Decision guides · Citrus (Nagpur mandarin)
How much water does an orange tree need? When to irrigate Nagpur orange
Irrigate citrus by soil moisture, not by the calendar. Water when the root-zone soil is drying out; hold off when it is still moist. Demand is highest in summer, lowest in winter and zero during the bahar stress; do not let a gap fall at flowering and fruit set. The satellite shows when leaves are under stress; the soil you still have to check yourself.
Last checked (AI-assisted): 15 Oct 2026. Checked on 15 Oct 2026 against published ICAR, state agricultural university and FAO guidance with AI assistance. Not yet reviewed by an agronomist or tested with farmers. No spray, pesticide, fertiliser or irrigation amount is given here; for those, test your soil and ask your KVK or an agronomist.
What decides how much water a tree needs
Water demand follows the weather: more sun, heat, wind and dry air mean the tree uses more. Science calls this evapotranspiration and measures it with the FAO-56 standard method.
Citrus demand changes with the season: highest in summer; do not let a gap fall at flowering and the small-fruit stage. Water is off during the rest (stress) period, and the monsoon usually covers it.
How to check soil moisture
A forearm's length from the trunk, dig a hand-span deep. Squeeze a handful. If it forms a ball and feels wet to the touch, no water needed. If it crumbles, irrigate.
Heavy black soil holds moisture for days; light murum soil dries fast. A neighbour's schedule does not necessarily fit your orchard.
Simple rules by season
Summer (March to June): highest demand; check soil every 3 to 4 days. If the bahar stress falls here, water stays off.
Monsoon: no irrigation while rain is adequate; check soil after 10 to 15 dry days. Drain standing water; waterlogging rots roots.
Winter: lower demand; lengthen the interval, but do not let a gap fall while fruit is filling.
How to use the satellite report
The weekly message says whether canopy greenness fell since last week. If it fell and there was no rain, check the soil. That is a prompt to check, not an order to irrigate.
In Decide, after agronomist review, the FAO-56 water balance and your soil type produce a decision such as 'irrigate this week'. That service is not open for citrus yet.
What not to do
Irrigating on a fixed day without checking. A sudden heavy irrigation at flowering (flowers can drop). Small top-up irrigations during the stress period (the stress never sets and the tree tires anyway).
What to check in your field or orchard this week
- A forearm from the trunk, a hand-span deep: does the soil form a ball?
- Do new leaves wilt at midday and recover by evening? (the start of stress)
- With drip, is there a wet band at every tree?
A Watch message says only what changed and what to check. It never names a product, a fertiliser or an irrigation amount.
Questions
How many litres should I give?
It depends on tree age, soil and season. This guide gives no number; take the KVK or PDKV recommendation for your orchard from an agronomist.
Does the satellite measure soil moisture?
No. It sees canopy greenness and water stress once it shows on the leaves. Soil moisture you check by hand.
Do I get a message when it is cloudy?
Yes. The message says the orchard was not clearly visible this week because of cloud. Then simply check the soil.
Want a weekly message for your field?
Call us to join. Free to watch. What changed in your field or orchard, every week, with the date and the source.
Sources
- FAO Irrigation and Drainage Paper 56 (Allen et al., 1998): crop evapotranspiration and the soil water balance; citrus crop coefficients · www.fao.org/4/x0490e/x0490e00.htm
- ICAR-CCRI Nagpur, month-by-month guidelines for citrus growers: irrigation intervals through the year · ccri.org.in/calendar-of-operations/
- Dr. PDKV, Akola: All India Coordinated Research Project on Citrus, findings for Nagpur mandarin (soil moisture stress, irrigation scheduling, fruit drop) · www.pdkv.ac.in/?p=4604
More guides
- Nagpur orange bahar management: ambia or mrig, when to stress, when to water
- Drip irrigation for orange trees: a month-by-month schedule
- Citrus fruit drop: causes, and what to check first
- Why citrus leaves turn yellow: read the pattern, find the cause, then act
- What are ambia and mrig bahar? Choosing the right one for your orchard
- Water stress: the sign on the tree, the sign in the soil, the sign from the satellite
- Nagpur orange season: when to harvest ambia and mrig fruit
- Weather and irrigation: how the five-day forecast changes the watering schedule
- What is satellite farming? What a satellite sees in your orchard, and what it cannot
- Ambia bahar orange crop insurance in Maharashtra: what it covers, who can enrol, how to apply
- Nagpur orange planting (santra lagwad): soil, spacing, pit size, rootstock and planting time
- Nagpur orange fertiliser (santra khat vyavasthapan): what to ask your KVK before you apply
- Nagpur orange season and GI tag: when ambia and mrig bahar fruit reach the market
- How to see a satellite image of your own field for free: Copernicus Browser, NASA Worldview and ISRO Bhuvan
- NDVI full form and meaning: what NDVI is and what it tells you about an orange orchard
- Cotton in Vidarbha: what to check, and when, from sowing to picking
- Soybean in Vidarbha: what to check, and when, from sowing to harvest
- Tur (pigeonpea) in Vidarbha: what to check, and when, from sowing to harvest
- Chana (chickpea) in Vidarbha: what to check, and when, from sowing to harvest
How we compute this and what the limits are: the methods page