Comparison between the vegetative and fruit characteristics of 'Orah' (Citrus reticulata Blanco) mandarin under different climatic conditions

•The heterogeneity of quality in ‘Orah’ mandarin fruit under different climatic regions was identified by multivariate indicators such as weight, total soluble solids, malic acid and proline.•The result of principal component and factor analysis of vegetative and fruit characteristic showed that the dry-hot valley areas resulted in a highly efficient production of ‘Orah’ mandarin.•The meteorological characteristics of different climatic regions, in particular temperature and sunshine at the important developmental stages, reflect a considerable degree of variation in these indicators of ‘Orah’ mandarin.