Last September, Jason Griffin hosted a field day in his citrus grove near Lake Alfred in partnership with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). The event was well attended, and some growers requested a second field day when the crop was closer to harvest.
Griffin and UF/IFAS hosted a second event in late January as fruit was beginning to ripen in advance of commercial harvest anticipated in March. Another good crowd turned out to see how the crop was progressing.
Griffin has worked closely with UF/IFAS citrus breeder Jude Grosser to evaluate the line of OLL orange varieties he has developed over the years on various rootstocks. In addition, John Chater, UF/IFAS assistant professor of horticultural sciences, has collaborated with Griffin to share the knowledge being gained in the grove. Chater helped organize the January field day.
The January field day focused on looking at tree health and crop load. There was also an opportunity to taste the maturing fruit. Because many rootstock/scion combinations are being evaluated, tree health and fruit quality varied. For instance, at one of the first stops on the tour, Chater was checking juice Brix with a refractometer. Readings were coming back in the 7 and 8 range, which is not great. But this could have been a result of off-bloom. However, all of the next stops showed Brix readings in the 10, 11 and almost 12 range.
Attendees tested fruit as they moved through the tour. One favorite was OLL-20 on Swingle, and another was OLL-20 on Rangpur Lime. As some of the later-maturity varieties like OLL-8 ripen further, Griffin said he believes the Brix and flavor will only improve.
In the September 2025 episode of the All In For Citrus podcast, Griffin discussed his grove and research with UF/IFAS. Check it out here.
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