Palmer navel orange (CRC 3964)

Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck

CRC 3964
PI 539578
VI 507

Source

Received as budwood from South Africa, 1985.

Parentage/origins

Parents unknown.

Rootstocks of accession

Carrizo citrange, C-35 citrange

Season of ripeness at Riverside

December to January

Notes and observations

EMN, 1986: Original selection made in South Africa in 1950. More vigorous than the Washington navel; also more erect in shape. Bears very good crops of the correct size fruit for our markets, i.e.: 68 to 85 mm. As with other navels, high temperatures during fruit set can cause excessive fruit drop and result in oversized fruit. Internal quality and maturity similar to Washington. Matures in May in the Eastern Cape which is top quality navel country. Information from A.T.C. Lee (see CRC 3954). An article about the Palmer navel was published in February of 1983 in The Citrus and Subtropical Fruit Journal (South Africa). A copy of this article is in E.M. Nauer's "Foreign Imports" file along with info. received from A.T.C. Lee. This article leads me to believe that Palmer is basically a latter-day Frost nucellar type and is probably no better than what we already have in California. However, we might as well process it and get it in the field for evaluation since "it is here".