15 May 2018

Citrus variety evaluation gets green light for five more years

Hort Innovation reinvests in citrus evaluation program

Dr Dave Monks to lead this season

10 new varieties top-worked to Valencia

Citrus growers can look forward to ongoing independent evaluation of up-and-coming varieties with a reinvestment into the NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) citrus evaluation program.

The program, recently funded for another five years as a strategic levy investment of the Hort Innovation Citrus Fund, is managed at NSW DPI’s Dareton Primary Industries Institute (PII).

This season, researchers have top-worked 10 new varieties to Valencia orange on a range of rootstocks, joining 41 varieties already established in the field. Of these, 14 varieties will fruit at Dareton for the first time this year.

Graeme Sanderson, industry stalwart and long-time leader of this research, has stepped aside this season and welcomed Dr Dave Monks in to lead the program.

“I’ve been with the Department at Dareton for 30 years and have seen the move from public varieties towards private varieties,” said Graeme.

“Continuing to have an independent evaluation helps industry gain confidence in their planting decisions.”

Dave acknowledged the experience and expertise Graeme has been able to pass on.

“Having Graeme show me the ropes this year has been terrific – to be able to learn alongside him will mean, hopefully, we can offer the same standard and service to industry,” he said.

Varieties to fruit in the field at Dareton PII in 2018 for the first time are Valencia (Midknight 115-1717, Ruby, Weipe, Mclean, Lavalle and Benny); Grapefruit (Star Ruby early and late varieties and Jackson – Sweet Sunrise); Navel (Witkrans, Rayno and Glen Ora); and Mandarin (USDA 88-2, Sonet and CSIRO 91-03-04).

Except CSIRO’s 91-03-04 mandarin, all varieties fruiting this year for the first time are managed by Variety Access Australia – a cultivar management company.

Growers interested in seeing certain varieties in the field may contact the variety manager and then make an appointment to come to the Dareton PII; juice quality and yield data is available on all varieties that have produced fruit to date.

Citrus growers at the Dareton Primary Industries Institute tasting the fruit from the different varieties in the evaluation trial.

Dr Dave Monks takes over leadership of the citrus evaluation program this year.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The project ‘Evaluation of new citrus varieties 2017-2022’ (CT17006) has been funded by Hort Innovation using the citrus research and development levy and contributions from the Australian Government. It is being delivered by NSW DPI.