Patent Grant
PP29824
Latin name of the genus and species of the plant claimed: Citrus sinensis.
Variety denomination: ‘Florida EV2’.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of sweet orange named ‘Florida EV2’. ‘Florida EV2’ originated as a ‘Valencia’ somaclone tree. In particular, ‘Florida EV2’ is a protoclone, regenerated from protoplasts isolated from an embryogenic suspension culture of standard ‘Valencia’ (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) in 1989. ‘Florida EV2’ is a separate protoclone, regenerated from the same experiment that generated ‘SF14W-62’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,535). Somaclonal variation is defined as variability in plants regenerated from tissue culture that is either induced or uncovered by a tissue culture process. Most somaclonal variation is negative, but if enough plants are examined, positive changes can usually be recovered. Somaclonal variation has been a primary source of genetic variation in sweet orange exploited in citrus improvement programs.
The first asexual reproduction of ‘Florida EV2’ involved grafting of the original tree to ‘Carrizo’ citrange rootstock and planting in Venus, Fla. in 1991. Thus, ‘Florida EV2’ is a true ‘Valencia’ sweet orange with an altered maturity date that allows for harvest 8-12 weeks earlier than traditional ‘Valencia’ trees.
The new and distinct variety of sweet orange bears fruit that ripens from December through January in central Florida. The trees usually bloom between early to late March in central Florida, depending on the season. ‘Florida EV2’ trees are similar in vigor to ‘SF14W-62’ and standard ‘Valencia’. Second and third generation trees are less thorny than the sibling ‘SF14W-62’, and more like traditional ‘Valencia’ selections. Over the past two seasons, ‘SF14W-62’ has matured significantly earlier than the early-maturing ‘SF14W-62’. ‘Florida EV2’ trees bear fruit that is typical of ‘Valencia’, although ‘Florida EV2’ fruit ripen 8-12 weeks earlier than standard ‘Valencia’ trees, based on the brix/acid ratio (Tables 1-3). Juice data from the original tree did not show that ‘Florida EV2’ matures earlier than ‘SF14W-62’, however, fruit on propagated trees have exhibited earlier maturity over the past two seasons. Juice quality of ‘Florida EV2’ is typical of ‘Valencia’ in sugar and acid content, color, and flavor. The fruit are juicy and difficult to peel. Fruit are slightly more seedy than standard ‘Valencia’, with 7-8 seeds per fruit (standard ‘Valencia’ has 4-5 seeds per fruit). The tree appears to be at least as productive as standard ‘Valencia’ trees.
The following are the most outstanding and distinguishing characteristics of ‘Florida EV2’ when grown under normal horticultural practices in Florida. (1) Fruit ripen 8-12 weeks earlier than standard ‘Valencia’; and (2) Fruit have excellent juice quality during the early ‘Hamlin’ harvest period.
‘Florida EV2’ produces standard Valencia-type sweet orange fruit, but with a significantly earlier fruit maturation date (8-12 weeks) than standard ‘Valencia’ (Tables 1-3). In Florida, fruit can generally be harvested from December through January, depending on environmental conditions. As shown in Table 3, for the 2014-2015 juice season, fruit from 6-year-old trees on rough lemon rootstock produced juice with a brix/acid ratio of 16, whereas ‘Hamlin’ fruit from the same block produced juice with a brix/acid percent ratio of 12. Juice quality from fruit of ‘Florida EV2’ was of much higher quality than that of ‘Hamlin’, and more similar to that of standard ‘Valencia’, the highest quality juice orange currently available. The present ‘Florida EV2’ selection therefore provides the processing industry with an opportunity to replace ‘Hamlin’, which is currently the standard early-maturing cultivar in the Florida juice industry. Replacing ‘Hamlin’ with new Valencia types such as ‘Florida EV2’ has the potential to significantly improve the flavor and color of NFC (Not From Concentrate) orange juice. Better quality juice may help offset declining orange juice consumption in the United States. In the event of January or February freeze-mandated harvests, this would allow for grade A juice recovery without the economic loss encountered with standard ‘Valencia’ fruit that is not fully mature at the time of harvest. ‘Florida EV2’ has a maturity date similar to that of Valencia somaclone ‘Florida EV1’ (Co-pending U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 14/998,502), but appears to be slightly later. Both trees have been significantly earlier than ‘SF14W-62’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,535) the past two seasons.
‘Florida EV2’ is illustrated by the accompanying photographs, which show the tree's form, foliage, and fruit. The colors shown are as true as can be reasonably obtained by conventional photographic procedures. The photographs are of a tree approximately 6 years old.
The following detailed description sets forth the distinctive characteristics of ‘Florida EV2’. The present botanical description is that of ‘Florida EV2’ grown as a 6-year-old tree growing on rough lemon (rootstock) in St. Cloud, Fla. The colors (except those in common terms) are described from The R.H.S. Colour Chart published by The Royal Horticultural Society in London (second edition), in association with the Flower Council of Holland.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PP21535 | Grosser et al. | Nov 2010 | P2 |
| PP26087 | Grosser | Nov 2015 | P3 |
| 20160120083 | Grosser | Apr 2016 | P1 |
| 20160128252 | Grosser | May 2016 | P1 |
| 20160128253 | Grosser | May 2016 | P1 |
| Entry |
|---|
| Citrus, (UF University of Florida IFAS 2017, 2 pages.) (http://research.ifas.ufl.edu/media/researchifasufledu/docs/pdf/Citrus.pdf). |
| U.S. Appl. No. 14/998,502, filed Jan. 13, 2016, Grosser. |
| Grosser et al., “Protoplast fusion and citrus improvement,” Plant Breeding Reviews 8:339-374, 1990. |
| Larkin et al., “Somaclonal variation—a novel source of variability from cell cultures for plant improvement” Theoretical and Applied Genetics 60:197-214, 1981. |
| Grosser et al., Somaclonal Variation in Sweet Orange: Practical Applications for Variety Improvement and Possible Causes. pp. 219-234. IN: Kahn, I.H. (Ed.). Citrus Genetics, Breeding and Biotechnology. CAB International, 2007. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20170202122 P1 | Jul 2017 | US |
