Mexican researchers have developed a new lemon variety with higher yields, traits and adaptability to production areas in Colima and Michoacán as part of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's plan to promote and strengthen citrus production.

A program of the National Institute of Forestry, Agricultural and Livestock Research (INIFAP), selected lemon plants with outstanding agronomic qualities and generated the "LISE" lemon variety that has better features and increases the diversity in quality citrus fruits, according to a statement from the Mexcian government.

"The lemon tree blooms several times a year, with higher intensity from January to March, and is characterized by if its flower buds have short petals, if production lasts throughout the year and if its most plentiful harvests are from May to September," the program said.

It also said that "the skin of the LISE lemons is thin with a smooth surface, it has darker green leaves than Colimex, it contains three to five seeds, has a soft pulp, has between nine and 12 segments and produces juice from 44 to 48 percent acidity".

INIFAP explained that "this new variety is the result of two selection cycles carried out on a natural variant that did not develop thorns, through natural crosses that take into account the varieties on commercial Mexican lemon plantations in Colima".

"According to the records of the Institute's specialists, a year can yield greater than 35 tons per hectare without the presence of the citrus disease, Huanglongbing (HLB)."

INIFAP specialists recommend, for practicality and financial reasons, planting it during the rainy season in loamy soils and putting it at a distance of six by four meters, pruning it annually, removing suckers (vegetative shoots) from the stem every three or four months and pointing out the long and slightly branched branches every six months to obtain more compact crowns.