Objective  The paper aims to build a CVOR index model for quality evaluation of navel orange orchards of the Gannan navel orange orchard system.

  Method  A typical navel orange producing area was selected in Xunwu county of southern Jiangxi Province. With measured data (soil organic matter, available nutrients, yield, etc.) and remote sensing data (temperature, altitude, traffic, etc.), a CVOR index model for navel orange orchards was constructed depending on the structure and composition of the artificial ecosystem. Meanwhile, the CVOR index characteristics of navel orange orchards were further studied by ArcGIS software and remote sensing platforms.

  Result  An obvious different spatial pattern of condition (C) and VOR (VOR) sub-indices was posed in Xunwu navel orange orchard. The correlation coefficient between the two sub-indices was 0.13 based on correlation test results. The correlation coefficients between the CVOR index and two sub-indices were 0.60 and 0.84, indicating that the CVOR index could be a comprehensive index to identify the system status and condition level of navel orange orchards. According to the research, the CVOR index of navel orange orchards in Xunwu ranged from 0 to 0.85. High-level navel orange orchards were mainly located in the western Jitan, eastern Wenfeng, the middle of both Chengjiang and Nanqiao. The plots with the highest quality were distributed in the Zhenxia, Gufeng, and Lanbei of Jitan Town. At the same time, low-level orchards were scattered in the townships. The plots with the lowest quality were in Shuangcun village of Danxi Township. Traffic conditions, the degree of land agglomeration and the yield were the main factors that determine the quality and spatial distribution of navel orange orchards in Xunwu County.

  Conclusion  The system quality of navel orange orchards in Xunwu County was well overall, but the system quality of some orchards could be improved. The CVOR index we constructed could reflect the system quality of navel orange orchards and provide ideas for the quality evaluation of other orchard systems.