Title: Rationale for reconsidering current regulations restricting use of hybrids in orange juice

Abstract

Huanglongbing (HLB) is a disease that has devastated the Florida citrus industry, threatens the entire U.S. citrus industry, and globally is rapidly spreading. Florida’s citrus production is 90% sweet orange, which is quite sensitive to HLB. The heavy reliance on sweet orange for Florida citrus production makes the industry especially vulnerable to diseases that are damaging to this type of citrus. Furthermore, 90% of Florida oranges are used in producing orange juice that is defined by a federal regulation known as the “orange juice standard”, specifying that at least 90% of “orange juice” must be derived from Citrus sinensis. Genomic analyses definitively reveal that sweet orange is not a true species, but just one of many introgression hybrids of C. reticulata and C. maxima, with phenotypic diversity resulting from accumulated mutations in this single hybrid, the “sweet orange”. No other fruit industry is limited by law to such a narrow genetic base. Fortunately, there are new citrus hybrids displaying reduced sensitivity to HLB, and in some cases they produce juice, alone or in blends, that consumers would recognize as “orange juice”. Reconsidering current regulations on orange juice standards may permit use of such hybrids in “orange juice”, providing greater latitudemore » for commercialization of these hybrids, leading to higher-quality orange juice and a more sustainable Florida orange juice industry.« less

Authors:

Stover, Ed  ^[1];

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Stover, Ed"
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0002-8979-0955"

Gmitter, Frederick G.  ^[2];

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Gmitter, Frederick G."
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0002-7499-0022"

Grosser, Jude ^[2]; Baldwin, Elizabeth ^[1]; Wu, Guohong Albert ^[3]; Bai, Jinhe ^[1]; Wang, Yu  ^[2];

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Wang, Yu"
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0002-2003-270X"

Chaires, Peter ^[4]; Motamayor, Juan Carlos ^[5]

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+ Show Author Affiliations

1. US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA), Ft. Pierce, FL (United States). Agricultural Research Service
2. Univ. of Florida, Lake Alfred, FL (United States). Citrus Research and Education Center
3. USDOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI), Berkeley, CA (United States)
4. New Varieties Development & Management Corp., Maitland, FL (United States)
5. The Coca-Cola Company, Apopka, FL (United States)

Publication Date:

Sat Mar 07 00:00:00 EST 2020

Research Org.:

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER). Biological Systems Science Division

OSTI Identifier:

1624036

Grant/Contract Number:  

AC02-05CH11231

Resource Type:

Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:

Horticulture Research

Additional Journal Information:

Journal Volume: 7; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 2662-6810

Publisher:

Oxford University Press

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; Plant Sciences; Genetics & Heredity; Agriculture