Florida - Tuesday October 31, 2023: New citrus varieties are now in their fourth year of growth and show signs of hope for growers in the Indian River District.
The new varieties were developed by researchers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) in Fort Pierce. They're being grown in an experimental grove called the ‘Millennium Block'.
To show growers the promising results, UF/IFAS have invited growers to tour the 20-acre Millennium Block next Tuesday, November 7 to see first hand how the new citrus varieties are doing.
“We are excited about collecting a second year of data for assessing fruit yield and fruit quality,” said Ronald D. Cave, Director of the UF/IFAS Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC) in Fort Pierce, the center of the world’s premier grapefruit production region. “There certainly are notable visual differences among the numerous scion and root-stock combinations. I hope growers will come to see those differences and the data from last season’s harvest.”
The grove is a living experiment of more than 5,500 citrus trees representing 142 scion and root-stock combinations, some of which are tolerating citrus greening better than others. The grove is situated in the heart of the Indian River citrus production district that is internationally renowned for its peerless fresh grapefruit. The research is expected to reveal which citrus varieties and root-stocks will allow growers to stay in business, said Cave.
Research in the Millennium Block (MB) citrus grove began with the first plantings in 2019, Cave said The Indian River region has seen a steep decline over the last 20 years due initially to the introduction of citrus canker, followed by the world’s most serious citrus disease, citrus greening. Breeders have developed new trees, some of which appear more tolerant of the bacterium that causes citrus greening.
The scion is the above-ground foliage and fruit, while the root-stock is the below ground roots that are adapted to different soil types and impart resistance to soil-borne diseases but also influences tree growth and fruit quality.
“Hurricanes Ian and Nicole impacted fruit from the 2022 harvest, so we are eager to evaluate this season’s production,” said Cave.
Mark Ritenour, a professor of horticulture and post harvest technology, points out more than a few varieties that show full canopies and decent crop loads. Among the grapefruit and pummelo hybrids that performed best last year was UF 914, which is a seedless, red-fleshed grapefruit-like hybrid developed by UF/IFAS breeders at the Citrus Research and Education Center.