Author Topic: How many of you here have cold-hardy citrus that was grown from seedlings?  (Read 2893 times)

SoCal2warm

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How many of you here have cold-hardy citrus that you grew from seed?
I ask because this could lead to new hybrids. Seedlings don't always have the same genetic mix as their parents. Sometimes a seedling will have better tasting fruit or be more cold hardy.
It's also a simple cheap way (although time & effort intensive) to propagate more plants.

Walt

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I have some seedlings from the citrange 'Sanford'.  Sanford is supposed give zygotic seeds.
It will be years before they bloom. 
I haven't checked, but I'm sure none of them will be hardy for me in zone 6.

Ilya said he has little seedlings that are 3/4 Pt, 1/4 grapefruit or pommelo.  Also not bloomed yet.  Also unknown hardiness but no doubt hardier than the F1 was.

Anyone else?  This is an important question to me too.

mikkel

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I have many seedlings I was given kindly from others and also different crosses of my own but less in number. Mostly only 1 to 6 each. My breeding stock are small potted plants with only a few fruits many didn`t flower until now.
The challenge I face is how to keep them? Most of the hybrids are not suitable for a winter here, not now at least. One or two generations further it might be possible that at least some will survive. e.g. Microcitrus hybrids are no way hardy enough. I use them for the precocious flowering trait. that needs a large number of seedlings for selection and some generations backcrossing with hardier hybrids. Even if a precocious seedling is flowering after 2 or 3 years this means 2 or 3 winter with many seedlings in my small greenhouse beside my breeding stock and other  non Citrus projects. Breeding is way easier with annuals, like tomatoes :)
This summer I started to plant out open pollinated F2 hybrids of Citrumelo and others. This is not a hard decision for me. Either they survive or they don't..
I am sure there are some hardier among them. A small Swingle F1 survived last winter, so there will also be some F2.

SoCal2warm

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Maybe it's important, if any of you have possibly hybrid seeds, to distribute them to others, especially those who may live in a bit warmer climates.

Of course the growing and propagating part of breeding cold hardy citrus would be easier in warmer climates, yet there's little interest in trying to breed cold hardy citrus among people who live in climates where normal citrus can easily be grown.

I suppose the ideal breeding program would involve a partnership of some people living in colder climates and someone else living in a warmer climate willing to propagate the seeds, and then eventually send cuttings or plants back, where they can be grown and tested in the colder climates.

Also, if any of you have rarer cold hardy citrus varieties, when the plant fruits it would be good to distribute the seeds to other cold hardy citrus growers who are on a list.
« Last Edit: July 23, 2018, 06:58:20 PM by SoCal2warm »

Florian

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The Sanford does give zygotic seeds, check out the Sanford Curafora and Venasca.
Also, the Hamlin x FD (see http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=28270.0) that is currently in circulation in Europe comes from a seed grown plant and is mostly monofoliate with the occasional bifoliate leaf hence very probably from a zygotic seed.

Citradia

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I have a Dunstan citrumelo that's been in ground from seed 5 years old, some 80-5 citrumelo seedlings planted last fall, some Ichangensis seedlings planted from seed last fall. Thomasville citrangquat coming back fro the roots for the third time in 7 years, and a 13 ft tall Changsha mandarin that was from seed. Done of these have bloomed. I have PT and dragon trees from seed. At least one of my Ichangensis seedlings has trifoliate leaves.

SoCal2warm

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I have a Dunstan citrumelo that's been in ground from seed 5 years old, some 80-5 citrumelo seedlings planted last fall, some Ichangensis seedlings planted from seed last fall.
Ichangensis is especially promising because it is a zygotic variety.
Seeds from citrumelo, I am guessing, will be about 70-90% nucellar (like grapefruit) but I've never seen any exact sources.
There have been at least two reports of citrange grown from seed that turned out not to have any noticable trifoliate bitterness.

countryboy1981

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I don't know what your definition of cold hardy is, but I have some seedlings that I grew out from fruit that I collected from the Oak Hammock Trail at the Canaveral National Seashore many years ago.  All but one had only leaf loss last winter when we hit 16 degrees one night and several other nights close to that.  I believe they all are wild oranges, although one or two could possibly be white grapefruit (most likely duncan) as I lost track of what each seedling was.