Simon: Release: Orlando Gold

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE                         AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE                                      and                FLORIDA, TEXAS, CALIFORNIA, ARIZONA, and IDAHO                       AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS                    RELEASE OF HYBRID CARROT, ORLANDO GOLD The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, cooperatively with the above named State Agricultural Experiment Stations announce the release of ORLANDO GOLD, Pedigree B3640 BC1 x F524, a fresh-market hybrid carrot adapted for production in both organic and mineral soils where the market cultivars Imperator 58, Gold Pak and Waltham Hicolor are grown. ORLANDO GOLD has produced total yields equal to open-pollinated cultivars, but more uniform in shape and with superior flavor and interior color.  Total caro- tene content in California-grown samples was 120 micrograms per gram fresh weight in ORLANDO GOLD compared with 80 for Imperator 58.  In preliminary commercial trials it has been handled with mechanical harvesting and packing equipment without serious mechanical damage. In 1981 at Zellwood, Florida, and near El Centro, California, ORLANDO GOLD was displayed with over 100 entries for quality rating by seedsmen, shippers, growers, and breeders.  Averages for the ten commercially available hybrid entries ranged from 2.1 to 2.7 at Zellwood and 1.7 to 2.8 at El Centro.  Following are the quality ratings for both trials:                                                Mean quality rating1/     Entry                                      California   Florida     ORLANDO GOLD                                  3.4         3.2     Gold Pak                                      1.7         1.7     Imperator 58                                  1.9         1.3     Hicolor 9                                     2.4         2.3     10 commercial hybrids2/                       2.0         2.3     1/  5 = Excellent, 4 = Good, 3 Fair, 2 Poor, 1 = Unacceptable.         34 judges at El Centro, CA; 32 judges at Zellwood, FL.     2/  Commercial hybrid entries were:  Candy Pack, HiPak, Fanci Pak, Pak Mor,         Dagger 78, Chancellor, Sierra, Dominator, Texsun, and Tahoe. The inbred B3640 was released in 1976 for use in hybrid Candy Pack.  The pollen parent F524 was released in October 1981.  The inbred x inbred cross, B3640 x F524, has the disadvantage of low seed yields on the inbred seed parent, B3640. By using B3640 in the first backcross, seed yields are nearly equal to those in the F1 seed parent, B3640 x B3080.  For the seed producers it is an important advantage to produce the seed parent on F1 plants which normally yield abundant BC1 seed for the hybrid production field.  B3080M which was released as a component of Candy Pack (B3640 x B3080) x B2158-1, can be used in the formula E(B3640 x B3080) x B3640] x F524 to produce ORLANDO GOLD.  A maintainer sub- line of B2158-1 designated B4367 may be used in the same way [(B3640 x B4367) x B36401 x F524.

Seed of B3640 BC1 and F524 were produced under standard increase contracts by Northrup King and Company and by Alf Christianson Seed Company.  Seedsmen who wish to produce ORLANDO GOLD should request a pro-rata share of this stock seed.  Those interested in testing the components B3640 BC1 and F524 in ex- perimental combinations with other inbred parents should request experimental samples for that purpose.  Along with the parental stocks, small quantities of cage-grown breeders seed of lines B3640S, B3640M, B3080M, B4367M, and F524 will be supplied to seedsmen who make a request in writing before March 1, 1982, to C. E. Peterson, 211 Horticulture Building, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706. Seed of ORLANDO GOLD produced under contract, and scheduled for harvest in 1982, by Northrup King and Company and Alf Christianson Seed Company will be pro-rated at a reasonable wholesale price to seedsmen on orders received before September 1, 1982.  In the event that any demand develops, this pro- vision in the production contract insures competing seedsmen a means of sup- plying their customers while initiating their own production. _________________________________________________  _________________________ Director, Florida Agricultural Experiment Station            Date _________________________________________________  _________________________ Director, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station              Date _________________________________________________  _________________________ Director, Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station            Date _________________________________________________  _________________________ Director, California Agric. Experiment Station               Date _________________________________________________  _________________________ Director, Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station              Date _________________________________________________  _________________________     Administrator                                           Date Agricultural Research Service

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