Satsuma mandarins helped establish the citrus crop in Georgia. Alternate varieties will help the state’s industry continue to grow.
Mary Sutton’s appointment as the new University of Georgia (UGA) citrus Extension specialist should help growers implement varieties that have been tested and are suitable for Georgia growers. Part of her role will be to research alternatives to satsumas to see what is effective for Georgia’s soil and climate.
“I want to not only evaluate what they already have, but also anything new that they’re willing to look into. That way they can compare what they have versus what they could have,” Sutton said during the Citrus Grower’s Summer Update meeting in Valdosta. “But I also want to make sure what I’m evaluating is something they actually want to grow.
“They’re still in the early stages, so I wouldn’t call it a success yet, but I’ve heard some growers experimenting with grapefruit, navels and other types of oranges. Very few are doing lemons and limes, but it’s very early on. We haven’t seen a crop yet to know how successful they will be.”
Diversification is key to growers expanding a marketing window that is extremely limited with just a satsuma crop. If producers have additional varieties at their disposal, they will have more options to market later in the season compared to just the few weeks that satsumas are restricted to.
Sutton said the biggest concern growers have right now with satsumas is the short season when they are trying to market all the fruit within about an eight-week period.
“Also, if they don’t diversify, any time you have a mono crop, that’s a good way to start getting diseases or anything else that can come in and wreak havoc,” she added.
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