International Journal of Horticulture, Agriculture and Food Science (IJHAF) ISSN: 2456-8635 [Vol-6, Issue-3, May-Jun, 2022] Issue DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijhaf.6.3 Article DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijhaf.6.3.4 https://aipublications.com/ijhaf/ Page | 22 Rootstocks' effects on yield, fruit characteristics, and juice quality of the Tunisian Maltese half-blood (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck): an important citrus cultivar Asma Mami Maazoun 1 , Oumayma Zerai 1 , Mohamed Karim Aounallah 2 , Neziha el Bey 3 , Sofiene Hammami 4 , Taoufik Bettaieb 5 1 National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia, INAT, Tunis Cedex 1082, University of Carthage, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Tunis, Tunisia Email: asmamaazoun@gmail.com 1 National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia, INAT, Tunis Cedex 1082, University of Carthage, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Tunis, Tunisia Email: oumayma.zerai@gmail.com 2 National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia, INAT, Tunis Cedex 1082, University of Carthage, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Tunis, Tunisia Email: anounallahkarim@yahoo.fr 3 Ondokuz Mayis University, Faculty of Agriculture, Samsun, Turkey Email: naziha.bey87@gmail.com 4 National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia, INAT, Tunis Cedex 1082, University of Carthage, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Tunis, Tunisia Email: hammamisbm@yahoo.com 5 National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia, INAT, Tunis Cedex 1082, University of Carthage, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Tunis, Tunisia Email: tbettaieb@yahoo.fr Received: 03 May 2022; Received in revised form: 28 May 2022; Accepted: 04 Jun 2022; Available online:11 Jun 2022 ©2022 The Author(s). Published by AI Publications. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Abstract— In recent years, international trade in Maltese half-blood (Citrus sinensis) has increased. The rootstock's potential defines the fruit's characteristics in the eco-system where it is developed. As a result, in order to achieve the demands of the Maltese half-blood fruit market, it is critical to understand the effects of the rootstock and its role in fruit and juice quality. The Maltese half-blood was grafted onto four rootstocks and the fruit and juice quality parameters were evaluated. The obtained results revealed that rootstocks have a significant impact on the peel tickness of the fruits, as well as the acidity and total soluble solids of the juices. Indeed, the rootstocks significantly impacted the quality of the fruits and the juices in their environment. It was found that C35 citrange is a good rootstock for Maltese half-blood variety. Therefore, these on-site rootstock evaluation effects should assist local farmers in selecting the best rootstocks for their Maltese half-blood citrus cultivar based on the cultivation site's specific climatic and edaphic conditions. Keywords— Citrus sinensis, Maltese half-blood, rootstock, fruit quality, juice properties. I. INTRODUCTION Citrus, a genus in the Rutaceae family, contains several important fruits, including oranges, mandarins, limes, lemons, sour oranges, and grapefruits [1]. Citrus fruits are an important horticultural crop. Indeed, citrus species are among the world's most important fruit crops [2]. Citrus fruits are primarily grown along the coasts of many countries, as well as in the Mediterranean region. In 2018,