Khasi Mandarin
The GI-tagged mandarin of the Khasi and Jaintia hills — grown on hill terraces where neither Nagpur nor Coorg Mandarin is the local crop of choice.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Orange (Mandarin)
- Type
- Planting material
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- Bearing from year 4–5 (grafted or seedling plant)
- Expected yield
- 60–90 q/ha at full bearing
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Release
- No formal breeding release traced — a long-established North-East India landrace; GI-tagged in 2014.
About this variety
Khasi Mandarin (Citrus reticulata), locally called Soh Niamtra or Soh Myntra, is the most commercially important citrus cultivar of North-East India, grown across Meghalaya, Assam and neighbouring hill states — a directly-fetched Digital GI feature reports Meghalaya's own East and West Khasi Hills districts account for nearly 60% of the region's mandarin-growing area and over 67% of its production. It received a GI tag in 2014 (per the same source), marketed since as 'the King of Oranges,' and is traditionally harvested November–February as fruit turns from green to bright orange with falling temperatures from September. Meghalaya's crop is in well-documented decline, driven substantially by Citrus Tristeza Virus (CTV): a directly-fetched PMC study surveying 300 Khasi mandarin trees across six North-Eastern states in 2015 found 57.33% overall CTV incidence by DAS-ELISA testing, rising to 60% in Meghalaya specifically (66.66% at Cherrapunjee, 60% at Barapani, 55% at Umsning) and climbing sharply with tree age — 76.4% incidence in orchards over 15 years old. The same study notes Huanglongbing (citrus greening) is separately documented as co-occurring with citrus decline in the region.
Key characteristics
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
Bearing from year 4–5 (grafted or seedling plant)
Expected yield
60–90 q/ha at full bearing
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Distinctive sugar-acid flavour balance and good shelf life make it the most commercially important citrus type across the whole North-East, not just Meghalaya, per a directly-fetched Digital GI feature.
- GI-tagged since 2014, giving growers in the Khasi and Jaintia hills a protected regional identity, marketed as 'the King of Oranges.'
Things to consider
- This record's own diseaseResistance field ('Susceptible to citrus greening — the same nursery-quality caution applies') is strongly borne out by directly-measured data: a 2015 six-state PMC survey found 57–60%+ CTV incidence in Meghalaya's own Khasi mandarin trees, rising sharply with orchard age — an active, well-documented decline, not a theoretical risk.
- CTV and Huanglongbing are reported as co-occurring causes of decline in the region's literature — treat both, not greening alone, as live risks when sourcing planting material.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Meghalaya
- Assam
Frequently asked questions
How serious is disease pressure on Khasi Mandarin right now?
Serious and directly measured. A 2015 survey of 300 Khasi mandarin trees across six North-Eastern states (a directly-fetched PMC paper) found 57.33% overall Citrus Tristeza Virus incidence, rising to 60% in Meghalaya specifically and to over 76% in orchards older than 15 years — consistent with this record's own 'susceptible to citrus greening' caution, and worse 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.
Sourced from: High incidence of citrus tristeza virus in mandarin (Citrus reticulata) in North-East states of India — PMC, Khasi Mandarin — Digital GI. editorial policy.