Plant-based raw materials provide us with a wide array of products like food, fats and oils, medicines, fibre and timber. They have been dealt in a scholarly manner in the encyclopaedic series The Wealth of India – Raw Materials, which includes information on about 5000 economic plants. Some of the major articles from this encyclopaedia are now being brought out in a popular book form under the new series entitled ‘Encyclopaedia of Natural Wealth of India’. Citrus in India is the first book in the series. Citrus fruits are among the most important fruits in India and rank next only to mango and banana in quantity. The diverse soil and climate, especially in north-east India, have given rise to diverse forms of citrus in the wild and many other varieties are cultivated almost throughout India. Besides being consumed as fresh fruits, citrus fruits are made into a variety of products which are enjoyed by a large section of population and are also exported. There is an ample scope for developing new products like concentrates, juice powders, pectin, etc for domestic and export market. These have been dealt in the book. Every aspect of citriculture is complex, for instance the controversies regarding species, breeding, polyembryony, propagation, cultivation and processing of products. Some of these problems are too complex to be dealt with here and for more details recourse may be made to the sources of information under ‘Books for further reading’. It is hoped that the book will be useful to intelligent laymen, progressive farmers and entrepreneurs.
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