New Scion and Rootstock Releases Offer Hope in the Battle against Huanglongbing
Posted August 2025
Researchers: Jude Grosser, Fred Gmitter, John Chater
Contact: Jude Grosser, UF/IFAS CREC jgrosser@ufl.edu
Summary:
New releases from the UF/IFAS CREC Citrus Breeding Team.
Grapefruit: We released the dark red grapefruit selection N40-16-11-7, that also shows better HLB-tolerance than other commercial red grapefruit cultivars, with Star Ruby fruit quality. This selection can be grown outside or in CUPS.
CUPS: Another selection released showing promise for CUPS is the nearly seedless Honey Murcott 18A-10-47. This selection produces abundant fruit with superb eating quality.
Dooryard: Two selections with dooryard potential were released. The first is KW-5-7, a cybrid of ‘Dancy’ (the old Florida tangerine) that shows tolerance to Alternaria brown spot, along with better huanglongbing (HLB) tolerance. The second is a nearly seedless hybrid lime, C4-5-14 ‘Fiestaville’, that produces fragrant, juicy fruit and is slightly larger than ‘Key’ lime. An expanded portfolio of attractive dooryard selections can help our nurseries make it through the difficult HLB bottleneck.
Rootstock: We released one HLB-tolerant rootstock Orange 14 (a sibling of UFR-1, 2, and 4). This rootstock has performed well at multiple locations, including one location with high Diaprepes/Phytophthora pressure. It also performed well in a greenhouse screening for sting nematode tolerance. It produces medium-sized trees and is amenable to seed propagation. Combining this rootstock with the more HLB-tolerant sweet oranges above should contribute to the recovery of our juice industry.
Take Home Message:
- Two promising new scions for CUPS, N40-16-11-7 ‘Crimson Queen’ dark red grapefruit and seedless Honey Murcott 18A-10-47 ‘Wow’ are now commercially available.
- Two promising new scions for Dooryard, Alternaria-tolerant Cybrid Dancy KW-5-7 ‘Durable Dancy’ and productive hybrid lime C4-5-14 ‘Fiestaville’ are now commercially available.
- HLB-tolerant rootstock Orange 14, also performing well under high Diaprepes pressure, has been released and is now available (amenable to seed propagation).
