Limes (Citrus aurantifolia and Citrus latifolia) are the third most important type of citrus produced in Guyana in terms of production volume and are the leading citrus export. The West Indian lime (also known as Mexican lime or Key lime) is the kind most widely grown. Small quantities of the seedless Tahiti lime (also known as Persian lime) and tle-Bears lime are also produced. Nearly all the limes are sold as fresh fruit in the domestic fresh market, although small volumes are exported to Barbados.

Harvest Maturity Indices 
The quality of limes does not improve during storage, so it is important to harvest the fruit at the correct stage of maturity. Fruit size is not always correlated to maturity and due to the extended period of flowering and fruit set, days from flowering is not a reliable index of harvest maturity either. Several different external and internal indices may be used to determine harvest maturity. The most commonly used indices are external appearance and juice content.

The ideal harvest stage for export market limes is when the peel colour has changed from dark to light green the surface is smooth, and the fruit feels slightly soft to the touch. If the fruit is picked too soon, the peel is likely to develop a dark rind scald. On the other hand, limes that are left on the tree for extended periods will start to turn yellow and are subject to stylar-end breakdown. Yellow coloured fruit are acceptable for the domestic market, but generally not for export’ The postharvest life of yellow limes will be less than green coloured fruit. Limes that have over-matured and fallen to the ground are not acceptable for the fresh market.

Juice content should also be determined before the beginning of harvest. Random samples of fruit from various trees should be picked and separated into different size categories. The juice content (by volume) should be determined for each size category. Limes are mature enough for harvest when the juice content is 30 percent or higher. Limes of the size categories meeting the minimum juice content should be harvested.

Harvest Methods Limes should be harvested by carefully twisting and pulling the fruit from the tree so the button (calyx and disk) remains attached to the fruit. Stems left on the fruit at picking should be cut off to avoid puncture damage to adjacent fruit. Careless picking
can result in plugging and is unacceptable. Plugging is when part of the peel tissue pulls loose from the rest of the fruit, creating an open wound at the top of the fruit. Avoid rough harvesting practices that cause fruit bruising. Pickers should wear protective gloves. Never shake the tree to harvest the fruit. Any fruit that falls to the ground is likely to be severely bruised and subject to postharvest decay. Ladders may be needed to facilitate harvesting of fruit borne on tall trees. The harvested fruit should be carefully put into padded field crates, well ventilated plastic containers, or picking sacks equipped with a quick-opening bottom. When filled, the sacks are emptied into larger field containers or the fruit may be taken to a collection site for preparation for market. At the collection site, the limes are separated by colour, cleaned, graded, and packed for market. The initial step in preparing the fruit for market involves eliminating the unmarketable fruit and separating the fruit by colour.