by BRAD BUCK, UF/IFAS
Six new citrus greening-tolerant citrus varieties will soon be available for Florida growers, thanks to research by University of Florida breeders.
Citrus greening, also known as Huanglongbing (HLB) has devastated Florida’s citrus industry since it was first reported in 2005.
The new citrus varieties were developed at the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred by Jude Grosser and Fred Gmitter.
“We’re excited to provide our industry with these new scion and rootstock selections that will improve the quality of our not-from-concentrate (NFC) orange juice and contribute to a sustainable and profitable Florida citrus industry,” said Grosser, a UF/IFAS professor of breeding and genetics.
Gmitter speaks with optimism about the new releases.
“Our observations, based on decades of experience with citrus trees and HLB, indicate that these selections are very promising and worthy of trialing in commercial groves,” he said. “We’d like more supporting data on their performance, but we weigh that desire against the urgency felt by growers for options now. At this time, these are among our best hopes to meet industry needs.”
The varieties are:
- ‘N14-10’ Hamlin – tolerant to HLB with improved brix, the sugar component of citrus.
- ‘OLL-DC-3-40’ Sweet Orange – tolerant to HLB with improved brix, color and juice scores.
- ‘OLL-DC-3-36’ Sweet Orange – tolerant to HLB with improved brix, color and juice scores.
- ‘C4-10-42’ Mandarin Hybrid – tolerant to HLB and useful for processing and blending into NFC orange juice to increase brix and color.
- ‘RBA 13-18’ Mandarin Hybrid – tolerant to HLB and useful for processing and blending into NFC orange juice to increase brix and color.
- ‘Orange 14’ Rootstock – a rootstock selection that performed well under HLB pressure, including an area with heavy diaprepes/phytophthora pressure.
A collaborative effort by the Florida Foundation Seed Producers (FFSP), Inc., New Varieties Development and Management Corp. (NVDMC), Florida Citrus Mutual and the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) aims to accelerate access to these greening-tolerant varieties for Florida’s citrus nurseries and growers.
The goal is to support the recovery of the citrus industry by providing growers with solutions that can better withstand HLB while maintaining fruit quality and yield.
Patents have been filed for these new varieties, and they join the 45 additional UF/IFAS varieties that FFSP has licensed for propagation and sale to Florida growers since 2009. While none of these varieties is HLB-resistant, work continues at UF/IFAS to identify long-term solutions for the Florida citrus industry.
“We’re excited to have the opportunity to partner with NVDMC and the FDOC to rapidly get these varieties into the hands of Florida citrus growers,” said John Beuttenmuller, executive director of FFSP.
Florida citrus nurseries should contact NVDMC to obtain a propagation sub-license.