Fruitful facts on citrus varieties

FJ navel variety

Citrus growers will have new information to boost orchard productivity, with the release of a series of first-edition Primefacts developed by the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI).

NSW DPI has the largest citrus research and extension team in Australia and plays a leading role in supporting the NSW and Australian citrus industry through research, extension and resource delivery.

NSW DPI Research Horticulturist Dr Dave Monks said the new Primefacts aim to assist citrus growers to improve production and profitability across a range of varieties.

“The Primefacts provide information on the maturing period for specific regions, the origin of the variety and fruit quality,” Dr Monks said.

“The main citrus fruits grown in NSW are navel and Valencia oranges, mandarins, lemons, limes and grapefruit.

“A popular variety is the mid-season Palmer navel orange, grown in the Sunraysia region that is reported to produce regular crops of 50-60 tonnes per hectare of fruit in mature orchards.

“The Palmer navel variety is a deep orange colour at maturity, with good eating quality and soft flesh texture. Palmer navel is a public variety.

“Another popular variety, the FJ navel, is a limb mutation selected from a Navelina navel orange tree in 2002 with commercial scale plantings established in the Riverina region of NSW.

“Harvested in May and June, FJ navel variety is an intense orange-red colour and easy to peel. FJ is a Plant Breeder’s Rights protected (private) variety.”

In NSW the largest and most important production areas are in the Riverina and Murray Valley regions, with smaller plantings located around Bourke, Narromine and the Central and North coast regions of NSW.

NSW produces around 250,000 tonnes of citrus annually representing 40 per cent of Australian production and 36 per cent of citrus exports.

The citrus variety Primefacts are available to download from the NSW DPI website.

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