WA CITRUS citrus maturity

For the WA citrus industry, our commitment to excellence drives us to achieve a 95% pass rate for awesome eating experience across all WA-grown mandarins and oranges.

Words Bronwyn Walsh, Industry Development Manager, WA Citrus

FOR early-season varieties, we are aiming even higher for 100% pass rates, setting the foundation for a successful season and ensuring our consumers enjoy the vibrant citrus flavours they love.

How maturity testing works

AS part of the industry program, citrus fruit is randomly selected from wholesale market floors and retail outlets throughout the season. These samples are rigorously assessed against the WA and Australian Citrus Quality standards, focusing on juice content and BrimA levels —key indicators of a great citrus experience.

2024 season overview

The 2024 season recorded an overall pass rate of 88%, positioning WA citrus fruit within reach of the industry goal of 95%. These results highlight the comprehensive pre-harvest testing in ensuring premium fruit quality. In particular, mandarins—being the first fruit of the season—require more intensive and frequent sampling to account for variability.

Timely harvesting, efficient supply chain management, and rigorous quality control measures play crucial roles in delivering the freshest, most flavourful fruit to consumers.

Orange performance

WA-grown oranges attained a pass rate of 95%, aligning closely with industry goals. BrimA levels remained consistently high throughout the season, demonstrating the commitment to superior fruit quality. Navel varieties displayed excellent juice content, with only a few early-season samples below juice standards. Instances of lower juice level were recorded twice in early-season navels and 4 times in mid-season samples.

Mandarin performance

Mandarin varieties —Delite, Emperor, Hickson, Gold Nugget, and Mystique —performed exceptionally well in 2024, achieving 100% pass rates across the board.

The late-season Afourer mandarins showed significant improvement from 2023, with a pass rate of 97%, up from 86% in previous years. The only recorded failure occurred in early September, where a sample’s BrimA level was slightly below the standard of 110. Careful monitoring of BrimA levels from mid-to-late July will ensure Afourers deliver a consistently enjoyable eating experience for the 2025 season.

For the early-season mandarin segment, Clementines recorded a pass rate of 50% and Imperials had a 78% pass rate for both varieties although the sugars and BrimA passed, the juice levels were slightly below the standard.

Factors influencing juice content

Juice content was overall consistently high across varieties, with variations influenced by:

• Fertiliser management

• Water or weather conditions

• Optimal harvest timing

• Soil type and rootstock combinations

• Post-harvest storage conditions

To maintain the highest juice levels in fruit for customers, collaboration through the supply chain partners will ensure fruit reaches the market swiftly. Pre-harvest testing, particularly for growers in regions prone to producing lower juice fruit, and timing harvest landing on retail shelves in the shortest time.

For 2025

Making our citrus Zing for 2025:

• A whole of industry approach — every business counts. Review your 2024 season results and consider what you can do this year to ensure your fruit meets our customer’s expectations and industry goal.

• Pre-harvest testing —take advantage of free pre-harvest testing, particularly for Clementine and Imperial mandarins. When collecting samples, ensure fruit are representative of the entire area being harvested.

• Harvest when the fruit is at its best —meeting the industry standard for sugar, acid and juice

• Supply chain coordination — talk to your buyers about what practices between you can ensure fruit spends the most time in optimal condition from orchard to lunchbox

• Reach out —knowledge is power. If you’d like to know more about making your fruit zing, give Bronwyn a ring.

Maintaining high maturity standards is key to customer satisfaction and industry growth. By consistently delivery high-quality fruit, we strengthen the reputation of WA-grown citrus as the freshest, nutritious and flavourful choice.

Harvest when the fruit is at its best.