APPLICATION OF LIFE TABLE IN MODELLING LIFE OF CITRUS TREES

Citrus trees are long-lived perennial crops whose survival and productive longevity are influenced by age, disease, environmental conditions, cultivar, rootstock, soil properties and orchard management. Reliable estimation of citrus tree life expectancy is important for orchard planning, replacement decisions, production forecasting and sustainable citrus management. This study develops a life-table framework for estimating citrus tree survival and remaining life expectancy. A synthetic cohort of 300 citrus trees was generated to demonstrate the statistical methodology. The cohort was followed over age intervals of three years, and the numbers surviving and dying within each age interval were used to construct an abridged life table. The results obtained from the analysis using the life table (survival analysis) clearly indicates that the life expectancy range get to the optimum at 21-24 yrs interval and decline accordingly to 0 at age interval 48-51.