The July issue of Citrus Industry magazine focuses on breeding better citrus. A trio of articles gives readers an inside look at University of Florida (UF) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) citrus breeding efforts.
The breeding team at UF’s Citrus Research and Education Center is working to solve the low Brix problem that has been affecting Florida growers. An article by the team shares what early, mid and late-season sweet orange varieties are showing high Brix. The article also includes scion/rootstock combinations yielding the best Brix as well as HLB-tolerant hybrids that could be used in juice blending to improve flavor.
A second UF article explains what efforts are being undertaken to speed up the citrus breeding process. The article discusses high-throughput phenotyping and field evaluations via drone.
A third article looks at the latest USDA citrus breeding efforts. Get information on what new rootstocks and varieties are available and in the pipeline. Also covered is an update on duplication of the Donaldson tree.
Listen to the latest episode of the All in For Citrus podcast here.
