Last update: August 2008

         The fruit of the rootstock known as Cleopatra is a small tangerine with many polyembryonic seeds. Cleopatra has been used as a citrus rootstock in Sao Paulo for more than 30 years and its behavior is reasonably well known. Trees budded on Cleopatra grow rapidly and are large and uniform. Productivity, however, begins slowly and, usually trees take at least 2 years more to attain crop sizes comparable to those on Rangpur lime (most common rootstock in Sao Paulo). When on full bearing age, trees on Cleopatra however, can produce better yields than trees on Rangpur in some cases. As they are more demanding of nutrients and less tolerant to drought, trees on Cleopatra  usually bear smaller crops than those on Rangpur in the first 10 years in the field. However, as they live longer due to disease resistance, productivity in the second decade in the field frequently surpass that of Rangpur. There are extreme cases where trees on Cleopatra have been eradicated around 10 to 15 years of age due to low productivity, and there are others where they constantly produce more than trees on Rangpur.

        Fruit quality of scions on Cleopatra is better than when on Rangpur lime, typically having more sugar and better flavor. Fruit maturity is consistently later than on Rangpur. Externally, fruit of trees on Cleopatra are smaller but better looking than those on Rangpur. This could be a consequence of a greater dependency of Cleopatra on complementary fertilization. High levels of Potassium fertilization can improve fruit size with Cleopatra.

        Cleopatra is resistant to Sudden Death, Tristeza, Exocortis, Xyloporosis, and less susceptible to Citrus Blight when compared to Rangpur lime. It is susceptible to Foot and Root Rot and to nematodes. There are no compatibility problems reported with common commercial varieties of citrus in Sao Paulo. In relation to Foot and Root Rot, Cleopatra seems to vary from very susceptible in the nursery stage, which prolongs into the young orchard as very severe infections, to not so susceptible as adult plants, or at least, less susceptible than Rangpur lime.

        Cleopatra, therefore, seems to adapt better to the following conditions:

a. Irrigated orchards
b. Rich soils
c. Heavy potassium fertilization
d. Varieties that require increased juice sugar concentration
e. Varieties whose fruit size is too large
f. Areas of high Citrus Blight incidence
g. Tangerines which do not have problems with productivity and small fruit size
h. Varieties that commercially benefit from late maturity
i. Prevention of Sudden Death

          Cleopatra is easily handled as a rootstock in the nursery. Plants develop rapidly and uniformly, are easy to bud and bend, and require less sprouting than Rangpur. The occurrence of atypical plants or hybrids is small. Seed coat removal improves significantly one of Cleopatra's problems which is root bending at germination.

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