young fruit in humid weather.
- Prevention
- Open canopies, good airflow and timing sprays to the vulnerable flush.
Pests to watch for
What to look for before the damage is visible, and organic options before you reach for a chemical.
Citrus leaf miner
- Identification
- Silvery, serpentine mines curling and distorting the young flush leaves, made by tiny moth larvae.
- Damage
- Beyond distorting the flush, its wounds are the main entry point for citrus canker — so controlling it is really canker control.
- Organic control
- Neem sprays timed to protect each new flush, and conserving natural parasitoids.
- Chemical control
- A recommended insecticide on the tender flush when miner activity is high, especially in a canker-prone block.
Citrus psylla
- Identification
- Tiny sap-sucking psyllids on the new flush, tilted at an angle, excreting waxy honeydew.
- Damage
- Direct damage is minor but it transmits citrus greening (HLB) — the incurable disease that kills citrus orchards.
- Organic control
- Monitor the flush, conserve natural enemies, and use neem; rogue greening-struck trees.
- Chemical control
- A recommended systemic insecticide on the flush as part of greening management where psylla is present.
Citrus blackfly, aphids & whitefly
- Identification
- Colonies of blackfly, aphids and whitefly on the underside of the flush with sooty mould on their honeydew.
- Damage
- Sap-sucking weakens growth; aphids spread tristeza; honeydew blackens leaves and fruit with sooty mould.
- Organic control
- Conserve predators and parasitoids, neem sprays, and yellow sticky traps.
- Chemical control
- A recommended insecticide on hotspots, timed to spare pollinators and natural enemies.
Fruit-sucking moth & fruit fly
- Identification
- Night-feeding fruit-sucking moths pierce ripening fruit, and fruit fly maggots infest it, causing drop and rot.
- Damage
- Both cause pre-harvest fruit drop and rot, downgrading the crop.
- Organic control
- Bait traps, orchard sanitation, collection of fallen fruit, and bagging of premium fruit.
- Chemical control
- Bait sprays and a recommended cover spray near maturity where these pests are damaging.
Common mistakes to avoid
The mistakes that cost growers the most, ranked by how often they show up in the field — not in the order you might expect.
- 1
Never regulating the crop (no bahar treatment).
Why it hurts
An unregulated lime scatters a thin, low-value crop across the year, always fruiting when prices are lowest — withholding water to force one concentrated flowering into the high-price summer is what makes it pay.
- 2
Burying the graft union at planting.
Why it hurts
A buried union invites gummosis and lets scion roots bypass the rootstock’s benefits — always keep the union well above the soil, on a mound where drainage is a risk.
- 3
Planting in waterlogged or poorly-drained soil.
Why it hurts
Citrus is very sensitive to standing water, which causes root rot and collar gummosis and kills the tree — drainage is the first rule for every citrus.
- 4
Ignoring citrus canker and leaf miner together.
Why it hurts
Leaf-miner tunnels are the doorway for canker bacteria, so treating them separately fails — protect each new flush from the miner and spray copper to keep canker out.
- 5
Planting seedlings instead of budded plants on rootstock.
Why it hurts
Seedling limes are variable, thorny, slow to bear and lack the rootstock’s tolerance to root rot and salinity — always plant certified budded plants.
- 6
Skipping micronutrients on alkaline soil.
Why it hurts
Zinc, manganese and iron deficiencies are near-universal in citrus on alkaline soil and cripple growth and yield — a foliar spray corrects them cheaply.
- 7
Over-feeding late nitrogen.
Why it hurts
Heavy late nitrogen pushes soft, canker- and pest-prone flush and delays fruit maturity — feed the main dose with the bahar and keep late feeding light.
- 8
Letting greening (HLB) trees stand in the orchard.
Why it hurts
A greening-struck tree is an incurable reservoir that the psylla spreads to the rest of the block — rogue it out and control the vector rather than nursing it.
- 9
Erratic irrigation during fruit development.
Why it hurts
Wide dry-wet swings cause heavy fruit drop and skin cracking — keep the water even once the crop is set.
- 10
Never pruning the canopy or removing water-shoots.
Why it hurts
A dense, thorny, unpruned canopy fruits poorly, holds humidity for canker, and is impossible to spray or pick — keep an open, workable tree.
Harvesting
Harvest at full size when the skin has smoothed and juice content has peaked — acid lime is usually picked green to light-green for the fresh and juice market, while lemon may be picked green or allowed to yellow. Clip fruit with a short stalk over several rounds as it matures; do not pull, which tears the rind. The regulated crop targets the high-price summer.
Signs it is ready
- Full fruit size reached
- Skin smoothing and glossy
- Juice content high (fruit heavy for its size)
Tools
- Clippers/secateurs for a clean short stalk
- Padded crates to avoid rind injury
- Gloves and care around the thorns
Expected yield
100–150 q/ha in a well-managed bearing orchard (a mature tree can carry several hundred to over a thousand fruit in an “on” regulated crop)
Post-harvest & storage
Storage
Acid lime and lemon store moderately well; fruit keeps 1–3 weeks at ambient and longer (several weeks) under cool storage around 9–10°C, holding juice and reducing shrivel.
Packaging
Grade by size, and pack in ventilated cartons or crates; a light wax and fungicide treatment reduces shrivel and rot for distant markets.
Transportation
Move promptly; cool-chain transport extends the reach and keeps the fruit turgid and juicy for far markets.
Shelf life
1–3 weeks at ambient; several weeks under correct cool storage.
Market prices
Today's mandi price near you, pulled live from the government's own Agmarknet data.
Live daily mandi prices from the government Agmarknet dataset.
Synced from data.gov.in (Agmarknet). Rates are ₹ per quintal.
Weather
Current conditions and a 5-day outlook for your selected location, with one line of stage-aware advice.
Pick your state for current conditions and a 5-day outlook.
Live data from Open-Meteo
Profit calculator
Your own cost sheet, expected yield and selling price — not ours.
Where the money goes
Share of the total cost per acre, using the calculator’s own default cost sheet below — adjust the numbers there to match your field and this picture will no longer apply to you exactly, but the ranking rarely changes.
- Labour27% (₹13,000)
- Land rent21% (₹10,000)
- Fertiliser14% (₹7,000)
- Irrigation12% (₹6,000)
- Pesticide & weedicide10% (₹5,000)
- Seed6% (₹3,000)
- Machinery5% (₹2,500)
- Interest4% (₹2,000)
Official downloads
Government and ICAR documents only — everything below is hosted on an official server.
Frequently asked questions
What is bahar regulation and why does acid lime need it?
Acid lime naturally flowers in scattered flushes across the year, so an unregulated tree always has a little fruit but never a concentrated, paying crop — and it tends to fruit when prices are lowest. Bahar regulation means withholding water for a period and pruning to force the tree into a single heavy flowering, usually aimed at the high-price summer window. It is the practice that turns a backyard lime into a commercial orchard.
Why is my lime tree covered in scabby brown spots?
That is almost certainly citrus canker — raised, corky, brown lesions with yellow haloes on leaves, twigs and fruit, which is the defining disease of acid lime in warm, wet regions. It spreads in wind-driven rain and enters through leaf-miner wounds, so control is two-pronged: protect each new flush from the citrus leaf miner (whose tunnels open the door), and spray copper-based bactericides preventively through the wet season, along with pruning out and destroying affected wood.
Why do citrus trees die in waterlogged soil?
Citrus roots and collar are very sensitive to standing water. Waterlogging brings on Phytophthora root rot and gummosis — gum oozing and bark death at the collar — which slowly kills the tree. That is why every citrus should be planted on a mound or ridge on heavy land, with the graft union kept well above the soil, and why the basin must never be allowed to pond.
Should I plant a budded lime or grow one from seed?
Always plant a certified budded plant on a hardy rootstock. A seedling grown from fruit is variable, very thorny, slow to bear, and — crucially — lacks the tolerance to root rot, gummosis and salinity that a good rootstock (such as rough lemon or Rangpur lime) gives. The rootstock is your cheapest long-term insurance for the life of the orchard.
When should I pick lime and lemon?
Pick at full size once the skin has smoothed and the fruit feels heavy for its size, which means the juice content has peaked. Acid lime is usually picked green to light-green for the juice and pickle market; lemon can be picked green or left to yellow. Clip the fruit with a short stalk over several rounds — do not pull it, which tears the rind and invites rot.
Does lemon or lime have an MSP?
No. Acid lime and lemon are market fruits with no Minimum Support Price — the rate swings sharply with season and is highest in the hot summer months, which is exactly why growers regulate the crop to harvest then. Use the live mandi prices and the profit calculator on this page when planning the crop and choosing your bahar.
Still have questions?
The FAQs above cover the common ones. For anything specific to your field and soil, your nearest Krishi Vigyan Kendra is the authoritative answer.