Photo: sonictk, Flickr.
"Oh man, it's dynamite," University of Florida plant breeder Fred Gmitter says of the Sugar Belle. "Spoken like a father, huh?"
When Gmitter joined the Florida faculty in 1985, he discovered his predecessor's experimental citrus groves had been destroyed. Only a block's worth of trees remained, and most of those were "ugly to look at and horrible to eat." But among the duds, he found a tree growing superb orange fruit. He and his colleagues used that tree to create the university's first-ever cultivar.
Since citrus breeding is slow going, the introduction of new varieties is relatively rare. But Peter Chaires, executive director of the company that holds licensing rights to the Sugar Belle, says the fruit could mark the start of a citrus golden age.
"This is the first one out of a long pipeline," Chaires says. "We have some interesting things coming, including an easy-peel mandarin. We'll see varieties for fresh consumption, varieties for the juice market and a lemon-lime hybrid."
While Gmitter concedes the Sugar Belle won't soon replace the standard orange in American lunchboxes, he suspects connoisseurs who sample the mid-winter citrus will clamor for it. The Sugar Belle was extensively tested in Baltimore, Chicago and Tampa shopping malls, where, according to Gmitter, "Everyone liked the Sugar Belle. People liked its flavor, its appearance and its juice."
Chaires raves: "It's not a citrus for lightweights. It has a fantastic deep, rich flavor."
Five growers have planted Sugar Belles, and Chaires says he anticipates the fruit will eventually become a staple of Christmas citrus baskets.
"To have something at its peak at the holidays is a luxury for us," Chaires says.
Although Gmitter is extremely fond of the Sugar Belle, he adds, "This is just the beginning of a flood of new, improved citrus varieties."
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