The University of Georgia’s new citrus breeder is preaching patience for South Georgia growers wanting new varieties to work with.
Dario Chavez emphasized during the Citrus Grower’s Summer Update meeting in Valdosta that it could take a decade or longer to research and find new citrus varieties that will help Georgia’s blossoming industry.
“I think some of the growers are familiar with the breeding process and that it’s not going to happen overnight,” Chavez said. “With perennial crops like peaches and citrus, it’s going to take 10 or 12 years to be able to have something.”
Chavez’s role will benefit an industry that’s still gaining traction in South Georgia. Varieties that are more aligned with South Georgia’s climate and soil type will help growers be sustainable long-term. But it will take time.
“If you make a cross this year, your seedlings will be germinating the same year and will go in the ground next year. You let them grow for three or four years until all of them are starting to produce fruit. You cull 90% of the trees and select 10 or 20 out of 1,000 that you have. Out of those 10, you have to propagate them,” Chavez explained. “There’s different culling stages. Let’s say you have 5,000 seedlings from the cross, you’re hoping to find one or two after the 10 years that are very consistent and look good.”
According to Chavez, key considerations for citrus breeding include taste and whether the variety is intended for the fresh market or for juicing.
“I think as a breeder, you have to have a vision. You have to think what will work in the future. Maybe it’s not what the growers need at the time, but you try to anticipate what the crop will need in the future,” Chavez concluded.
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