‘Valencia-Like’ Oranges Setting New Standards In Quality

Nurseries and growers have watched with great interest as new sweet-orange varieties emerge from the UF/IFAS variety development pipeline. The OLL-4, OLL-8, Valquarius SF14W-62, N7-3, B9-65, N13-32 (high-colored Hamlin), UF 11-1-24 (improved mid-sweet) are all available to nurseries for budwood increase and commercial propagation (under a license agreement), and even earlier maturing new Valencia clones are on the way.

UF/IFAS early Valencia orange clones

UF/IFAS early Valencia clones

The days of deciding between Hamlin, Valencia, and a mid-season orange are over. Oranges of higher quality will soon span Florida’s seasonal calendar. Many of the new sweet-orange varieties produce juice quality superior to Hamlin. The juice quality may rival Valencia, but not all of the oranges are true Valencia varieties. The term “Valencia-like” has been adopted as an informal descriptor. While the emergence and availability of new high-quality oranges bodes well for the future quality of NFC product, it poses a couple very important questions: (1) What is “Valencia-like” quality? (2) Is it necessary to define Valencia-like quality? Let’s examine this issue from a couple different perspectives.

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The Grower

The grower is understandably focused on productivity and price. Assuming the new orange varieties are equally productive, growers will focus on price. If the orange variety produces a juice of similar quality to traditional Florida Valencia, the grower has the expectation of being paid a Valencia price. Likewise, if the variety produces juice that is higher value than a traditional Florida Valencia (for instance, higher color scores, superior ratio, or earlier maturity), growers may perceive a shift in the value proposition. In fact, growers are questioning whether the new orange varieties will enter the Valencia or mid-season pool before deciding what they will plant. Growers would prefer to produce a higher quality orange in the early-mid season, but are not apt to pay a premium for the tree (these varieties require the payment of a tree-fee type royalty) without assured higher returns.

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The Processor

Lacking critical mass of the new higher quality orange varieties during the early-mid season, processing plants will be blending with traditional early-mid varieties. While the prospect of producing a higher quality NFC throughout the season is attractive, it does present some logistical challenges. Some processors have assigned one or more of the new orange selections to the Valencia pool in order to incent growers to plant. Other processors, realizing that growers are seeking options to Hamlin oranges (due to declining productivity and quality in the face of HLB), are waiting to see which varieties are planted — and in what quantity — before addressing the “Valencia-like” issue. For the processor, a better descriptor may be “NFC Quality” rather than “Valencia Quality.” There is “NFC Quality” product, then there is everything else.
This may be the ultimate chicken and the egg dilemma. Growers want some certainty that the additional expense and risk will be rewarded with pricing equivalent to Valencia. Processors want to wait until the new varieties are produced in sufficient quantity for the juice to be segregated before adopting new pricing models.

‘Valencia Quality’

Some growers have suggested this dilemma might be resolved through an effort to define “Valencia Quality” or “NFC Quality.” Such a definition would include quality specifications. Growers would expect that any orange meeting or exceeding the “Valencia-Quality” or “NFC Quality” definition would qualify for the Valencia pool. This could be done to establish a threshold or a quality scale that could be applied for the entire season. While such a standard could be created in short order, it does not get us past the core conflict. Growers want some level of certainty before investing in the new varieties. Processing plants prefer to see the volume, and then allow the market place to respond.

This is indeed a conundrum. The New Varieties Development & Management Corp. Processed Orange Advisory Board will deliberate this issue, and it will presumably find its way onto other organizational agendas.

In light of the need to plant 3.1 million trees per year to maintain the processed sector, and the potential market benefits from improved NFC juice quality, this is a debate worth having.

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