Wrapping up our “Speaker Spotlight” series is Jude Grosser, with the University of Florida’s Citrus Research and Education Center.
Grosser says he will be speaking about new oranges that have been developed at the University of Florida’s breeding program. These include the new OLL oranges, a mid-sweet collection, and two early Valencias that have the potential to replace Hamlins.
Grosser says that he sees the opportunity to replace mediocre or obsolete varieties of citrus with newer varieties that can do better in the marketplace as well as fight against HLB.
“To me, one of the best ways to battle a decline in orange juice consumption is to offer a higher-quality product. And better color and flavor contribute substantially to that,” Grosser says.
Other topics that Grosser will be covering are fresh market opportunities, seedless mandarins developed by the University of Florida and Sugar Belles that are showing great tolerance to HLB.
He says he is trying to cover all of the opportunities that can be planted that most of the growers don’t know about. Grosser says he wants to educate growers on what makes sense to plant for their current situations.
His seminar is on Wednesday, August 17, 2016.