In Australia, CSIRO has awarded Sydney-based fresh produce marketing company Perfection Fresh the rights to commercialise two new seedless mandarin varieties.
The announcement was made by Dr Stephen Sykes of CSIRO at the Citrus Australia National Conference, which has been running in Mildura, Victoria from 8-11 November. The two groups are yet to allocate a brand name for commercial sales.
CSIRO, which operates the breeding project as part of the National Citrus Scion Breeding Programme, said that the varieties – Merbeingold 2336 and Merbeingold 2350 – were the first seedless mandarins deliberately bred in Australia, and are the result of over 20 years of research and development.
Both varieties are said to have sweet, easy-peel fruit that are bright orange with thin, robust skins. Merbeingold 2336 matures from June-July and Merbeingold 2350 from July-August, CSIRO said.
'This is a tremendous opportunity for Perfection Fresh and the growers themselves to move into the seedless citrus market which has enormous, and largely untapped, potential in Australia,' said Perfection Fresh CEO Michael Simonetta.
'While Perfection Fresh has marketed seeded citrus lines both in Australia and in the export area for some time, there has been an increasing demand for seedless varieties from consumers around the world,' he added. 'Based on our successful experience with marketing seedless grapes, we are confident seedless mandarins will be a consumer citrus choice for the future.'
CSIRO general manager for business development Lionel Henderson said that the process of choosing a marketer had begun seven years ago, with Perfection Fresh chosen from a list of seven applicants.
'The license allows Perfection Fresh to manage the production and supply of these varieties,' he noted. 'Growers will be registered to produce the fruit and supply to Perfection Fresh.'
