The California citrus industry was booming during Hatton’s career, but it also faced significant challenges such as pests, diseases, and fluctuating market demands. Hatton’s research helped the industry adapt and thrive by:

• Providing growers with better citrus varieties tailored for quality and marketability.
   

• Introducing disease-resistant rootstocks to reduce losses.
   

• Advising on best horticultural practices through his role at the Citrus Experiment Station.
   

His work helped California maintain its position as a global leader in citrus production throughout the 20th century.

Legacy and Later Years

Ronald Hatton retired in the mid-20th century but remained an influential figure in horticultural circles. His research and the varieties he developed continued to be used widely in citrus cultivation.

The Citrus Research Center and Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of California, Riverside, which evolved from the Citrus Experiment Station where Hatton worked, continues to honor his legacy by maintaining some of the original cultivars he developed and advancing citrus science.

Hatton passed away in 1965, but his contributions are still recognized as foundational in the field of citrus horticulture. shutdown123