A study by a number of leading scientific institutions in Spain appears to support claims that the Tang Gold clementine variety (marketed as Tango) is essentially derived from the Nadorcott mandarin.
The Institute of Molecular and Cellular Plant Biology (IBMCP), Polytechnic University of Valencia and Superior Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) carried out a comparative study of the genomes of the Tang Gold and Nadorcott varieties by obtaining several million short sequences of a genome at random. The technique is rigorous than other methods employed to compare genomes that use molecular markers and delivers more precise results.
According to the Club of Protected Plant Varieties (CVVP), the body that oversees the commercial rights of the Nadorcott in Spain, “the results of the study conclude that Tan Gold and Nadorcott are identical on 99.9999997 per cent of the analysed positions, and that Tang Gold is essentially derived from Nadorcott”. CVVP said it would therefore take all the necessary measures to defend the rights of its members.
Also known as W. Murcott and Afourer, the Nadorcott mandarin has enjoyed a high level of commercial success thanks to its sweetness, flavour and lack of seeds.
The dispute between the breeders and licensees of Nadorcott and Tango has been rumbling on for several years. Tango was developed by scientists at the University of California Riverside by irradiating the budwood from Nadorcotts. But the owners of the Nadorcott variety claim this change is not enough to make Tango unique.
