Introduction
Over the past 15 years many new varieties of mandarins and tangors have been introduced into Australia. The convenience of few or no seeds, combined with good eating qualities and easily-removed peel, has largely driven this change.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, with industry cooperation and funding from the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Hort Innovation, has evaluated a range of new varieties, some publicly available and others protected by Plant Breeder's Rights (PBR).
What are Mandarins and tangors?
Mandarins are a variable group of loose-skinned citrus with a characteristic aromatic flavour. They are popular because they eat well, are easy to peel, and separate into segments.
Tangors are the result of a mandarin-orange cross and, although attractive, do not usually peel as readily as true mandarins. It can be difficult to determine the difference between these two groups, especially if the parentage is not known.
The main industry standard varieties are Nules Clementine (early), Imperial (mid-season), Afourer (mid to late) and Mystique (late), however these are likely to change as old varieties are replaced by newer varieties with better characteristics.
Many new varieties are in the process of being evaluated by industry to determine if they are suitable for growing under WA conditions and are better than currently grown varieties. Some of these will become the standard varieties of the future.
Choosing varieties
To improve your chance of success with a new variety:
- Make sure the variety has desirable market and consumer characteristics such as seedlessness, easy peelability and good eating qualities.
- Consider the market for the variety you intend to plant. For example talk to a market agents or Citrus Australia.
- Look for information on the performance of varieties in conditions similar to yours as the variety needs to produce the desired fruit characteristics in your area.
- Purchase trees from a reputable nursery where tree health status and bud-line source are known.
- Select rootstocks to suit your variety and local conditions.
- Think about the impact the new planting will have on your current harvesting program.
- Be aware of Plant Breeder's Rights, licence agreements and the potential impact of these on your business. Many new varieties are sold subject to specific conditions and royalty agreements.
If information is limited for public varieties, rework some existing trees to evaluate performance in your orchard before committing to large numbers. This option is unlikely to be available for varieties protected by PBR.
Public varieties
(listed in alphabetical order)
Afourer (syn. W. Murcott and Nadocott)
Available through Auscitrus and local nurseries.
Afourer is well established worldwide and the volume on the local market has been increasing as a result of plantings in Moora, West Gingin and Harvey. Harvest peaks in late August, well after full colour development, so harvest timing should be based on maturity testing.
Fruit develops a highly attractive, deep orange-red colour, is easy to peel and has good flavour. It is medium size but can crop heavily in some years, requiring thinning to enhance size. Colour bleach or patchiness has also been seen in some seasons and may be weather dependent.
Although seedless if grown in isolation, it can be quite seedy in mixed plantings. New seedless strains have become available and are protected by PBR (see Tango).
Caffin Clementine
Available through Auscitrus and local nurseries.
This Clementine matures slightly earlier than Nules and colours better, but fruit quality cannot be maintained on the tree for as long. Biennial bearing has been observed at all sites. Trees are more compact and less vigorous than other Clementines, but can be very dense so require pruning. Some plantings have been made to capitalise on its early maturity.
Daisy
Available through Auscitrus and local nurseries.
Developed by the US Department of Agriculture in California, this early to mid-season variety matures at a similar time to Imperial. Fruit is a glossy red-orange, has good eating qualities and keeps well on the tree. The fruit can be quite seedy — 15 to 20 seeds per fruit — when grown with other seeded varieties.
Daisy has consistently cropped well in trial plantings in WA and fruit size has been good, even when trees carry a heavy crop. Limb damage can occur if trees are allowed to overcrop. In some areas, fruit splitting during mid to late cell expansion has been a problem.
Some local plantings of Daisy were made but problems with trees grown on Swingle Citrumelo (tree decline) and susceptibility to fruit spotting caused by the fungal disease Alternaria alternata, has resulted in a decline in popularity and few trees now remain.
New PBR-protected seedless strains are expected in the future.
Hickson
Available through Auscitrus and local nurseries.
This productive, mid to late season variety originated from Queensland. Fruits have seeds but are easy to peel and have good flavour and colour.
Detailed pruning is required in early years to separate the branches because the variety is prone to bad crotch angles. It is also susceptible to limb splitting under crop load if the main branches are not staggered.
Trees often suffer from ‘winter yellows’ and can look very yellow at the end of winter and early spring. Biennial bearing is also often observed. In recent years, some resistance to purchasing this variety has developed, and market preference has shifted to the variety Afourer resulting in only small numbers of Hickson trees remaining in Western Australia.
Imperial
Available through Auscitrus and local nurseries.
This widely planted and popular variety is harvested from mid-May to August, depending on location. Fruits have some seeds but excellent colour and flavour, and thin, smooth, glossy and easy-to-peel rind.
Quality can sometimes disappoint as fruits are susceptible to watermark and prone to internal drying (granulation), especially on sandy soils. Irrigation and nutrition requirements must be met and fruit must be harvested at the optimal time.
The variety is incompatible with some rootstocks and may develop a biennial bearing habit that can be partially mitigated by chemical thinning in the heavy crop year.
Murcott
Available through Auscitrus and local nurseries.
This is an attractive, juicy thin-skinned variety popular in the marketplace. It is renowned for its eating qualities, with particularly high sugar levels. High seed numbers can be a major drawback.
Overcropping is another recognised problem and fruit can be small if not thinned adequately. Fruit reaches optimum maturity in September/October but, if held on the tree too long, skins become leathery and difficult to peel.
Instances of sudden tree death on some rootstocks are common. New PBR-protected low-seeded strains are now available (see Mor, IRM1 and IRM2).
In Western Australia few Murcotts are still grown and the majority of production is in Queensland.
Mystique
Available through local nurseries.
This seedling selection of Ortanique originated in WA and has very similar characteristics and appearance to Ortanique and another Ortanique selection, Topaz.
Fruits have excellent internal and external colour, excellent flavour and are very juicy but they can be difficult to peel.
Like Ortanique, fruits will hang on the tree for a long time. The harvest period starts in September and goes through to November. Fruit are seedless when trees are grown in isolation but seedy in mixed plantings.
Trees can be thorny if vigour is not controlled and very thorny shoots need to be pruned out. Good volumes of fruit were sold on the local market following large plantings around West Gingin, Chittering and Harvey however some resistance developed in the market because of excessive fruit size and some fruit being difficult to peel. As a consequence the planted area of Mystique declined for a period but this has stabilised in recent years.
Nules Clementine
Available through Auscitrus and local nurseries.
Nules is the best of the established Clementine selections in WA and is currently the major Clementine grown here. It is one of the most important varieties in Spain.
The fruits have good eating qualities and keep better on the tree than most other Clementine selections. Fruits are a reasonable size and ripen in late April, about three weeks after Marisol. Fruit ripen internally before colour has fully developed and de-greening will be required if harvested early.
Three new selections of Clementine have recently been trialled in WA — Nour, Orogrande and Sidi Aissa. These vary from Nules in their maturity time and ability to hang on the tree. Although some may have niche potential, they are unlikely to replace Nules as the main Clementine variety.
Satsumas (Japanese mandarins)
Available through Auscitrus and local nurseries.
Two varieties of satsuma mandarin are currently grown in small numbers in WA, Miho Wase and Okitsu Wase. Both varieties ripen early, in early to mid April in the West Gingin area. Like other Japanese mandarins they have no seeds and require de-greening as internal maturity occurs before full colour development.
Fruit will not keep well on the tree and must be picked at optimum maturity or they become puffy, soft and develop off flavours. Sugar levels are often low in satsuma mandarins and they require a high degree of tree and water management to produce marketable quality fruit. Both these varieties have good cold tolerance.
Protected varieties
Many new varieties entering the marketplace are protected by Plant Breeder's Rights and a royalty is payable by growers.
Other conditions, such as minimum planting areas or prescribed pathways to market, may also apply. If you are interested in these varieties, talk directly to the Australian agent.
Gold Nugget
Available through nuleaf IP Pty Ltd.
This is a mid to late season variety developed by the University of California. It has pebbled to coarse, yellow to light orange skin. The coarseness of the rind can be a problem in young trees but decreases as the trees age and set more fruit.
Fruits have good eating quality, are usually seedless and relatively easy to peel. Trees can set very heavy crops which will require careful management. Skin texture is variable, especially on young trees, and can be quite coarse and pebbled when crop load is light.
In WA evaluations, seed numbers have been very low with most fruit having no seeds. A number of commercial plantings of this variety have been established in WA.
Mandalate
Available through ANFIC.
This late maturing Italian variety generally has no seeds and is similar to Imperial in tree habit, appearance and flavour. It may find a market niche if cultural requirements can be met.
Fruit needs to be held on the tree to allow acid to drop to acceptable levels. To achieve this, ‘stop drop’ sprays and gibberellic acid (GA) will be required. Crop load may need to be manipulated to increase fruit size and reduce alternate bearing.
WA testing has also demonstrated fruit can suffer from "rind spotting" similar to that observed in Encore mandarin in some seasons. No commercial plantings of this variety have been established in WA.
Murcotts (low-seeded)
A number of low-seeded Murcott types have been developed by irradiating standard Murcott to create mutations that produce fewer seeds. Selections available in Australia include Mor, IRM1, IRM2 and 2PH seedless Murcott. These are popular in Asian markets due to their smooth skin.
Mor
Available through ANFIC.
Originally from Israel, Mor is similar to Murcott in maturity time, fruit quality and appearance, but has an average of only three to five seeds per fruit.
IRM1 and IRM2
Available through FAVCO and ‘Carter and Spencer’.
These selections were developed by the Queensland Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (formerly the Queensland DPI). They are very similar to standard Murcott but have only three to five seeds.
IRM1 matures about a week later than IRM2. Both have Murcott’s high sugar content.
Nectar
Available through ANFIC.
Fruit of this Israeli variety is generally seedless, even in mixed plantings. Trees require a high level of management to maintain fruit size, reduce alternate bearing and develop a productive canopy.
Testing in WA has produced fruit with good eating qualities but trees grown in sandy soils were slow to establish and alternate bearing was observed. Seed numbers were very low with most fruit having no seeds. Some commercial plantings of this variety have now been made in WA.
Orri (Or)
Available through Variety Access Pty Ltd.
An induced mutation of the variety Ora (Orah) made at the Volcani Research Centre in Israel, this has become their main export variety. Fruit may have up to seven seeds when planted in mixed blocks but will be almost seedless if grown in isolation.
The variety requires significant management to get it to crop in Israel, including pruning, girdling and GA sprays at flowering.
In WA girdling and GA application increased fruit yield. Fruit have recorded between zero and three seeds each depending on the season and location of fruit tested. Fruit eating quality is very good. No commercial plantings of this variety have yet been established in WA.
Royal Honey Murcott (RHM)
Available through Variety Access Pty Ltd.
This variety was discovered as a chance seedling in Queensland in 2001. Maturity is quite early with the Australian Maturity Standard being reached around mid-May at most WA evaluation sites.
Trials trees in WA have been shown to be vigorous with an upright growth habit and are likely to require good canopy management to obtain desired fruit quality and production.
One characteristic of this variety is that the acid levels of fruit are low and continue to drop rapidly if fruit are left on the tree. Fruit flavour is often described as sweet to bland depending on harvest time. This flavour profile could be suited to Asian markets.
Fruit are smooth and highly coloured, are quite easy to peel, and have very thin skins. The variety does have some seeds and numbers vary depending on the proximity of pollinator varieties. At WA trial sites up to 5 seeds per fruit were recorded.
Fruit splitting on young trees has been observed at WA sites but may be attributed to vigorous growing reworked trees. There is local interest in this variety but no commercial plantings have been established to date.
Tacle
Available through ANFIC.
The rind of this Italian variety is easily peeled, orange-red in colour and slightly pebbled. Fruits are mostly seedless and quite large. Trees are very thorny and take a while to come into production.
If conditions are cold enough, the fruit can develop red internal pigmentation and, under some circumstances, this can be enhanced in storage.
At West Gingin fruit developed no internal or external red pigmentation on the tree. No commercial plantings of this variety have been established in WA.
Tango (Tang Gold)
Available through nuleaf IP Pty Ltd.
Although this Californian variety has had limited evaluation in Western Australia some commercial plantings have been established based on evaluation and information from eastern states trialing. It is a seedless selection of Afourer which has been shown to produce seedless fruit in mixed plantings hence removing the need for isolation to produce seedless fruit.
Others
Many other new varieties are being evaluated around Australia but have not been included here as insufficient local information is currently available. They include Dekapon (Sumo Citrus®), Hadass, Mandared, Summerina and Winola. Further information on these is available from the relevant PBR contacts in Australia.
PBR variety contacts
(in Australia as at October 2016)
Advanced Production Methods (APM)
Arthur Edwards - Independent Horticultural Consulting
Address: 3/120 Eight Street, Mildura, Victoria, 3500
Email: Arthur@apmaustralia.com
Mobile +61 (0)409 609 300
Australian Nurserymens Fruit Improvement Company Ltd (ANFIC)
PO Box 811
KALLANGUR, QLD, 4503, AUSTRALIA
(Office location: Unit 3/2 Wills Street, NORTH LAKES, QLD, 4509, AUSTRALIA)
Ph: (07) 3491 9905; Fax: (07) 3491 9929
Website: www.anfic.com.au
Horticulture Fresh Australia® Pty Ltd (HFA) (and also trading as PlantNet®)
PO Box 811
KALLANGUR, QLD, 4503, AUSTRALIA
(Office location: Unit 3/2 Wills Street, NORTH LAKES, QLD, 4509, AUSTRALIA)
Ph: (07) 3491 9905; Fax: (07) 3491 9929
Website: www.plantnet.com.au
Global Produce Solutions
Mano Babiolakis
Email: mano@globalproduce.com.au
Phone: +61 (0)3 9629 7013
Commercialisation rights for Nectar mandarin in Western Australia
FAVCO
(for Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry – Queensland-bred low-seeded Murcotts)
Email: katrinar@favcoqld.com.au
Phone: +61 (0)7 3717 1500
Fax: +61 (0)7 3717 1501
Carter and Spencer
(for Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry – Queensland-bred low-seeded Murcotts)
Robert Morton/ Business Manager
Email: robert.morton@carter-spencer.com.au
Postal Address: PO Box 30, Brisbane Markets, Qld, Australia. 4106
Phone:+61 (0)7 3361 5454
Fax: +61 (0)7 3361 5500
Mobile: +61 (0)438900583
nuleaf IP Pty Ltd
General Manager, Matthew Cottrell
Email: matthew@nuleafip.com
Phone: +61 (0)3 5024 8603
Fax: +61 (0)3 5024 8973
Mobile: +61 (0)438 594 010
Variety Access Pty Ltd
General Manager, Wayne Parr
Operations Manager, Thomas Parr
Postal Address: PO Box 281, Torbanlea, Queensland, Australia. 4662
Email: ggrove@bigpond.com.au
Email: wayne@varietyaccess.com.au
Phone: +61 (0)7 4129 4147 (office)
Mobile +61 (0)418 862 016 (Wayne Parr)
Fax:+61 (0)7 4194463 (office)