Washington Navel Citrus: Fruit and Tree Characteristics
Washington Navel citrus is a sweet orange citrus variety, also sold or known as Washington Navel orange or navel orange. It was registered with the National Seed Industry Council in 2005 as NSIC 2005 On 05.
The average and top yields in tonnes per hectare come from the trials each variety went through to be registered with the NSIC, and from what the seed companies say about their own seed.
What farmers harvest today can be different. Newer harvest records, the season, the place, the soil, the water and the care all move these numbers over time.
So use them to compare varieties, not as a promise for your field. Ask your seller or your agriculturist how the variety did on farms near you in the last few seasons.
If you came here looking for Washington Navel orange or navel orange, this is the same citrus. Its seller and farm sources add notes, listed at the end. Compare it with the others in our citrus variety finder, or see every crop variety we list. For the crop itself, read our guide: fertilizer for fruit trees.
- Type: Sweet orange.
Key facts about Washington Navel citrus
| Trait | What the record shows |
|---|---|
| Registration | NSIC 2005 On 05 |
| Year approved | 2005 |
| Also known as | Washington Navel orange, navel orange, NSIC On 05 |
| Type | Sweet orange |
| Tree height (m) | 1.5 |
| Tree growth habit | Spreading |
| Tree growth and vigor | Strong |
| Tree fruiting season (months) | March October |
| Tree regularity of bearing | Annual |
| Tree average yield* (kg/tree) | 60 |
| Fruit Size pD (mm) | 84.75 |
| Fruit Size eD (mm) | 83.5 |
| Fruit weight (g) | 283.5 |
| Fruit shape | Spheroid |
| Skin color | Green yellow |
| Skin texture | Smooth |
| Yield, per the seller | about 60 kg per tree |
When does it bear, and how much?
A registered tree variety is described from its mother tree, not from trial plots. The mother tree of Washington Navel was about 8 years old and about 1.5 meters tall when it was registered. It bears every year, with fruit in March October. Each tree gave about 60 kilograms in the records. A grafted or marcotted tree bears years sooner than one grown from seed, and its yield climbs as the tree grows.
anee.io keeps the records of each block of trees, from fertilizer to harvest, with the growth stages and weather beside them.
Is it resistant to pests and diseases?
No pest or disease ratings are published for this variety. So treat it as untested, and scout every week.
The pests and diseases that hit citrus fields most often: citrus greening, mealybug, Oriental fruit fly. Our pest finder and disease finder help you name what you see.
What the fruit is like
A fruit of Washington Navel weighs about 283.5 grams, and its shape is spheroid. The flesh is yellow orange and soft. Its sweetness measured 11.35 degrees Brix, the share of sugar in the juice. Most table fruit tastes sweet from about 12 Brix up. The edible part is 83 percent of the fruit. Its fruiting season is March October, bearing annual.
What its seller and farm sources say
- Harvest: Fruits March to October.
- Yield: About 60 kg per tree.
- Fruit: Round, about 284 g, green yellow peel, juicy yellow orange flesh, about 11.4 Brix, about 83 percent edible.
- Where: Baguio.
- Uses: Table, juice.
Why farmers know it: the classic navel orange in the registered set, about 60 kg per tree. Check these against what farmers near you have seen, because the same variety can do differently from one town to the next.
Where and when to plant Washington Navel citrus
Sweet oranges and mandarins grow best in the cooler, drier parts of the country. Buy budded trees on a tested rootstock from an accredited nursery, and keep out greening disease. A registered tree variety is a selection from one proven mother tree, and only grafted, budded or marcotted plants carry its traits. A seedling grown from its seed can turn out quite different. So buy from a nursery accredited by the Bureau of Plant Industry, and ask which mother tree the scions came from. Before planting, get the field ready with our guide: Land preparation for fruit trees.
Before you buy planting material
- Buy grafted or budded plants from an accredited nursery, with the variety name on the tag.
- Ask your municipal agriculturist or nearby farmers how it did in your area last season.
- Plant a few trees first if the variety is new to your area, before you fill the whole farm.
- Write down the planting day, inputs and harvest, so you can compare varieties on your own ground. anee.io keeps these records for you.
Set the planting day of each lot and anee.io dates every task to harvest, with the weather beside it. Free on the Libre plan.
Start freeCitrus varieties like this one
These are the closest matches among the citrus varieties we list. So if seed of this one is hard to find, compare these first.
Is Washington Navel orange the same as Washington Navel?
Where can I buy planting material of Washington Navel?
See how Washington Navel will do on your farm
With Libre + Anee, see its full record: how it yields, its strengths and weaknesses against pests, diseases and the weather, and whether it fits your farm, your season and your soil.
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