Citrus varietal innovation

Last update: 16 March 2018

The SEAPAG team works with stakeholders in the private and public sectors to develop varietal innovation projects designed to contribute to the sustainability of citrus fruit growing in the different production basins, especially in the Mediterranean Basin, South Africa, the Caribbean and the Brazilian Nordeste.

Breeding objectives

Quality (sensory and health-related traits, seedless fruits) with, in particular, the creation of new highly typical products (colours, flavours, etc.), making it possible to segment the market or create new quality labels, is a core aim. Staggered production and resistance to certain diseases (Alternaria brown spot of mandarins; anthracnose of limes) are also sought.  Varietal innovation work primarily involves the small citrus fruits (mandarins and mandarin hybrids) and limes.

Breeding strategies and methods

Most Citrus cultivars are diploid. However, internationally, several projects, including SEAPAG’s, are focusing on creating small citrus fruits at triploid level to produce high-quality seedless fruits for the fresh fruit market (Ollitrault et al., 2007, 2008; Ollitrault and Navarro, 2012). In addition, recent deciphering of the phylogenomic structures of the modern varieties (Curk et al., 2016) means that strategies can be drawn up to reconstruct the major ideotypes of the main horticultural groups. Such is the strategy that has been adopted for lime breeding/diversification.

Achievements

More than 10,000 triploid hybrid mandarin trees are currently being assessed in Corsica, Martinique and on our partners’ premises overseas (Morocco, South Africa and Brazil). Around forty hybrids have been shortlisted and are in evaluation phase 2, particularly some high-quality late varieties. One variety is covered by Plant Breeders’ Rights. The project to create lime trees has just begun and several hundred hybrids are entering the assessment phase in Corsica and Guadeloupe.

References cited

  • Curk F., Ollitrault F., Garcia-Lor A., Luro F, Navarro L and P. Ollitrault. (2016) Phylogenetic origin of limes and lemons revealed by cytoplasmic and nuclear markers. Annals of Botany. 117(4):565-83.
  • Ollitrault P., Froelicher Y, Luro and Yamamoto S. (2007) Seedlessness and ploidy manipulation in citrus. In Citrus Genetics, Breeding and Biotechnology. I. Khan Edit. CABI publishing. 197-218.
  • Ollitrault P., Dambier D., Luro F and Y. Froelicher. (2008)  Ploidy manipulation for breeding seedless triploid citrus. Plant breeding review. Vol 30: 323-352.
  • Ollitrault, P., Navarro, L. (2012) Citrus. In: Badenes, M.L.B., D.H (ed. Fruit breeding. New-York, USA: Springer, p. 623-662.  (Handbook of Plant Breeding, vol. 8). http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0763-9_16

Last update: 16 March 2018