Three Products MAXIMU YIELD
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New fresh citrus varieties from the University of Florida Three By Fred Gmitter, to just over 12,000 acres with a little various medications they consume, Jude Grosser and Bill Castle more than 4 million boxes of fruit pro- because of the so-called grapefruit duced, and there were only 4,000 acres juice effect. here was a time not so long ago of tangelos yielding just over 1 million In the meantime, tangerine acreage Products for when the Florida fresh citrus boxes of fruit. Recent U.S. Department and production, first in the Mediter- fruit industry was based on a T of Agriculture crop estimates peg the ranean region and then in California, handful of familiar old varieties, and have skyrocketed. Former grapefruit the prices growers received for their current season’s output even lower. fruit usually were such that there was What happened in these last 15 fans lament their limitations as they MAXIMUM little interest in even thinking about years? Certainly, some obvious factors remember fondly their favorite, now- something new and different. Grape- fueled the declines we have witnessed forbidden, fruit. But, citrus breeders in Controlled-Release Nitrogen fruit was king of the fresh industry, — real estate speculation, hurricanes, Florida and elsewhere were busy also and Florida tangerines, though a citrus canker, and most recently HLB. across those 15 years developing new • Extended controlled • Excellent translocation But probably the greatest impact has potential varieties that might address YIELD! release within plant smaller segment than grapefruit, rep- resented the greatest production base come from the substantial changes in the challenges the Florida fresh citrus • Excellent plant uptake • Good carrier for many of this delicious fresh fruit category in consumer expectations and demands industry faces. • Excellent plant safety crop protection for fresh citrus products. A tasty, yet products the United States. FAST-TRACK RELEASE • Minimal volatilization In Florida during the 1997–98 not-so-easy-to-peel and full-of-seeds • Low wash-off potential season, there were about 128,000 acres Murcott is no longer what the con- Now, the time has come for the of grapefruit grown, yielding nearly sumer really wants to buy, especially Florida fresh industry to take a close 50 million boxes, 27,500 acres of after they have experienced the seed- look at the products produced by the tangerines yielding nearly 5.2 million less, “cute” and easy-to-peel Clemen- breeding programs, and to that end boxes, and more than 12,000 acres of tine and the several other new varieties the University of Florida, the Florida tangelos yielding nearly 2.9 million all marketed with the same attributes. Foundation Seed Producers, and the boxes. By the 2011–12 season, we And, the typical consumers of grape- fresh industry represented by the New saw grapefruit acreage drop to about fruit have aged and been instructed Varieties Development and Manage- 45,500 and production to under 19 by doctors to lay off the grapefruit ment Corporation (NVDMC) have million boxes, tangerine acreage drop because of concerns related to the devised the Fast-Track release option. • Provides balanced foliar • Compatible with most nutrition that can reduce fungicides, insecticides fruit drop & herbicides • Quick crop response, • Can be applied with other particularly under stressful NPK products conditions • Excellent crop safety Whether your citrus crop is stressed and needs to • Readily absorbed by plant recover quickly, or if you simply want to provide well- balanced foliar nutrition for stronger, healthier citrus, Helena can help. CoRoN Controlled-Release Nitrogen provides weeks of in-season nutrition to help push citrus to • Accelerates crop • Greater potential for development higher yielding, higher higher yields and quality. • Increases plant metabolism, quality & more ENC is a unique foliar fertilizer that includes the even under stress uniform fruit conditions • Can result in earlier major elements–NPK–plus Boron, Iron, Manganese, • More balanced vegetative maturity Copper, Zinc, Cobalt and Molybdenum. & reproductive growth MEGAFOL is a highly specialized and useful foliar • Improves plant vigor fertilizer that helps citrus recover from stress more quickly by increasing plant metabolism and nutrient uptake. People... Contact your local Helena representative to learn Products... more. Knowledge... Helena Chemical Company • 7664 Smythe Farm Rd • Memphis, TN 38120 • 901-752-4414 • www.helenachemical.com Always read and follow label directions. The Helena logo, CoRoN, ENC, Ele-Max, Precision Nutrition & People...Products...Knowledge... are registered trademarks of Helena Holding Company. MEGAFOL is a registered trademark of Valagro SpA. © 2013 Helena Holding Company. 10 CITRUS INDUSTRY • August 2013 This is a system designed to offer incentive to growers to participate now in the final commercial evaluations of several new UF varieties, and to have firsthand experience growing the trees and producing small crops of fruit, to support decisions about planting these varieties on a commercial scale. Fruit samples have been seen and evalu- ated by participants at the fruit display days we have held over the past several seasons, and the feedback we have had from industry has helped to guide our release decisions. What follows is brief descriptive information on the nine selections that C4-15-19, a promising seedless mandarin selection. are currently available; take a look, consider the possibilities, and make while Fallglo in the same season and their maximum flavor and quality in the move to the Fast Track! time were barely over seven. The flavor late November. N40W-6-3 makes a Several of the releases available are of UF 900 fruit is outstanding for such small, compact tree when grown on mandarin hybrids, some with seeds early maturity. The tree is typical in Swingle rootstock. Although it can be and others nearly or completely seed- vigor, and notably it bears good crops peeled, it should not be considered a less. The earliest maturing mandarin annually. Tests have shown that the zipper-skinned selection. A portion available is UF 900. This variety variety is resistant to Alternaria, and no of the first-year crop can exhibit a produces fruit that develop orange post-harvest problems have been noted rougher rind and lower juice content, color in mid-late September and are across several seasons’ testing. Though but this problem seems to diminish deeply colored by early November. In not seedless, generally the seed number with subsequent crops. comparisons with Fallglo, the current is lower than the typical Fallglo fruit. Another very promising seed- industry standard for early harvest, UF Next in line is N40W-6-3, a man- less mandarin selection is C4-15-19, 900 fruit are much easier to peel and darin variety that produces small-to- which produces a Clementine-sized, more convenient to eat; most notably, medium, seedless fruit with a unique peelable, and well-colored fruit with a the fruit can reach a sugar/acid ratio of and robust sweet flavor. These fruit very sweet and pleasant flavor, matur- 15 by late September or early October, begin to mature in October, but reach ing sometime between October and November, depending on the season. Fruit may need to be clipped to avoid plugging, especially with later harvest dates. The rind has conspicuous oil glands that release pleasantly fragrant oil during peeling. The tree has shown potential to yield quite well. This is the first seedless variety we have released that came from a somatic hybrid pol- len parent, and the seed parent is our previously released mandarin hybrid, Sugar Belle®. UF 950 (see page 14) has been called by some the “Florida Clemen- tine” because of its resemblance to that variety. It has better flavor and better internal and external color than the Can you put a price on a life? Cancer DOES One of Florida’s very own organic citrus grower and nurseryman for over 30 years needs your help! Charles Farmer, of Farmer’s Citrus Nursery & Budding, was recently diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Without treatment, this aggressive form of cancer could leave him with only a few months to live. The Burzynski Clinic can offer him a safe and effective treatment that could arcadia citrus enterprises, inc. possibly cure him. We are trying to raise money to afford this costly treatment that isn’t covered by insurance. Over 30 years in the citrus industry Please help us save Charles. Every dollar makes a Brian Bartholomew huge difference! For more info, please check out our Facebook Page: facebook.com/farmercfruits or call us Mobile (863) 990-0800 • Office (239) 368-2128 at (954) 303-0170. To make a donation through PayPal, visit our website: farmercfruits.wordpress.com P.O. Box 1289 Fort Myers, Florida 33902 God Bless! — The Farmer Family 12 CITRUS INDUSTRY • August 2013 Clementine fruit found in the mar- ketplace. It is easily peeled and eaten, with good segment structure and a crisp texture. Generally, the fruit are seedless with no more than two seeds ever found in a single fruit (even with substantial cross-pollination), and can be harvested from early-mid December through mid-January. Like UF 900, it has been shown to be resistant to Alter- naria. It flowers annually, but fruit set can be light; however, limb girdling or gibberellic acid spray treatments dur- ing bloom have been shown to result in substantial crops of fruit annually. The final mandarin selection isUF 411, a variety that produces large and attractive fruit that, although quite firm, are easy to peel cleanly. The fruit are not seedless, but because of their exceptional eating quality, we have decided to release the variety nonetheless. Fruit are very aromatic and flavorful, and produce high soluble solids balanced with substantial acidity UF 950 variety has been called the “Florida Clementine.” for a robust eating experience.