PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Dr N Mathaba
CONTACT DETAILS: +27 79 186 0209 / mathaban@arc.agric.za
LEAD INSTITUTION: ARC-ITSC
BENEFICIARY: Citrus Industry
The South African citrus industry needs to continue expanding its export market within challenges such as, growing populations of Bactrocera invadens and competition from Southern Hemisphere countries with same production season. The proposed solution to these challenges with include, continuous breeding and selection from more superior cultivars, and the CRI, ARC and other citrus industry private partners have already selected and bred new soft citrus cultivar showing potential superior characteristics. The missing component is, their response to sub-zero cold sterilization, a phytosanitary requirement for lucrative markets such as Japan and USA. Therefore, the objective of this proposed research are:
1. To establish the response of newly bred mandarin selections ‘Sonet’ the new ARC-ITSC selection, B17 and B24, I22 and M37, Nova, Nova Seedless, Clemcott, Clemcott Seedless, Nadorcott, Tango, Mandalate to sub-zero sterilization as export simulation condition.
2. To establish if ethylene degreening has an effect on the development of rind disorders on newly bred mandarin selctions ‘Sonet’ the new ARC-ITSC selection, B17 and B24, I22 and M37, Nova, Nova Seedless, Clemcott, Clemcott Seedless, Nadorcott, Tango, Mandalate after withdrawal from cold sterilization.
To establish the effect of cold sterilization on internal quality parameters of newly bred mandarin selction ‘Sonet’ the new ARC-ITSC selection, B17 and B24, I22 and M37, Nova, Nova Seedless, Clemcott, Clemcott Seedless, Nadorcott, Tango, Mandalate after withdrawal from cold storage.
