Patty, I think it is further along than that. This is what John Bash at CCCP told me last March:

Quote:

Following some negotiations this variety was recently re-imported into California from Florida and is currently undergoing the quarantine process again here at CCPP. The variety was received here last fall and the quarantine and disease elimination process normally takes about two years to complete. When this process is completed budwood of Dekopon will be generally available from CCPP to growers and nurseries here in California. We are doing all that we can here to speed up the quarantine process because there are many, including yourself, who have an interest in obtaining this variety. I would anticipate that it may be available in late 2012 or early 2013. Please stay in contact and I will update you on the process.

We just need to be a little bit more patient.

Well, that's promising, Harvey, but Dr. Kahn had hinted it might take a bit longer. Let's hope they can work their budwood magic, and get it through the quarantine process without any hitches. That's what happened with the first Dekopon budwood - got delayed in quarantine. I'd love to add a Dekopon to my collection. Please let us know what you hear back from John at CCPP. They might have an update before their next budwood release, even. That would be excellent. We didn't have the opportunity to tour the CCPP screenhouse, which I would love to do. Think maybe there's a tour in March, have to check that out. If so, I'm going to try to go.

Yeah I know what you mean, citrus fruit freshly picked sure is something special. (especially out of classic citrus growing regions)

Well, we will all wait and see what happens with availability, now its a matter of finding a fruit to try!

Thanks for the replies, I'm sure many are waiting on this one.

I just received some bad news from John. The material that had been sent to Florida had some restrictions on it from the Japanese source and they were requested to destroy it since it was supposed to be for evaluation purposes only. They are now back to square one, trying to find a source to import it from.

I think that was what Dr. Kahn was hinting at. I had told her that I had heard through some of the citrus/fruit groups I belong to that budwood was possibly found. She told me, "I think it's still going to be a couple of years, still, but we're actively resourcing budwood." So, perhaps this was what she also knew or suspected last weekend.

got some at whole foods in Durham today, very nice flavor. There are better tasting varieties of mandarin out there in my opinion however, overall very good, unique size, flavor and lack of pith all make a very nice fruit. Marketing may have gotten a little ahead of the actual product

That was my feeling, Ryan, when I tasted them last year from the market. But, after tasting a Dekopon directly from the tree at UC Riverside, completely different opinion. I think they really don't store/ship so well. A fair amount of the taste got lost in shipping I think. I've tasted them twice, now, off the tree at UCR, and the second time concurred with the first taste. Exceptional, tender, juicy, complex, and really great acid to sugar ratio. Definitely will win a spot in my home orchard for sure.

I also agree with Ryan. Dekopon is certainly a good enough tasting fruit, however, in my opinion Xie Shan is much better tasting than Dekopon. I even like Cara Cara better than Dekopon. I would put Dekopon on about the same level of Ponkan. -Millet (333 ABo-)

Just got 9 fat seeds from a sumo dekopon at central market.

Citrus Joe sent me one in the mail last year. It was OK but I prefer Miyagawa satsuma and XIE Shan satsuma. I understand some one in Florida is growing and selling Dekopan plants. Do not believe they can ship out of state due to restrictions.

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by the end of March, I was very lucky to receive from my friends in Japan some fresh dekopon. it is definitely the sweetest tangerine I ever tasted. as big as commercial orange, the taste is really good but it is too sweet to my palate and I think it lacks of complexity due to the very low amount of acids. but I'm sure this fruit will have a huge success because no other citrus fruit can compete with such amount of sugar. in four fruits I found 4 viable seeds, 3 sprouted out and one of them is polyembrionic. also impossible to obtain budwoods in Europe of the true dekopon (c. shiranui). hopefully with some technics, my nucelare seedling will produce the first shiranui fruits ever in my country, patience...

Good luck with the seedlings!

If the fruit misses any acids as you describe it, I don't think I'll like the taste of it... no dekopon for me!

Back in March when they were available, I bought a dozen. Not a seed, even undeveloped, in the bunch . They are very low acid, maybe too low, but I wouldn't say they lacked flavor complexity. I thought they had some unique flavor notes and definitely are plenty sweet.

I'd love to get a stick of budwood. Without trying fresh off the tree, I can't say they are my ultimate mandarin. I think xie shan, gold nugget and page all are a touch more interesting when fresh off the tree. Considering when they ripen, I think they'd be ideal on a four way successive ripening tree; xie shan, page, dekopan, gold nugget.