The NSW Department of Primary Industries, supported by Hort Innovation, has evaluated new citrus varieties for Australian citrus growers over the past 20 years. NSW DPI was the first to develop Afourer mandarins in Australia, were involved in developing common oranges for fresh fruit and processing, and continue to provide an independent evaluation of new citrus varieties in the new era of Plant Breeder’s Rights protected varieties.

A new suite of variety information sheets has being released, developed from data collected at the Dareton Primary Industries Institute, Sunraysia. The sheets are available through their website.

The sheets present the estimated maturity window in the Riverina and Sunraysia, internal quality in the maturity window (Brix°, acid %, ratios, skin thickness, number of seeds), general comments, and in most cases, sequential juice results from representative seasons.

In addition to the varieties presented in these newly released information sheets, this year evaluating is taking place on fruit from 40 varieties, with 26 new varieties entering the program in the last three years, in different stages ranging from early budwood-multiplication through to first fruits on top-worked trees.