Citrus Growers Forum

A.T. Hagan · Posted: Thu 04 Feb, 2010 11:58 am

http://news.ufl.edu/2010/02/02/sugar-belle-2/

Sugar Belle package
Sugar Belle is available in stores throughout the U.S. East Coast.

UFs Sugar Belle is sweet success

Filed under InsideUF (Campus), Top Stories on Tuesday, February 2, 2010.

Sugar Belle, a name meaning sweet and beautiful, is the first University of Florida-created citrus variety intended for commercial production.

Fred Gmitter, UF professor of citrus breeding and genetics, worked many years for Sugar Belle, a bold mandarin orange hybrid, to be where it is today.

Hired in 1985 as a UF assistant professor, Gmitter soon noticed a neglected block of trees left behind by a retired professor.

I tasted (the fruit on) every treemost were horrible, said Gmitter. Then I tasted fruit from this one tree and it was phenomenal. The tree is now known as Sugar Belle.

Gmitter then began propagating the tree, knowing that he had found a valuable citrus selection.

One of the first large-scale field trials was on the east coast of Florida.

But after growing for a few years, a setback occurred. Citrus canker, a highly contagious disease that attacks fruit, was found near the trees. The entire group had to be burned. That was really devastating, Gmitter said.

That didnt stop the determined Gmitter and soon, after producing more crops, taste trials began. Sugar Belle won big-time as the favorite among the taste-testers, he said. It is a very bold, rich-tasting citrus with high levels of sugar. Makes you happy when you eat it, he said.

Sugar Belle has numerous benefits that make it stand out from other competitors. It has a high percentage of vitamin C, ripens four to six weeks earlier than other varieties of citrus and it has shown a greater tolerance to the fungus Alternaria.

After long hours and hard work, Gmitter is really satisfied with Sugar Belle. But now the rest is out of his hands.

Its like when you first take your kids to kindergarten. You are still attached but you have to let them goI have that feeling about Sugar Belle, said Gmitter. Didnt expect that feeling, but its strange. Its like having a 25-year-old kid.

Fred Gmitter developed Sugar Belle, and says the fruit makes you
happy when you eat it.

Mark_T · Posted: Fri 05 Feb, 2010 6:41 pm

Has anyone tasted these?

Tom · Posted: Fri 05 Feb, 2010 6:58 pm

Yes I found them for the first time this year. They were labeled Minelo in Publix grocery and were very large and they peeled and tasted fine and I bought some smaller ones from a church close by that sold them as a fund raiser. The ones from the church were smaller and tasted better to me but a daughter and friend thought the larger ones from Publix were better.

I was a little disappointed that they weren't even better but I suspect the freeze in Florida didn't help. Maybe they had to pick early to beat the freeze. Color was fine , just not quite the WOW factor I thought I was looking for. So far "cutie clementine" or most satsuma are sweeter and easier to peel and better to me...

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Tom in central Alabama

Mark_T · Posted: Fri 05 Feb, 2010 9:23 pm

Interesting story nonetheless, I'd love to try them.

Tom · Posted: Sat 06 Feb, 2010 1:22 pm

I agree it was a great story. I just want to know if the flavor is a little off this year since this was my first time to get to taste them. I would like to hear what others think this year...

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Tom in central Alabama

Millet · Posted: Sat 06 Feb, 2010 3:59 pm

If the name Sugar Belle was given to the fruit by UF, how can you know that Minelo is even the same fruit? - Millet (1.077-)

Tom · Posted: Sat 06 Feb, 2010 5:07 pm

I think the names are interchangable.I read that somewhere but I don't think it was in the article cited here. At Publix the little sticker on the fruit said minelo but the cash register tape and computer screen said honeybelle. They are very destinctive in their appearance, all most pear shaped but not quite as pronounced extension on top. Not really bell shaped either. I think navel orange has the most easily understood name and if a navel orange had an "outie" it would look a lot like a honneybell !

I think you probably know more about honeybelle than you are letting on.
As my children would say , you are "boss" and I guess that means "the boss"

Millet: Thanks for all you contribute here....

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Tom in central Alabama

Tom · Posted: Sat 06 Feb, 2010 5:12 pm

I just reread the article on "sugar belle " and I was thinking "honey belle". My mistake completely. I don't know anything about the sugar belle. Sorry for my mistake. I must add I am a product of public education and was glad to graduate. HA HA

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Tom in central Alabama

Darkman · Posted: Thu 02 Dec, 2010 3:30 am

Am I correct in saying that this variety will not be available to us for about six years?

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Charles in Pensacola

Life - Some assembly required, As is no warranty, Batteries not included, Instructions shipped separately and are frequently wrong!

Kentucky Bourbon - It may not solve the problem but it helps to make it tolerable!

fred · Citruholic Joined: 16 Oct 2009 Posts: 134

My guess is not in our lifetime-- unless you are a teenager or well conected

Darkman · Posted: Thu 02 Dec, 2010 10:06 pm

fred wrote:

My guess is not in our lifetime-- unless you are a teenager or well conected

Well that rules me out. LOL

By the time they relesae it it will be a dog variety.

_________________
Charles in Pensacola

Life - Some assembly required, As is no warranty, Batteries not included, Instructions shipped separately and are frequently wrong!

Kentucky Bourbon - It may not solve the problem but it helps to make it tolerable!

Sylvain · Posted: Mon 21 Nov, 2011 7:25 am

I would have liked that Mr Gmitter gave the name of the retired professor that made this new variety...

sneek · Joined: 01 Nov 2011 Posts: 10 Location: Sydney, Australia

Sylvain wrote:

I would have liked that Mr Gmitter gave the name of the retired professor that made this new variety...

I was just thinking the very same thing... article mentions he is the developer... sounds like he found it by chance, propagated it and is claiming it as his own Wink

Would seem that professor had a few experiments going... would love to do that one day.

Darkman · Posted: Mon 28 Nov, 2011 7:02 pm

sneek wrote:

Sylvain wrote:

I would have liked that Mr Gmitter gave the name of the retired professor that made this new variety...

I was just thinking the very same thing... article mentions he is the developer... sounds like he found it by chance, propagated it and is claiming it as his own Wink

Would seem that professor had a few experiments going... would love to do that one day.

We are lucky that Gmitter was able to capitalize on his chance find. If it was not for his efforts the Sugar Belle would have been lost.

The professor, Gmitters predecessor, was Art Pieringer. Fred tried to follow up with him to pick up where he left off but according to Gmitter when Art left he put it all behind him and was not interested in helping or sharing knowledge. I'm sure he had his reasons and I am not passing any kind of judgement. The Sugar Belle is being propagated by four nurseries:

Southern Citrus Nursery
Phil Rucks Nursery
Nick Rasnake Nursery
Harris Nursery

I do not know if any of these has stock for residential purchase.

Presently I believe all of these are Florida nurseries and can not ship out of state. I will be trying to obtain four of these.

Fred said that the Sugar Belle crop in central Florida this year was not as good as last years. He said that these should do much better in areas that have cooler Winters than he does. He mentioned that you may be required to sign a non-propagation form which I have no problem signing.

UPDATE:

I spoke with Ruth at Harris Citrus and she does have them although she would wait till spring to ship them. She confirmaed the non-propagation agreemnet signing requirement. I have purchased from them and the plants I received were top notch.

UPDATE FEBRUARY 18, 2012

I contacted Harris Citrus and was told I needed to sign a "Non Propagation Agreement" which I have no problem with. I contacted the supplier (Not Harris Citrus) and I received my "Non Propagation Agreement" After examining the 17 page document I'm not sure that I will be submitting it. This agreement gives them all rights to the tree including them entering my property to inspect the trees and if they decide to revoke the agreement, they can tell me to destroy the trees with no compensation, explanation or just cause. The agreement states that I would be growing the Sugar Belle for commercial purposes and ALL fruit would be processed by a licensed packer of which the nearest one is in central Florida.

Still studying the agreement but it looks like it will not happen. I would be falsifying the agreement if I signed it with my intentions to grow, harvest and enjoy the fruit. It disturbs me that this variety was developed by a public university and the public will not have the opportunity to purchase this tree for personal use. Im going to call them back and see if we mis-communicated but I dont think so.

. Sad

_________________
Charles in Pensacola

Life - Some assembly required, As is no warranty, Batteries not included, Instructions shipped separately and are frequently wrong!

Kentucky Bourbon - It may not solve the problem but it helps to make it tolerable!