Citrus nutrition research in northeast India: An overview

History of citrus growing in northeast India is as old as the tradition of citrus as its natural home of citrus hots-spots. Unfortunately, citrus of late is being tagged highly uncomfortable in its natural homeyard in northeast India, with some exceptions in Garo hills of Meghalaya and Pasighat of Arunachal Pradesh. Multiple nutrient deficiencies backed up by staggering nutrient mining have made citrus suffer from both production as well as quality issues, besides other issues of early onset of citrus decline and reduced post -harvest shelf life. Such depleted production incentives have put citrus growing on back-foot. Distinct absence of nutrient diagnostics coupled with lack of balanced fertilization have further hiked the miseries of citrus growers in the region. Citrus -based Soil health Card is another missing link putting citrus growers always managing their citrus orchards with complete guess-work, a complete sorry-state-of-affair, unless something too early and too quickly is done in this direction before it becomes too late and too little. Research need a complete reorientation in their objectivity of citrus nutrition with an eye on organic citrus integrating agroecological considerations using strictly adopted on-farm citrus module coupled with contingency irrigation planning by holding surplus rainwater.