With the objective to enlarge the period of the year to harvest the oranges for fresh consumption, six cultivars of the orange germplasm collection at the Estação Experimental Agronômica of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul - RS, southern Brazil (30°39'S - 51°06'W), growing on a podzolic red-yellow soil, were evaluated for ripening parameters. Samples of 20 oranges from each cultivar were harvested every 15 days to determine total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TTA) and the TSS/TTA ratio, which is supposed to be, in ripe oranges, equal to or higher than 6:1. The Percentage of juice contents was also determined. The Laboratory analysis indicate that the most appropriate periods to harvest the highest quality fruits are as follow: 'Hamlin' oranges sampled over a six-year period should be harvested between April 30th and August 31th; 'Rubi' should be harvested after May 15th and September 31th, while cv. Tobias should be harvested after July 1st and before November 1st, The 'Pera Rio' oranges, are recommended to be harvested between August 31th and January 1st, The Oranges of cultivar Valencia, sampled for only five seasons, are recommended to be harvested between August 31th and January 15th, and the 'Folha Murcha' oranges, sampled for three seasons, should be harvested not earlier than September 1st and not later than February 1st.
Citrus spp.; harvesting; ripening
