The extension of tangerine offering both for internal and external markets is limited by the large amount of seeds present in the main cultivars, the occurrence of peel injures caused by diseases and the small fruit production during the hottest periods of the year. This work was aimed to characterize the fruit quality and maturation period of 46 tangerines and hybrids grown in the field at the Estação Experimental de Citricultura de Bebedouro (EECB), located in Bebedouro county, in São Paulo State, Brazil. Tangerines and their hybrids (tangors and tangelos) were introduced from germplasm banks of Italy, Portugal, Spain and France, and the study was conducted during the years of 2001/2002 and 2002/2003. External fruit quality was assessed by measurements of fruit height and diameter, fruit mass and peeling facility, as well as the internal quality characteristics, such as seed number, total soluble solids content, total titrable acidity, juice content, ratio and pulp content. Two cultivars produced good quality and early ripening fruits that may be offered in the local marketinperiods oflow fruitoffer,asalternatives to the 'Cravo'tangerine.Fourcultivars that presented good quality and a moderate maturation precocity may be introduced as alternatives for the 'Ponkan' cultivar.
Citrus; varieties; total soluble solids content; market
