Hundreds Gather Near Exeter To Taste New Varieties Of Valley Citrus

What do people want when it comes to their citrus? Ripe. Juicy. And maybe, most importantly, seedless.

It can take 20 years before fruit ever hits the marketplace though. It takes time to grow several mature trees, harvest fruit and ensure a disease-free selection. But the yield can be outstanding once the fruit hits the produce section.

Scientists and researchers are working on new selections of low-seeded mandarins, lemons and oranges. The hope is to get them to markets across the country within the next few years. Most of the research for these varieties started in the 1990s.

"We do two cycles of growing trees and then evaluate two or three years of crops," said Mikael Roose, a professor at the University of California,

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