Khasi Mandarin
The GI-tagged mandarin of the Khasi and Jaintia hills, with a thin loose rind and abundant juice. Its average yield (5.91 t/ha) is about half the national figure, and citrus tristeza virus is widespread.
Quick facts
- Type
- Planting material
- Season
- All seasons
- Starts bearing
- Bearing from year 4–5 (grafted or seedling plant)
- Expected yield
- About 5.91 t/ha on average (ICAR Umiam, 2025), against 10.36 t/ha for India
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Susceptible to citrus greening — the same nursery-quality caution applies
- Release
- No formal breeding release. A long-established landrace of North-East India, GI-tagged in 2014.
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Khasi Mandarin (Citrus reticulata), called Soh Niamtra or Soh Myntra, is the most important commercial citrus of North-East India. The NHB list describes the fruit as globose to oblate, orange-yellow to bright orange, with a thin rind that comes away easily, usually 10 segments, orange pulp of coarse texture, and abundant, well-blended juice. East and West Khasi Hills together hold about 60% of Meghalaya's mandarin area. It got a GI tag in 2014 and is sold as the King of Oranges. Fruit is harvested from November to February, as it turns from green to bright orange when temperatures fall. ICAR Umiam gives its yield as about 5.91 t/ha, against 10.36 t/ha for India. A 2015 survey of 300 trees in six North-Eastern states found citrus tristeza virus (CTV) in 57.33% of them, 60% in Meghalaya, and 76.4% in orchards over 15 years old.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Khasi Mandarin if you farm the Khasi and Jaintia hills or the nearby North-Eastern hills, where it is the established citrus and the GI name helps you sell. Its yield is low on average (5.91 t/ha), mainly because of citrus tristeza virus and old orchards, so insist on virus-free, greening-tested plants. Outside the North-East, Nagpur Mandarin, Kinnow or Coorg Mandarin are better suited.
Sowing & cultivation
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Thin, loose rind and abundant, well-blended juice, per the NHB variety list.
- GI-tagged since 2014 and sold as the King of Oranges, which gives Khasi and Jaintia hill farmers a protected regional name.
- The most commercially important citrus across North-East India, so buyers and traders know it.
Things to consider
- The average yield is about 5.91 t/ha, little more than half the national 10.36 t/ha, according to ICAR Umiam. Old, virus-infected orchards drag it down.
- Citrus tristeza virus is widespread. A 2015 survey found 57.33% of trees infected, rising with age to 76.4% in orchards over 15 years. Huanglongbing (greening) also occurs. Buy virus-free, greening-tested grafted plants.
- It has no formal breeding release, so there is no single approved planting stock. Ask for plants grafted from tested mother trees.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Meghalaya
- Assam
5.91 against 10.36 t/ha: what an old orchard owner should check
ICAR Umiam puts Khasi Mandarin's average yield at about 5.91 t/ha, against 10.36 t/ha for India. The gap is large, and the virus data suggest why.
A 2015 survey of 300 trees found citrus tristeza virus in 57.33%, and 76.4% in orchards over 15 years old. Many hill orchards are old. So if your trees are over 15 years old and are giving less every year, assume virus is part of the reason before you spend on more fertilizer.
Two steps are worth taking. First, ask your KVK or ICAR Umiam to test a few trees for CTV by ELISA, since the survey itself used DAS-ELISA. Second, plan to replant in blocks with virus-free, greening-tested plants on a tested rootstock, and keep the new block apart from the old one. Rangpur lime did best of seven rootstocks in the Umiam 2023–24 trial.
Where the planting material comes from
This variety is budded onto a rootstock, not grown from seed. Seed out of its fruit will not come up as this variety, so it cannot be kept as seed. Buy budded plants from a registered nursery or a government farm, so the plant is true to the variety and free of disease.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Orange (Mandarin) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Starts bearing | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coorg Mandarin (Kodagu) | A revival crop for Kodagu's coffee estates, if you start with clean planting material | Bearing from year 4–5 (grafted plant) | No official per-hectare figure found; trees now give about 10 kg against over 50 kg in the past | Karnataka, Kerala |
| Khasi Mandarinthis page | The GI-tagged King of Oranges for the Khasi and Jaintia hills, if you can source virus-free plants | Bearing from year 4–5 (grafted or seedling plant) | About 5.91 t/ha on average (ICAR Umiam, 2025), against 10.36 t/ha for India | Meghalaya, Assam |
| Kinnow (mandarin hybrid) | A cold-hardy, high-yielding mandarin hybrid for Punjab's winter fresh-fruit trade | Fruit ripens from mid-January to mid-February | 125–150 kg per tree (PAU); Punjab average 26.3 t/ha in 2020–21 | Punjab, Rajasthan |
| Nagpur Mandarin (Nagpur Santra) | The GI-tagged Vidarbha santra, for farmers who can manage water and buy greening-tested plants | Bearing from year 4–5 (grafted plant) | No official per-hectare figure found; a central-India rootstock trial recorded 156.3 kg a tree on Rangpur lime | Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh |
Tools for this crop
The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what Orange (Mandarin) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Orange (Mandarin) plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Orange (Mandarin) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Orange (Mandarin) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Orange (Mandarin) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Orange (Mandarin) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
How serious is disease pressure on Khasi Mandarin right now?
Serious, and measured. A 2015 survey of 300 trees across six North-Eastern states found citrus tristeza virus in 57.33% of them, 60% in Meghalaya, and over 76% in orchards older than 15 years. The disease pressure rises with tree age.
What do 'Soh Niamtra' and 'King of Oranges' mean?
Soh Niamtra (also spelled Soh Myntra) is the Khasi-language name for the fruit; 'King of Oranges' is a marketing name used since its 2014 GI tag, reflecting its status as the North-East's most important commercial citrus type — East and West Khasi Hills districts alone account for nearly 60% of the region's mandarin-growing area.
Why is the average yield of Khasi Mandarin so low?
ICAR Umiam gives about 5.91 t/ha, against 10.36 t/ha for India. The main reasons reported are citrus tristeza virus, which was found in 57.33% of trees in a 2015 survey and 76.4% of orchards over 15 years old, and old, unmanaged orchards. Fresh planting from virus-free stock is the first step.
Which rootstock gave the best yield for Khasi Mandarin?
In a 2023–24 rootstock trial at ICAR Umiam with seven rootstocks, plants grafted on Citrus limonia (Rangpur lime) gave the highest yield. Ask the nursery what the plants are grafted on.
What did manuring do for Khasi Mandarin at Umiam?
In an Umiam field trial, 110 kg of pig manure with 750 g of nitrogen and 650 g of potassium per tree gave the highest fruit yield, 163 kg a tree, and the lowest fruit drop at 19.73%. That is one trial result, so use it as a guide and adjust with a soil test.
When is Khasi Mandarin harvested?
From November to February. The fruit turns from green to bright orange as temperatures fall from September. Because the rind is thin and loose, handle it carefully at picking to avoid bruising.
Sourced from: High incidence of citrus tristeza virus in mandarin (Citrus reticulata) in North-East states of India — PMC, Khasi Mandarin — Digital GI, Citrus varieties — National Horticulture Board, Effect of rootstocks on growth, yield, fruit quality and leaf nutrients of Khasi mandarin — Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences (ICAR ePubs). editorial policy.