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Topics - Skandiberg

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1
Cold Hardy Citrus / Tetraploid Satsuma
« on: December 26, 2024, 03:30:48 AM »
Hi all and Happy Holidays,

I accidentally ran into an article that I found interesting:

https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/11/12/2441

A tetraploid seedling of Ishizuka Wase was found, then they grew it to fruiting stage and began to evaluate it. On paper, tetraploid should mean more vigor, bigger leaves etc. and most importantly, better hardiness. And this one has fairly fertile pollen which is not common among Satsumas. So I wrote to them and asked them about this plant. I had never heard of Ishizuka Wase before. Much to my surprise, I got a reply this morning:

'・About cold resistance
We have not conducted detailed tests on the cold resistance of this tetraploid, so we cannot answer your question about its cold resistance.
When observing the cultivation of this tetraploid in the field, it grows a little more vigorously than diploids.
As the climate warms, the cultivation area of Satsuma mandarin is moving further and further north in Japan (southern Tohoku region of Japan, latitude about 38°C).
I believe that the tetraploid has the same or even better ability.
Moreover, the quality of the tetraploid is inferior to that of the diploid.

・About ‘Ishizuka Wase’
'Ishizuka Wase' is a bud mutation of 'Okitsu Wase' and is a fairly minor variety.
'Ishizuka Wase' ripens a little earlier than the major Satsuma mandarin varieties 'Miyagawa Wase' and 'Okitsu Wase'.
There is no significant difference in fruit quality between these varieties.

・About breeding
We are not conducting any research other than the crossbreeding experiments presented in the paper. Research has been halted due to various circumstances at our laboratory (cultivation space, costs, etc.).'

Why they didn't test its hardiness is beyond me. But the overly viable pollen is a standout feature. I will write back to them. I hope that plant is still alive. I wonder what has become of its crosses they made. Not that we have any reason to believe this tetraploid Satsuma will ever get to Europe. ☹️


2
Cold Hardy Citrus / Commercial Meyer lemon plantation in zone 7
« on: November 30, 2024, 10:16:46 AM »
Hi all,

Our town is nothing fancy. We have a mineral water factory and we are the biggest strawberry producers in the country. That's pretty much all. But recently there has been one more thing we are known of: probably the biggest commercial producing Citrus plantation in Hungary, zone 7. Technically speaking, this is no hardy Citrus because we are talking about Meyer lemons but I think it's in the right topic here.

The owners have been growing vegetables and fruits for a long time. Then they got a Meyer lemon tree that proved to be a good producer. They became keen on it, the rest is history.

Chicken take care of weeds, and also they offer their valuable contribution for fertilizing. No fancy fertilizers are used, some generic ordinary stuff is all that's applied besides the chickens' booster packs.

When I got there this morning, half the town seemed to have arrived before me. On Fridays and Saturdays they sell in you-pick system: you registrate online in advance, say how much you want and then pick it for yourself and pay at the exit. Besides that, they sell at the local market and at the national wholesale market, too. They have hundreds of plants which produce a huge amount of fruit that can be measured in tons, literally tons. Fruit is basically chemical free. The price is 8 euros per kg.

The owners are expanding the business: new poly tunnels are being raised. A new plantation is underway: Citrus trees and strawberry rows offer dual operation. The place is huge. When I entered and stepped among the trees, I was petrified. I even forgot to ask if they use any heating. The sight just took my breath away.

They cooperated with a local beekeeper this year and now they have their own Meyer honey. They also make Citrus flower water and all kinds of preserves of their lemons and other fruits. Their site:

https://magyarcitrom.com/termek/magyar-kezeletlen-citrom/

And now look at all the things you can do in zone 7 if you are determined and professional. The pictures speak for themselves. If they ever decide to appear...

















3
Cold Hardy Citrus / Ponciruslike fruit comparison
« on: November 08, 2024, 03:07:35 AM »
Hi all,

Here is a comparison of 6 different fruits. First off, I want to say a massive thanks to Usirius who sent me some of the fruits he grew and received.
In every case I chose the softest one for testing. This wasn't a good choice for all of them, you will see my edited comment at Poncirus#7. And I had two Poncirus #8 fruits, one of which was used for the test but it's already losing quality. I didn't cut up the other one for a retaste because my refractometer will arrive next week and I want to do a measurement on them all. If the second fruit is any better, I will update the post, and I will add the Brix data as well.
Please note that I'm not experienced at such things. If you have any suggestions how to make this comparison better or more informative, don't hesitate to comment. I still have some fruits left.

So let's start!



Random PT from Germany

Average weight 50g
Brix 12,5
They are all overripe, brown spots. Probably this was the earliest to mature. Floral fragrance, not bad, but cut up its scent is piney bitter.
Not too much juice from hand squeeze. Juice is not very bad at first. Very sour, then came the dominant bitterness and stickiness. As soon as I dig deeper with the tip of the knife, the resin is everywhere. Not good. Very tough core. The rind is awfully terrible, if there is a term like that.



HRS899 O/Q from Germany

Average weight 25g
Brix 12,5
Pleasant fragrance, less sharp and floral, I smell some deep sweet earthy notes. Rind is terrible.
Wow, green flesh!
The core is softer, barely anything. Quite thick albedo.
It has some stickiness and a slight bitter aftertaste. But the overall first taste is something completely different! I swear it has some minimal sweetness. A lot milder. Obviously there is something exciting going on. A little like a tart green apple, mixed with some green cucumber aroma. I can't put my finger on it but it's exotic and much much better than all the rest. Quite juicy, I easily squeezed all the juice by hand. Not as sticky as the PT.
I became so curious that I opened up a few more and one was yellow, the others were lime green. One had no seeds at all. I added water to it and it was great (even not sweetened) without off flavours. Tropical. I love this one.




Poncirus #8 (an improved selection of Poncirus #7 from Germany)

80g/2 pieces
Brix 16,5 (It was so dry that I couldn't get a drop out of it. So I touched the flesh to the lens of the refractometer but some pulp also got there. So it's probably much lower in reality rhan the value I got.)
Pleasant scent, a bit colder and lemony, sweetish.
Not bad. I think it's a bit too old so it's drier than it ideally should be. Still, I could squeeze some juice out of it. Very very bad rind.
The juice is tasty. Bitter and piney but I also detect some orange aroma in the background. There is resin in the flesh. Its overall aroma is better than PT but it's too bitter to me. This fruit is overripe, I'm sure it was a lot better a week ago.




Flying Dragon from Germany

Average weight 20g
Brix 10,5
Nice scent. Bad rind, bitter, sticky and piney.
Surprisingly thin albedo.
As I cut it up, it smelled bitterish instantly but it has some interesting, slightly mint-like notes.
Very piney and bitter. Surprisingly juicy, I can easily squeeze its juice by hand. The basic taste itself is interesting, fairly lemon-like and intensely sour but the sticky bitterness ruins the otherwise not bad experience. Still, it's better than PT.




Poncirus #7 (It came from Woddlanders in the USA in the 90's. It grows in Germany)

Average weight 28g
Brix 11,5
Very bad and thick rind.
Also drier, probably past its prime but there is still some juice in it.
Lemony taste, milder and more neutral, better than Poncirus 8 (which is too dry now). Also sticky. Less bitter.
Edit: I tried the hardest one and it is quite good! It's also a bit dry but the taste has no bitterness. It has some piney taste and sticky resin but the basic taste is good. Not too sour, fairly mild. Much better than PT.




Bajusz from Hungary

Average weight 70g
Brix 13
Rind is sticky and bitter, but there is some additional sweetish orange-like aroma.
Fruity, lemony, sour, but somewhat milder than a lemon. No bitterness but there is some resin. The taste is good with lemony and some slightly tropical notes. I don't know why but this one has significantly the most and biggest seeds.




The biggest takeaway for me was the observation that higher amount of juice makes the same amount of resin and bitterness much more tolerable. Of course, there is nothing surprising about that.

Overall, if I had to pick one of the PT like fruits, it would be Poncirus #7 or 'Bajusz' by a narrow margin. The comparison is not completely fair because Poncirus #8 is probably overripe and on the dry side. Besides that, the Ponciruslike fruits were relatively close. Pure PT was the worst, FD was already a step up and from then on, I didn't detect drastical differences. Like they are different shades of the same colour.
But the HRS899 O/Q is in a different league. Its hybrid nature is apparent. I was really surprised by the green flesh. I knew it would be different and it is. The structure of the fruit is a lot closer to the normal edible Citrus fruits. A little Changsha parentage goes a long way. 😀 All the other ones had a more or less hard core in the middle of the fruit, but HRS899 had nearly nothing. And the taste is also much more Citrus-like. Hard to describe but definitely better, despite the fact that it also has some stickiness and bitterness. Evidently a good breeding material.





























4
Cold Hardy Citrus / Different yuzu selections
« on: October 05, 2024, 04:54:48 AM »
Hi all,

There are numerous yuzu selections and syblings available and I can't really judge which ones are worth trying.

The most regular ones are No1 and No3 which are pretty much the only ones that are reviewed at numerous places. But I read about the much rarer No4 which is said to have about the same hardiness but with bigger fruit thus a lot more pulp, moreover its taste even has a little sweetness when fully ripe, while retaining the yuzu perfume. And as an added bonus, it ripens sooner, around October.

Is that true? Does anybody have experiences with it or any other inground yuzu? What I am curious about is the differences in dormancy, taste, hardiness and ripening time.

I am aware of No30 which is not a real yuzu selection but a yuzu hybrid. I am buying one because I think it's a valuable acquirement but I wonder if there is any other that is worth trying as a good tasting, hardy and early ripening lemon substitute.

Any comments would be welcome on them.

Thanks.


5
Citrus Buy, Sell, & Trade / Bishop citrandarin wanted in EU
« on: July 22, 2024, 03:18:46 PM »
Hi,

I'm looking for Bishop citrandarin in Europe. Or alternatively a better tasting US-852 would also be welcome. If you have available budwood, don't hesitate to send me a message.



Thanks.

6
Cold Hardy Citrus / Keraji vs. Keraji
« on: June 23, 2024, 05:27:54 AM »
Hi all.

Last night I was surfing on the web when I found these Keraji's:

https://www.pepiniereagrumesdeprovence.fr/recherche?controller=search&s=Keraji

D 14 is said to be a couple degrees hardier than standard Keraji. I have read a Gelb Keraji (this one listed as Djelb may be the same) has the best taste, and its description classifies the same cold tolerance as D 14 has.

Does anyone have first hand experiences with these, maybe even compared to the normal Keraji? My number one priority is hardiness, number two is good sweet taste, number three is early ripening. Keraji's are not early in the season so I think I had better let that go. However if any of these are a bit earlier, that can be interesting. I want to plant it out and use it for breeding.

Thanks.

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