Florida Citrus Show Title Coverage: Interesting Developments
March 1, 2010 
New Varieties Development & Management Corp. (NVDMC) was formed to support variety development efforts, assist with variety evaluation, serve as a central licensing mechanism for patented material, source new material from other areas, and bridge industry and research expertise.
Key to this process is industry involvement. NVDMC hosts frequent variety displays with UF/IFAS and USDA breeding programs. Growers, packers, processors, and marketers gather to evaluate and comment on varieties under development. This information is compiled and shared with the research teams. This information is immensely valuable to researchers, as they seek to develop varieties of value to the Florida grower.
Growers have more options today than last year. It is hoped that the investment in variety development and evaluation will serve to expand grower options significantly over the next couple years.
Observe And Report
NVDMC encourages growers to be on the watch for two things: 1) new sports and mutations that could offer some marketable advantage (color, size, flavor, etc), 2) old-time varieties that offer something unique, but were previously thought lost. If anything fitting these descriptions is found, contact NVDMC (www.NVDMC.org) or one of the breeding programs. NVDMC’s primary focus is early evaluation. While growers would like new varieties to come with guarantees and assurances of production, market acceptance, yield, tree life, etc., we simply do not have the luxury of 17 years of field trials anymore. New varieties will necessarily be made available in coming years, with far less data and tangible assurance of performance. Growers will be afforded the opportunity to plant and evaluate. It is hoped that this process will provide more valuable information earlier.
Up For Review
Presently, there are two USDA varieties available for evaluation through NVDMC: 1) the Early Pride Low-Seeded Tangerine, and 2) Seedless Surprise, an early white fleshed seedless tangelo-grapefruit hybrid that is non-bitter and low acid. Additionally, the USDA Seedless Pineapple Orange was recently released and is available.
NVDMC presently has varieties under evaluation contracts from California, Japan, South Africa, and Australia. Interesting public domain varieties have been brought in from California and Brazil. Varieties here for evaluation are either planted with private cooperators or placed into NVDMC’s variety block. It is also hoped that the A.H. Whitmore Foundation Farm may serve as a future evaluation site. Most varieties here for evaluation are fresh varieties, though processing oranges are frequently included in monthly evaluations and are a point of focus on international exploration trips.
Getting Fresh
NVDMC has two fresh varieties under active management. Each of these varieties is patented, and royalties are charged.
Sugar Belle is a new hybrid released by UF/IFAS. This variety has exceptional flavor. It matures in December and will hold through January. The fruit looks somewhat like a Minneola, but tends to be smaller. The variety is not seedless, but can be grown quite low-seeded. The variety, which has good color inside and out, has been quite popular in consumer testing.
Tango is a seedless easy-peel mutation of the W-Murcott. This variety matures in December and will hold through January. It has good color in most situations. Tango tends to over crop — but it can be managed. These trees produce fruit quite early. The fruit is an easy peel with good flavor.
NVDMC has agreements for these varieties for nurseries, packers, and growers. Growers who pack their own fruit are required to sign the grower and packer agreements. In all cases, the grower agreement must be signed prior to ordering trees through a commercial citrus nursery. The nurseries verify that all agreements are filed before orders are taken. There are presently four nurseries licensed to grow each of these varieties: Rucks Citrus Nursery; Harris Citrus Nursery; Rasnake Citrus Nursery; and Southern Citrus Nursery. Interested growers may contact the nursery or NVDMC.
Help Wanted
People interested in participating in the process to evaluate and comment on new varieties should contact the New Varieties Development & Management Corp. at www.NVDMC.org or 863-682-0151.
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