ARS | Publication request: BREEDING AND SELECTION OF JACKFRUIT FOR SOUTH FLORIDA

Submitted to: Proceedings of Florida State Horticultural Society
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: November 5, 2004
Publication Date: November 19, 2004
Citation: Campbell, R., El-Sawa, S., Wasielewsk, J.I., Ledesma, N., Ayala-Silva, T. 2004. Breeding and selection of jackfruit for south Florida. Proceedings of Florida State Horticultural Society. 117:193-194.

Interpretive Summary: The jackfruit has been under investigation and development at Fairchild Tropical Garden since 1987. The program has focused on the conservation of genetic resources, generic promotion for jackfruit and the development of viable cultivars for use in estate and patio agricultural systems in South Florida. A moderate breeding effort was initiated in 1995 in conjunction with studies on the hand pollination of jackfruit. Reciprocal crosses were made among a subset of the most important genetic collections. Cultivars were selected for inclusion in the project based on superior traits of early maturity and productivity and the fruit quality traits of aroma, edible percentage, flesh firmness, color and flavor. 'Black Gold', 'Cheena', 'Dang Rasimi', 'Galaxy', 'Golden Nugget', 'Honey Gold', 'Lemon Gold', 'J-30', 'J-31', 'NS-1', 'Tabouey' were used. Controlled crosses were made over 2 fruiting seasons, seeds were collected and 15 seedlings of each cross were planted at the USDA-ARS Subtropical Horticulture Research Unit, Miami, FL. The total seedling population was 600 trees. Evaluations began in 2003 with the purpose of selecting the superior jackfruit cultivars for South Florida estate and patio fruit industries.

Technical Abstract: The jackfruit has been under investigation and development at Fairchild Tropical Garden since 1987. The program has focused on the conservation of genetic resources, generic promotion for jackfruit and the development of viable cultivars for use in estate and patio agricultural systems in South Florida. A modest breeding effort was initiated in 1995 in conjunction with studies on the hand pollination of jackfruit. Reciprocal crosses were made among a subset of the core genetic collections. Cultivars were selected for inclusion in the project based on superior traits of precocity and productivity and the fruit quality traits of aroma, edible percentage, flesh firmness, color and flavor. 'Black Gold', 'Cheena', 'Dang Rasimi', 'Galaxy', 'Golden Nugget', 'Honey Gold', 'Lemon Gold', 'J-30', 'J-31', 'NS-1', 'Tabouey' were used. Controlled crosses were made over 2 fruiting seasons, seed was collected and 15 seedlings of each cross were planted at the USDA-ARS Subtropical Hort. Research Unit-Chapman Field. The total seedling population was 600 trees. Evaluations began in 2003 with the objective of the selection of superior jackfruit cultivars for South Florida estate and patio fruit industries.