CITRUS NURSERY SOURCE: Thought About Brixy?

By Peter Chaires

Nurseries and growers are continuously searching for suitable substitutes for Hamlin sweet orange to supply the early/mid-season orange juice market. Besides traditional sweet oranges, many new hybrids are in various stages of development. Some of these are likely to rise to the level of commercial viability in the orange-like category. Growers wanting to trial an orange-like hybrid that has stood the test of time in non-commercial trials now have an interesting option.

We don’t have a silver bullet in the quiver. Incremental improvements and a fair shot at profitability are near-term targets. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) recently released a variety into public domain by the name of USDA ARS Brixy. This variety is a relatively old cross, dating back to 1999. It was originally trialed as the FF-1-5-213. Brixy isn’t a flashy supermodel. It is more of a diesel, with steady consistent performance over a long period of time and in a range of conditions.

Consider the following variety characteristics:

• Brixy is 1/16^th Poncirus trifoliata. This very well may contribute to its useful HLB tolerance and possibly cold tolerance.
• It is orange-like in shape, flavor and size. Though Brixy has a strong perceptible orange flavor and low bitterness, it does have a slight off-flavor that can be removed during processing.
• Brixy is quite seedy, with around 20 seeds per fruit. It is not likely to be a suitable option for the fresh market.
• It matures in the October–January window. This is Hamlin territory.
• It was released with the intent of improving the Brix levels of commercially blended not-from-concentrate juice. Brixy averaged 12.3 Brix over a 4-year study of infected field trees. Titratable acid levels were .83–.95 when tested from 2019 to 2022. There is no good data available yet on pounds solids per acre as grove settings were for research, not fruit production.
• Brixy had lower limonin levels than Hamlin during testing. Brixy ranged from 3.31 to 1.03 parts per million (ppm), while Hamlin ranged from 2.7 to 3.2 ppm.
• Juice color for Brixy is slightly better than Hamlin.
• Brixy originated at the A.H. Whitmore Foundation Farm and has been examined in two large, replicated trials. A Fort Pierce trial featured 49 other selections and standards.  Brixy scored in the top 10% for tree health and canopy. A second trial in Zolfo Springs produced equally encouraging results against 201 scions with good fruit size. Firmness may be suitable for a cannery trailer.
• One large processor recently offered this: Brixy has done well in our trials, particularly in terms of juice attributes, averaging 12.3 Brix, 13 ratio and 36 color over the last three seasons. Fruit size is good — about the same as a sweet orange, though a little less firm, like a Temple.

Matt Mattia, USDA-ARS research geneticist, has overseen the analysis, data collection and release. Despite the fact that Brixy has been in the field for decades, this is a variety that is best tested by growers and processors. Processors are aware of this variety and can likely advise growers on its use.

Growers are best served to proceed conservatively. This brief article is not a call for growers to plant hundreds of acres of Brixy. The intent is to heighten nursery and grower awareness to encourage more trial plantings. 

Peter Chaires is executive director of the New Varieties Development & Management Corp.