Choosing varieties
To improve your chance of success with a new variety:
- Consider the market for the variety you intend to plant. Is the variety intended for export? Talk to a market agent or Citrus Australia about variety requirements for different markets.
- Look for information on the performance of varieties in conditions similar to yours.
- 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.
- Consider the impact planting the new variety will have on your current harvesting program.
Many new orange varieties are protected by PBR. A royalty is payable by growers who wish to grow these varieties and other conditions may apply, such as minimum tree planting areas or prescribed pathways to market. If interested, talk directly to the Australian agent.
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 however they may be included in local variety evaluation trials.
Varieties described in this webpage are arranged alphabetically within each section.
Navels
Navels can be distinguished by the small secondary fruit embedded at the apex end of the main fruit. This gives the fruit its distinctive navel.
Navels are generally large and seedless and mature earlier than other orange types. Many different selections, maturing at different times, has lead to an extended harvest period. Navels grow best in sub-tropical Mediterranean climates and are generally not suited to cold climates. They are grown predominantly as fresh eating fruit as the juice develops a bitter taste after a few hours — caused by the release of a chemical called limonin — making them generally unsuitable for juicing.
