Bulletin 229, Diseases of Citrus in Florida 159

the most susceptible. However, many other varieties of oranges,
seedling oranges and hybrid citrus fruits exhibit more or less
tendency to split.
 The amount of fruit splitting varies in different years. It was
unusually severe in the fall of 1926, especially in the groves on
the ridge section, and the loss was estimated by Camp to have
been in excess of half a million dollars.
 SYMPTOMS OF FRUIT-SPLITTING
 Splitting usually starts at the stylar, or so-called "blossom",
end of the fruit. The crack rapidly opens up longitudinally
until it eventually extends half way around the fruit and may
become a half-inch or more wide at the starting point. After an
orange has once split the rupture cannot be closed, since the
fleshy part has increased to a greater volume than the covering
capacity of the rind. Within a few days after the fruit has
split, the margins of the rind along the split turn yellow and
often develop a green-spotting effect before they dry out (Fig.
























 Fig. 71.-Splitting of orange.