SEVERAL LOW-SEEDED CITRUS HYBRIDS SELECTED FROM A TANGOR × 'PONKAN' CROSS

‘Ponkan’ mandarin was used as male parent to cross with ‘15-1’ tangor, a selection of a local natural hybrid (C. reticulata × C. sinensis) in 2000. Tangor ‘15-1’ produces big fruits without seeds, deep orange-red rind, reddish albedo without cracks, and ‘Ponkan’ produces fruit with light orange rind, and white albedo with cracks. The obtained seeds were sowed in 2001 and seedlings began to flower and fruit since 2005. Traits of the hybrids were evaluated. Six hybrids were found to be seedless or low-seeded. All of these six plants produced fruits of big or moderate size, but the color of rind and albedo, as well as albedo crack, looked more like ‘Ponkan’. The average seed number per fruit of the six hybrids was between 1.4 and 4.3. The biological/botanical characteristics of these hybrid plants were recorded and their fruit quality was analyzed for 3 years. Preliminary observations show that some of them are promising for the citrus industry.