University of California, Riverside Citrus Variety Collection
Encyclopedia
The UCR Citrus Variety Collection (CVC) is one of the most important collections of citrus
diversity in the world. It is used for research
, breeding
, and educational extension
activities on the UC Riverside campus in Riverside, California
.
The collection is composed of 1800 trees, representing two of each of the 900 different type
s of citrus and relatives. 640 types are within the genus
Citrus, the remaining types are included among 28 other related genera
in the Rutaceae
sub-family
Aurantiodeae.
The CVC was first established with approximately 500 species of citrus planted on 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) by Herbert John Webber, professor of plant breeding
and director of the early UC Citrus Experiment Station. Today, the collection consists of 22.3 acres (90,245 m²) on the UCR campus, 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) at the South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine, California
, and 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) at the Coachella Valley Agricultural Research Station in Thermal, California
. It still includes accession
s that were first introduced in the early 20th century, as well as newer varieties that were more recently developed through the Citrus Clonal Protection Program (CCPP), a special program that evaluates the trees for the nursery
and citrus industries
.
The collection currently serves as a genetic
resource for research ranging from the grafting
of rootstock
s to the study of limonoid
s as anti-cancer
agent
s. In addition, the USDA-ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Citrus and Dates (NCGRCD) uses the collection for the conservation of genetic diversity
within the Rutaceae family. The CVC also provides fruit for many education extension activities, such as the Riverside Orange Blossom Festival.
The collection attracts admirers from around the world. In addition to her research duties, Curator Tracy Kahn regularly hosts grocer
s, growers, restaurateur
s as well as members of the public
interested in rare varieties of the fruit. Her collaborations with local chef Brien Clements, owner of Restaurant Omakase, have led to the production of gourmet
citrus dinners that have attracted the attention of connoisseur
s in New York, resulting in his invitation to cook a citrus meal for the James Beard Foundation
.
David Karp
is currently photographing the fruit and trees of the CVC, which are placed on the web by Tony Siebert.
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
diversity in the world. It is used for research
Agricultural science
Agricultural science is a broad multidisciplinary field that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. -Agriculture and agricultural science:The two terms are often confused...
, breeding
Plant breeding
Plant breeding is the art and science of changing the genetics of plants in order to produce desired characteristics. Plant breeding can be accomplished through many different techniques ranging from simply selecting plants with desirable characteristics for propagation, to more complex molecular...
, and educational extension
Agricultural extension
Agricultural extension was once known as the application of scientific research and new knowledge to agricultural practices through farmer education...
activities on the UC Riverside campus in Riverside, California
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
.
The collection is composed of 1800 trees, representing two of each of the 900 different type
Biological type
In biology, a type is one particular specimen of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached...
s of citrus and relatives. 640 types are within the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Citrus, the remaining types are included among 28 other related genera
Genera
Genera is a commercial operating system and development environment for Lisp machines developed by Symbolics. It is essentially a fork of an earlier operating system originating on the MIT AI Lab's Lisp machines which Symbolics had used in common with LMI and Texas Instruments...
in the Rutaceae
Rutaceae
Rutaceae, commonly known as the rue or citrus family, is a family of flowering plants, usually placed in the order Sapindales.Species of the family generally have flowers that divide into four or five parts, usually with strong scents...
sub-family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Aurantiodeae.
The CVC was first established with approximately 500 species of citrus planted on 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) by Herbert John Webber, professor of plant breeding
Plant breeding
Plant breeding is the art and science of changing the genetics of plants in order to produce desired characteristics. Plant breeding can be accomplished through many different techniques ranging from simply selecting plants with desirable characteristics for propagation, to more complex molecular...
and director of the early UC Citrus Experiment Station. Today, the collection consists of 22.3 acres (90,245 m²) on the UCR campus, 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) at the South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine, California
Irvine, California
Irvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the city has a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census. However, the California...
, and 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) at the Coachella Valley Agricultural Research Station in Thermal, California
Thermal, California
Thermal is a census-designated place located approximately 25 miles southeast of Palm Springs and about 9.5 miles north of the Salton Sea. Although one can find sunny skies most days, residents occasionally endure strong winds and sizzling summer temperatures well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The...
. It still includes accession
Accession
Accession has different definitions depending upon its application. In Property law, it is a mode of acquiring property that involves the addition of value to property through labor or the addition of new materials. In English Common law, the added value belonged to the original property's owner,...
s that were first introduced in the early 20th century, as well as newer varieties that were more recently developed through the Citrus Clonal Protection Program (CCPP), a special program that evaluates the trees for the nursery
Nursery (horticulture)
A nursery is a place where plants are propagated and grown to usable size. They include retail nurseries which sell to the general public, wholesale nurseries which sell only to businesses such as other nurseries and to commercial gardeners, and private nurseries which supply the needs of...
and citrus industries
Citrus production
Citrus fruits are the highest value fruit crop in terms of international trade. There are two main markets for citrus fruit:* the fresh fruit market* the processed citrus fruits market...
.
The collection currently serves as a genetic
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
resource for research ranging from the grafting
Grafting
Grafting is a horticultural technique whereby tissues from one plant are inserted into those of another so that the two sets of vascular tissues may join together. This vascular joining is called inosculation...
of rootstock
Rootstock
A rootstock is a plant, and sometimes just the stump, which already has an established, healthy root system, used for grafting a cutting or budding from another plant. The tree part being grafted onto the rootstock is usually called the scion...
s to the study of limonoid
Limonoid
Limonoids are phytochemicals, abundant in citrus fruit and other plants of the families Rutaceae and Meliaceae. Currently limonoids are under investigation for a wide variety of therapeutic effects such as antiviral or Viricide, antifungal, antibacterial, antineoplastic and antimalarial...
s as anti-cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
agent
Biological agent
A biological agent — also called bio-agent or biological threat agent — is a bacterium, virus, prion, or fungus which may cause infection, allergy, toxicity or otherwise create a hazard to human health. They can be used as a biological weapon in bioterrorism or biological warfare...
s. In addition, the USDA-ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Citrus and Dates (NCGRCD) uses the collection for the conservation of genetic diversity
Genetic diversity
Genetic diversity, the level of biodiversity, refers to the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species. It is distinguished from genetic variability, which describes the tendency of genetic characteristics to vary....
within the Rutaceae family. The CVC also provides fruit for many education extension activities, such as the Riverside Orange Blossom Festival.
The collection attracts admirers from around the world. In addition to her research duties, Curator Tracy Kahn regularly hosts grocer
Greengrocer
A greengrocer or fruiterer is a retail trader in fruit and vegetables; that is, in green groceries. Greengrocer is primarily a British and Australian term, and greengrocers' shops were once common in suburbs, towns and villages...
s, growers, restaurateur
Restaurateur
A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of the restaurant business.-Etymology:The word...
s as well as members of the public
Public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individuals, and the public is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the Öffentlichkeit or public sphere. The concept of a public has also been defined in political science,...
interested in rare varieties of the fruit. Her collaborations with local chef Brien Clements, owner of Restaurant Omakase, have led to the production of gourmet
Gourmet
Gourmet is a cultural ideal associated with the culinary arts of fine food and drink, or haute cuisine, which is characterised by elaborate preparations and presentations of large meals of small, often quite rich courses...
citrus dinners that have attracted the attention of connoisseur
Connoisseur
A connoisseur is a person who has a great deal of knowledge about the fine arts, cuisines, or an expert judge in matters of taste.Modern connoisseurship must be seen along with museums, art galleries and "the cult of originality"...
s in New York, resulting in his invitation to cook a citrus meal for the James Beard Foundation
James Beard Foundation
The James Beard Foundation is a New York-based national professional non-profit organization named in honor of James Beard that serves to promote the culinary arts by honoring chefs, wine professionals, journalists, and cookbook authors at annual award ceremonies and providing scholarships and...
.
David Karp
David Karp (Fruit Detective)
David Karp is an active pomologist, traveler and writer, who calls himself a Fruit detective.David was born to his father, Harvey Karp, an extraordinarily successful businessman, whose East Hampton home was reputed to be a palace. He was fluent in Latin when he graduated High School...
is currently photographing the fruit and trees of the CVC, which are placed on the web by Tony Siebert.