Current Status and Recent Trends in Florida Citrus Scion Cultivars

Abstract

The major citrus scion cultivars in Florida are listed by quantity and relative age as of January 1980. The most important type of citrus is the sweet orange, followed by grapefruit. Florida produces 79% of the U.S. orange crop and 74% of the grapefruit crop. Ninety-four percent of the orange crop and 63% of the grapefruit crop is processed, and the remainder is marketed fresh. The number of citrus trees in Florida declined steadily from the record high in 1969 until the 1978-79 reporting period, when the number increased. Florida now has more grapefruit trees than in 1969 but substantially fewer orange trees. These orange and grapefruit trees produce more fruit per acre than similar trees in California, Texas, or Arizona. During 1978-79 the number of Temple, tangelo, and tangerine trees declined. In spite of the decrease in numbers of trees, Florida growers harvested a record crop of 12.4 million tons of citrus in the 1979-80 season.