See the HLB-tolerant citrus options shared at a recent UF/IFAS citrus Extension-hosted virtual presentation.

During a recent UF/IFAS citrus Extension-hosted virtual presentation, John Chater, a horticulturist and assistant professor with UF/IFAS CREC, posed the question, “How do you know if a selection is HLB tolerant?” He then shared those HLB-tolerant citrus options that have been developed by the (CREC) Plant Improvement Team, according to a Citrus Industry article. See the highlights below.

HLB-Tolerant Citrus Options

Chater answered his own question by saying, “that takes years and a lot of money and resources to answer … It takes many trees, many years, multiple sites, excellent caretaking and lots of data to know something about tolerance,” according to the article, and he added that experts have shared that it can take up to eight years to know if a citrus tree is tolerant of citrus greening, also known as HLB.

Chater discussed B9-65 Valencia, the best variety our of 30 during a long-running trial due to the highest yield and soluble solids. The variety is available for growers and has been planted in Florida groves, according to the article. Other varieties that Chater said showed promise for tolerance are N13-32 Hamlin, OLL-4, OLL-8 and OLL-20.

As for HLB-tolerant citrus options for mandarins, that article maintains that Chater highlighted:

  • “Sugar Belle, which has Minneola-like flavor and good crop loads. Soft fruit has become a problem in South and Central Florida, but not in North Florida.
  • Gator Bites has excellent flavor, matures late and is a nearly seedless and easy-peel fruit for the fresh market.
  • Marathon is seedless and easy to peel, with good color, flavor and segment structure. It is very early maturing and has long on-tree storage capacity.
  • Bingo is an easy-to-peel fruit with excellent flavor.”

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