Today and Tomorrow 


oranges

The fresh-fruit breeding program has been developing easy-to-peel tangerine varieties with different maturity dates. That includes grapefruit and pummelo varieties with a range of maturity dates and canker resistance (as well as low-content of phytochemicals responsible for the grapefruit-drug interaction), and seedless lime and lemon selections with improved quality, disease resistance, and cold-hardiness. These will provide new marketing opportunities for Florida growers.

The program has also been developing improved rootstocks for Florida, with the goal of generating rootstocks that will allow sustainable and profitable production in various growing regions of the state. Rootstocks will need to have wide soil adaptation, cold hardiness, tree-size control, salinity tolerance, and disease and nematode resistance. The program has recently released its first rootstocks, including some semi-dwarf rootstocks with early production and improved disease resistance that can be used in emerging Advanced Citrus Production Systems.

The survival and long-term viability of the Florida citrus industry are being challenged because of the statewide spread of HLB. In response, the UF/IFAS citrus breeding program is sharply focused on providing genetic solutions to this disease by studying rootstock and scion performance from the many field trials established throughout the state. Already, some experimental rootstocks appear to be conferring significantly greater tolerance to HLB than those that are currently commercially available.

Information on released UF scion and rootstock varieties can be found on the Florida Foundation of Seed Producers website. 

Research Contacts


José Chaparro

José Chaparro

Breeding & Genetics
Stone Fruits
Horticultural Sciences | Gainesville

                               
Manjul Dutt

Manjul Dutt

Breeding & Genetics
Citrus & Grapes
Horticultural SciencesCitrus REC

                               
Fred Gmitter

Fred Gmitter

Breeding & Genetics
Citrus 
Horticultural SciencesCitrus REC

 
Jude Grosser

Jude Grosser

Breeding & Genetics
Citrus
Horticultural SciencesCitrus REC

                               
 

For more information on varieties, please click/tap the FFSP logo below.

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