| | This is LA Early, one of two new varieties released by the LSU AgCenter. |
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The LSU AgCenter has released two new satsuma varieties, LA Early and Early St. Ann. Both of these early-maturing satsumas are products of the citrus breeding program, which develops fresh-market lines of citrus with improved quality, fruit characteristics and production requirements, said Wayne Bourgeois, a researcher at the Citrus Research Station at Port Sulphur, La. The station specializes in navel oranges and satsumas but also works with other citrus products. Bourgeois said both new satsuma varieties produce high quality fruits that ripen from early September to mid-October.
The two new varieties originally were selected in the early 1980s from a group of seedlings planted in the late 1960s by the late Ralph Brown, the first superintendent of the Citrus Research Station.
The taste and flavor of both varieties are excellent, Bourgeois said. The fruits are juicy and slightly acid and have an overall quality that is an improvement over other early satsuma varieties grown in Louisiana. The LSU AgCenter recommends both varieties for commercial and home planting of early satsumas in Louisiana’s citrus-growing areas. Bourgeois said homeowners could expect to see either or both of these new varieties in their local garden centers in 2002.
Rick Bogren
(This article appeared in the winter 2002 issue of Louisiana Agriculture.) |