Late season (summer navels)
While Lane Late is the most widely grown late navel, reports about its performance vary. Many new plantings are favouring some of the newer late selections listed below, particularly Chislett.
Autumn Gold
Available through some local and interstate nurseries.
A late navel selected in the 1950s from Mourquong, NSW. Eastern states evaluation shows this to have good fruit quality, although it is slightly more susceptible to albedo breakdown than other late navels. It has performed fairly well in WA although plantings are small.
Barnfield
Available through Aussie Orange Nursery at Wentworth NSW.
This selection from Ellerslie, NSW, has good flavour and fruit characteristics compared to Lane Late. It is reputed to be slow to commence cropping but long-term yields are comparable to Lane Late. Limited knowledge is available on performance in WA.
Chislett
Available through Chislett Nurseries, Kenley, Victoria and selected local nurseries.
A late navel selected from a Washington planting in 1986. This variety is subject to PBR in Australia. Chislett has very good flavour and fruit qualities and is considered one of the best late navels. It is widely planted in the southern eastern states and is only surpassed by Lane Late in area planted. There have been significant recent plantings in WA.
Lane Late
Industry standard, available through Auscitrus and local nurseries.
This variety originated as a bud sport on a property in Curlwaa, near Mildura, Victoria. Tree characteristics are very similar to Washington. The fruits are also similar in shape and size but tend to have a smoother rind and a smaller, less protruding navel.
Lane Late is slower maturing than Washington, ripening about three weeks to a month later. Fruits tend to have a little less flavour than other late selections.
Navelate
Available through Auscitrus and local nurseries.
This matures at about the same time as Washington but can be kept on the tree for about three weeks longer. Although it extends the season of Washington about three weeks, it is not comparable to Lane Late and other late selections which hang on the tree much longer.
Powell
Available through Auscitrus and local nurseries.
A selection from Curlwaa, NSW, reputed to have more flavour than Lane Late. This variety is planted in large numbers in the Sunraysia region. Limited knowledge is available on performance in WA.
Rohde
Available through Chislett Nurseries, Kenley, Victoria and selected local nurseries.
A late navel selection from Nangiloc in north-west Victoria in 1982, this has better fruit quality than Lane Late. Although generally round, in some seasons its shape is reported to be slightly elongated. Experience in the eastern states suggests that this variety will produce higher yields than Lane Late. There is still relatively little knowledge about its performance in WA.
Summer Gold
Available through Sunraysia nurseries in NSW.
This mid to late season selection from Mourquong in NSW was selected in the 1950s, as was Autumn Gold. In eastern Australia it matures earlier than Lane Late and is reputed to have a high Brix level and sweet taste. Summer Gold has a low limonin content, making it more suitable for fresh juice production than other navels. This is not a vigorous variety and trees are small and compact. Interstate experience suggests it will not maintain fruit quality on the tree for as long as other late navel selections.
Other Late Navels
Other late navel selections grown around Australia include Hutton, Wiffen and Wilson. In general, these mature around the same time as Lane Late but are able to be stored on the tree up to a month longer. New late selections of navel currently undergoing evaluation in WA include Glen Ora and Witkrans, both originating in South Africa.