Florida Foundation Seed Producers Inc. says it has signed a licensing agreement with New Varieties Development and Management Corp. to introduce a range of new, promising citrus varieties.
Florida Foundation Seed Producers said the varieties have shown improved tolerance to huanglongbing, also known as HLB, a devastating citrus greening disease.
The varieties covered by the agreement include, according to a news release:
- N14-10 Hamlin — a selection noted to be tolerant to HLB with improved Brix and soluble solids.
- OLL-DC-3-40 Sweet Orange — a selection noted to be tolerant to HLB with improved Brix, color and juice scores.
- OLL-DC-3-36 Sweet Orange — a selection noted to be tolerant to HLB with improved Brix, color and juice scores.
- C4-10-42 Mandarin Hybrid — a selection noted to be tolerant to HLB and useful for processing and blending into NFC orange juice to increase Brix and color.
- RBA 13-18 Mandarin Hybrid — a selection noted to be tolerant to HLB and useful for processing and blending into NFC orange juice to increase Brix and color.
- Orange 14 Rootstock — a rootstock selection noted to have performed well under HLB pressure, including an area with heavy Diaprepes/Phytophthora pressure.
Florida Foundation Seed Producers said the collaboration, which includes the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and the Florida Department of Citrus aims to accelerate access to these HLB-tolerant varieties for the state’s citrus nurseries and growers.
Florida Foundation Seed Producers said it and New Varieties Development and Management Corp. have filed for patents for the six varieties, which were developed by Frederick Gmitter Jr. and Jude Grosser at the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred, Fla.
“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,” Gmitter, a UF professor of citrus breeding and genetics, said in the release. “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.”
