The technology life cycle of Persian lime. A patent based analysis.

The citrus agro-industry is one of the world's most important agricultural sectors. The Persian lime is one of six citrus fruit groups with economic significance. The technological lifecycle of Persian lime sector is assessed in this study using the growth S-curve approach. The objective is to depict the technology life cycle trajectory and current stage of the Persian lime citrus fruit, as well as each of its value chain phases, in order to facilitate better decision-making and technological strategies. The study uses technological patents collected from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) database from 1975 to 2009. The S-curve model of Persian lime and its value chain stages is generated using logistic mathematical regression. According to the findings of this study, Persian lime is in the maturity stage of the technology life cycle. As a result, the primary strategy could be cost reduction, process innovation, and price strategies to capitalize on market opportunities. When compared to other value chain phases, the transformation phase has the highest number of patents according to the value chain analysis and it is the unique value chain phase with statistical significance in the model. The transformation phase is also at the maturity stage of the technology life cycle. This creates opportunities in two ways: first, to adopt previously developed technologies in the transformation phase and improve process efficiency to reduce costs; and second, to reinforce innovative technological efforts in other phases of the Persian lime value chain, such as growth, harvest, or post-harvest.