Leaders in the cold-hardy citrus region have long advocated for growers to diversify their crop portfolios.
Lindy Savelle, executive director of the Georgia Citrus Association, has wanted citrus producers in North Florida, South Georgia and South Alabama to plant alternatives to satsuma mandarins, which has been the predominant citrus type produced in the region. Diversification helps extend the harvest season.
Another type of mandarin has gained traction as a popular alternative — shiranui.
“It’s so new to this area that people love it. It’s got a lot of high demand in the area. You can hold it for a longer period of time. It’s just a delicious product,” Savelle said. “It’s not like a satsuma where it’s a zipper peel and gushy sweet. It’s a hybrid, so it has more of an orangey, crunchier bite. It’s one of the most high-priced citrus products that you’ll buy in the grocery store.”
According to the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, the shiranui mandarin is easy to peel, sweet and seedless. It has a protruding bump near the stem that looks like the topknot hairstyle of a Japanese sumo wrestler. However, the fruit’s shape makes it susceptible to fungus, so growers must be diligent with their fungicide spray applications.
“Years ago, when we started this industry, no one thought we could grow shiranuis here because of our humidity. It has a little neck on it that holds moisture. We thought we’d have a fungus problem,” Savelle said. “But we adapt. We figure out ways to grow things. It’s very popular.”
Shiranui is now the second most popular citrus grown in the cold-hardy region.
“We’ve got lots of growers putting them in this year,” Savelle said. “I tell every homeowner, if you’re going to pick two or three trees, get yourself a satsuma, shiranui and seedless kishu. Another thing is the timing of when the production comes in; shiranui is after satsuma. It’s one of those products that is going to spread out our harvest season. It’s what we’ve been pushing for.”
By Clint Thompson