SEEDLESS LIMES (CITRUS LATIFOLIA)

Persian lime (Citrus × latifolia), is also known by other common names such as seedless lime, Bearss lime and Tahiti lime, is a citrus fruit species of hybrid origin, known only in cultivation. The Persian lime is a triploid cross between key lime (Citrus × aurantiifolia) and lemon (Citrus limon). Although there are other citrus species that are referred to as “limes”, the Persian lime is the most widely cultivated lime species commercially, and accounts for the largest share of the fruits sold as limes. The fruit turns yellow as it ripens, but it is universally sold while still green.

 

Seedless limes were first cultivated on a large scale during the Persian empire (in what is now Iran) when Persia was introduced into the Arab culture, the consumption of seedless lime spread to the Iberian Peninsula, from where it reached Mexico during the Spanish conquest.

By the XX Century, at the 80’s; the seedless limes production in Mexico did not reach 40,000 metric tons, that’s when it began to increase with a view to its export to the United States; By the 90’s, its production reached 90,000 tons and by the year 2000 it already reached 250,000 tons per year


Currently, seedless limes production in Mexico has the capacity to exceed 500,000 metric tons each year. And Mexican other citrus fruits production is over 2 million tons each year.

 

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