Your Expertise Is Needed For Future Citrus Variety Viability
August 1, 2010 Florida’s citrus industry is fortunate to have two in-state breeding programs working on variety development and evaluation. There is a great deal of technical expertise within the UF/IFAS and USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS) citrus breeding programs, channeled toward the development of varieties. What the breeders bring to the party is valuable and indispensable. Even so, something more is needed if we are to be truly successful.
The experience of growers, shippers, processors, marketers, and packers must be integrated with the expertise of the research community if we are to reach our true potential. Toward this end, New Varieties Development & Management Corp. (NVDMC) coordinates field days and fruit displays/evaluations throughout the season. We are now in August, and information from field observations will make it possible to schedule variety evaluation dates with USDA and IFAS. Here is a little information about fruit displays and evaluations that may pique your interest.
UF/IFAS Displays
IFAS holds most of its displays in the teaching laboratory at the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred. Fruit is displayed on tables in various forms (whole, cut, and sometimes juice). Fruit is separated by fruit type (orange, grapefruit, and mandarin hybrids). Depending on the intended use of the fruit, participants are asked to peel, cut, and taste each variety and offer comment on various characteristics. Volunteers are asked to complete score sheets. The data is compiled and shared with the research team to aid in decision making. With more than 14,000 unique crosses in the system, only those that fill specific market voids, are better than what we currently have, or are truly special need move forward. These events also provide a great opportunity for the industry to interact with the research community and share their perspectives. During the 2010–2011 season, it is hoped one or two events will be held in Ft. Pierce.
USDA-ARS Events
USDA-ARS generally elects to host industry participation events on the research farms (Ft. Pierce or Leesburg). These events are scheduled less frequently than the IFAS events, but generally enable attendees to evaluate advanced fruit selections on the tree. Over the next few years, USDA-ARS will have more new citrus variety crosses fruiting, creating more opportunity for field events. Until the new material bears fruit, the ARS breeders and field staff are hard at work evaluating irradiated trials, advanced selections trials, and fruiting specimens from the diverse ARS variety collection for selections that might have commercial utility.
Participation Pointers
The ability to participate in field days and variety displays all starts with an expression of interest and a request to be included. NVDMC maintains an eMail database of industry volunteers who are interested in participating in these events. NVDMC extends invitations through eMail notices. Once an industry volunteer is on the list, it is hoped he/she will participate in at least two events during the season.
The time commitment is typically 60 to 90 minutes of evaluation time, plus travel. Because this requires a time commitment, it is understood volunteers might not be able to attend all events.
Help Wanted
If you are interested in assisting in the evaluation of new fresh and processed varieties, send the author an eMail ([email protected]) and indicate whether your primary interest is fresh, processed, or both.
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