USPP36418P2 - Mandarin plant named ‘Mikanken16’ - Google Patents

Abstract

A new variety of Citrus ‘Mikanken16’ that has dark orange fruit color, no seeds, high juiciness, orange-like flavor, ease of peeling the fruit by hand, good appearance and good tasting qualities.

Description

Common name: Mandarin.

Botanical classification: Citrus reticulata Blanco x Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck.

Variety denomination: ‘Mikanken16’.

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW VARIETY

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Mandarin, Citrus L., which has been given the variety denomination ‘Mikanken16’.

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

The parent varieties are ‘95-56-25’ (male parent) (not patented in the U.S.) and ‘Mikanken4’ (female parent) (not patented in the U.S.), respectively.

The variety was developed and propagated in Uwajima, Ehime, Japan.

The variety was reproduced asexually by vegetative reproduction by top grafting one-year-old scions on rootstocks, in Uwajima, Ehime, Japan. The name of the rootstock is ‘MIYAGAWAWASE’ (not patented).

In 2004, crossing the parent varieties and collecting seeds were grown in the next year.

In 2005, 2006 seedlings are grown.

In 2007, they were grafted on top of root stock.

In 2010, the first fruit was harvested and lines were primary selected.

In 2013, plants were secondary selected.

From 2012 to 2022 growing tests for their performance.

In 2023, breeding was completed with DUS status confirmed (distinct, uniform, and stable), whereby it was confirmed that the instant tree reproduces true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction, and the variety was named ‘Mikanken16’.

Cultivation of the variety does not require special conditions or treatments.

The variety is currently mainly intended for fruit production.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

This new mandarin plant ‘Mikanken16’ has leave blades with no emargination at the tip, fruit with dark orange surface color (JHS color chart No. 1306), medium surface roughness, medium filling of the core, and medium to late maturity for consumption (typically April), that distinguish it notably from its female parent ‘Mikanken4’.

Also the fruit of ‘Mikanken16’ having no collar, no navel opening, and no polyembryony of seeds, as well as having medium surface roughness, medium filling of the core, and medium to late maturity for consumption (typically April), distinguishes it notably from comparative variety ‘Shiranuhi’ (not patented) and having no navel opening, and no polyembryony of seeds, as well as having dark orange surface color (JHS color chart No. 1306), medium surface roughness, and medium to late maturity for consumption (typically April), distinguishes it notably from comparative variety ‘Kiyomi’ (not patented).

Specifically, Table 1 below shows a comparison between the instant variety ‘Mikanken16’ and the female parent ‘Mikanken4’ as follows (evaluation based on averages):

TABLE 1
Comparison between ‘Mikanken16’ and ‘Mikanken4’

		Female parent	Present variety
		‘Mikanken4’	‘Mikanken16’
No.	Characteristics	States	States

36	Leaf blade: emargination at tip	Present	Absent
99	Fruit surface: roughness	Smooth	Medium
109	Fruit: filling of core	Absent or	Medium
		Very Sparse
127	Time of maturity of fruit for	Late (May)	Medium to
	consumption		Late (April)

A comparison with the male parent ‘95-56-25’ is not available because ‘95-56-25’ was an old breeding line, whose states of characteristics are unknown and for which there are no long living plant materials.

Table 2 below shows a comparison between the instant variety ‘Mikanken16’ and comparative varieties ‘Shiranuhi’ and ‘Kiyomi’ as follows (average evaluation):

TABLE 2
Comparison between ‘Mikanken16’ and
‘Shiranuhi’ and ‘Kiyomi’

		Reference	Reference	Present
		variety	variety	variety
		‘Shiranuhi’	‘Kiyomi’	‘Mikanken16’
No.	Characteristics	States	States	States

87	Fruit: presence of	Present		Absent
	collar
94	Fruit: presence of	Occasion-	Occasion-	Absent
	navel opening	ally Present	ally Present
97	Fruit surface:		Medium	Dark Orange
	predominant		Orange (JHS	(JHS No.
	color(s)		No. 1605)	1306)
99	Fruit surface:	Medium to	Smooth to	Medium
	roughness	Rough	Medium
109	Fruit: filling of	Absent or		Medium
	core	Very Sparse
126	Seed: poly-	Present		Absent
	embryony
127	Time of maturity	Medium	Medium	Medium to
	of fruit for	(March)	(March)	Late (April)
	consumption

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings, which are as nearly true as is reasonable possible to make in a color illustration of this type:

FIG. 1 is a color photograph showing a general view of an illustrative mandarin tree of the variety named ‘Mikanken16’ bearing fruits.

FIG. 2 is a color photograph showing flowers of ‘Mikanken16’.

FIG. 3 is a color photograph showing leaves of ‘Mikanken16’, together with leaves of comparative varieties ‘Kiyomi’, and ‘Shiranuhi’.

FIG. 4 is a color photograph showing fruits of ‘Mikanken16’.

FIG. 5 is a color photograph showing leaves of ‘Mikanken16’, together with leaves of female parent ‘Mikanken4’, illustrating the difference between the leaf blades, in that the leave blades of ‘Mikanken16’ have absent emargination at the tip instead of present emargination at the tip for ‘Mikanken4’.

FIG. 6 is a color photograph showing fruits of ‘Mikanken16’, together with fruits of comparative variety ‘Kiyomi’, illustrating the difference between the fruit surface predominant colors, in that the fruit surface predominant color of ‘Mikanken16’ is dark orange (JHS color chart No. 1306) instead of medium orange (JHS color chart No. 1605) for ‘Kiyomi’, and the difference between the fruit surface roughnesses, in that the fruit surface roughness of ‘Mikanken16’ is medium instead of smooth to medium for the fruit of ‘Kiyomi’.

FIG. 7 is a color photograph showing the transverse section of a fruit of ‘Mikanken16’ together with a fruit of female parent ‘Mikanken4’, illustrating the difference between the filling of the core, in that the fruit of ‘Mikanken16’ has medium filling of the core, instead of absent or very sparse filling of the core for the fruit of ‘Mikanken4’.

Due to chemical and/or digital development, processing and printing, the plants or portions of plants depicted in the photographs may or may not be precisely accurate, when compared to the actual botanical specimens.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Table 3 shows the botanical description of the ‘Mikanken16’ plants evaluated in 2022 (including the comparison with the reference plants ‘KIYOMI’ and ‘SHIRANUI’). Values as provided are averages. The ages of the trees evaluated was 6 years, and the location of the trees evaluated was in Uwajima, Ehime, Japan.

The ‘Mikanken16’ plants shown on the photographs were grown at Uwajima, Ehime, Japan. The plants were 3-year grown trees after top grafting. The tree was photographed on Dec. 7, 2016, the flowers were photographed on May 7, 2016, the mature leaves photographed on Jul. 26, 2016 and the fruits were photographed on Mar. 23, 2017.

Colors are given according to the J.H.S. (Japan Horticultural Society) Color Chart.

BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

TABLE 3
Botanical description of ‘Mikanken16’

No.	Characteristics	States	Values

1	Ploidy	Diploid
2	Tree: growth habit	Spreading
3	Tree's vigor	Strong
4	Tree's density of canopy	Medium

5	Tree's mature height		2.75	m
6	Tree's mature spread		2.95	m

7	Tree's trunk diameter at a		52.3 mm
	specified height above ground		at 10 cm
			above grafting
			area
8	Tree's bark texture	Rough
9	Tree's bark color	Green brown	JHS color
			chart No. 2509

10	Branch length		12.6	cm
11	Branch diameter		2.8	mm

12	Branch crotch angle		50°
13	Branch bark texture	Smooth
14	Branch bark color	Dark yellow	JHS color
		green	chart No.3508
15	Tree: density of spines	Intermediate
16	Number of spines		2.1
17	Total leaf bearing nodes		6.5

18	Location of spines	On branches
19	Length of spines		1.7	mm
20	Spine diameter		0.5	mm

21	Spine shape		conical
22	Spine color	Dark yellow	JHS color
		green	chart No. 3508
23	Leaf type	Individual
		leaf

24	Leaf blade: length (apical leaflet	Medium	7.3	cm
	in case of compound leaf)
25	Leaf blade: width (apical leaflet	Medium	4.3	cm

	in case of compound leaf)
26	Leaf blade: ratio length/width	Very small	1.7
	(apical leaflet in case of com-
	pound leaf)
27	Leaf blade: shape in cross section	Intermediate:
	(apical leaflet in case of com-	curved
	pound leaf)	inwards
28	Leaf blade: twisting	Intermediate
29	Leaf blade: blistering	Absent or
		Weak
30	Leaf blade: color	Medium	JHS color
		green	chart No.3509
31	Leaf or leaflet: color of upper	Dark yellow	JHS color
	leaf surface	green	chart No.3509
32	Leaf or leaflet: color lower	Dark yellow	JHS color
	leaf surface	green	chart No.3507

33	Leaf blade: undulation of margin	Absent or
		Weak
34	Leaf blade: incisions of margin	Crenate
35	Leaf blade: shape of apex	Acute
36	Leaf blade: emargination at tip	Absent
37	Single or compound leaves?	Single leaf
38	Base descriptor of leaf and/or	Acute
	leaflet
39	Texture of top surface of leaf	Smooth
	and/or leaflet
40	Texture of bottom surface of	Smooth
	leaf and/or leaflet
41	Petiole: length	Medium	1.9	cm
42	Petiole diameter		1.9	mm

43	Petiole texture (both surfaces)		smooth
44	Petiole color (both surfaces)	Dark yellow	JHS color
		green	chart No.3509

45	Petiole: presence of wings	Present
46	Petiole wing shape	Vestigial
47	Petiole wing length		8.0	mm
48	Petiole wing texture (both	Smooth
	surfaces)

49	Petiole wing color (both sur-	Upper and	JHS color
	faces)	lower:	chart No.
		dark yellow	3508 (upper),
		green	3509 (lower)

50	Varieties with petiole wings	Narrow	2.0	mm
	present only: Petiole: width of
	wings
51	Flower: length of petal	Medium	18.4	mm
52	Flower: width of petal	Very Broad	8.3	mm

53	Flower: ratio length/ width of	Small	2.2
	petal

54	Flower: length of stamens	—	10.3	mm
55	Flower depth		2.2	cm
56	Flower diameter		3.5	cm

57

Petal number per flower

5

58	Petal shape	Spindle-
		shaped
59	Petal apex	Acute to
		obtuse
60	Petal margin	Slightly
		curved
61	Petal base descriptors	Truncate

62	Petal color (both surfaces)	White (both	JHS color
		side)	chart No. 3301
63	Sepal number per flower		5
64	Sepal shape	Lanceolate
65	Sepal apex	Acute
66	Sepal color (both surfaces)	Light yellow	JHS color
		green (both	chart No. 3304
		side)
67	Pistil number per flower		1
68	Stigma color	Light yellow
69	Stigma style	Round

70

Stigma length

0.2

mm

71	Stigma color	Bright orange	JHS color
		yellow	chart No. 2205
72	Anther: color	Medium	JHS color
		yellow	chart No. 2203
73	Anther: viable pollen	Low	(>14 ≤ 21%)
74	Amount of pollen produced	Very few
75	Infructescence: clustering of	Present
	fruits
76	Number of fruits per cluster		1

77	Fruit: length	Long	7.7	cm
78	Fruit: diameter	Large	8.7	cm

79

Fruit: ratio length/diameter

Medium

1.13

80	Fruit: position of broadest part	At Middle
81	Fruit: shape in transverse section	Circular
82	Fruit: general shape of proximal	Flattened
	part (excluding neck, collar and
	depression at stalk end)
83	Fruit: presence of neck	Absent
84	Fruit: presence of depression at	Present
	stalk end
85	Fruit: depth of depression at	Shallow	2.5	mm
	stalk end
86	Fruit: presence of constriction at	Absent
	stalk end
87	Fruit: presence of collar	Absent
88	Fruit: general shape of distal	Flattened
	part (excluding nipple, bulging
	of navel and depression at
	distal end)
89	Fruit: presence of depression at	Present
	distal end
90	Fruit: depth of depression at	Shallow	1.7	mm
	distal end
91	Fruit: presence of areola	Absent
92	Fruit: diameter of stylar scar	Very small	1.4	mm
93	Fruit: persistence of style	None
94	Fruit: presence of navel opening	Absent
95	Fruit: presence of radial grooves	Absent
	at distal end
96	Fruit: expression of radial	Absent or
	grooves at distal end	Very Weak

97	Fruit surface: predominant	Dark orange	JHS color
	color(s)		chart No. 1306

98	Fruit surface: glossiness	Medium
99	Fruit surface: roughness	Medium
100	Fruit surface: diameter of oil	All about the	1.5	mm
	glands	same diameter
101	Fruit rind: adherence to flesh	Weak
102	Fruit rind: strength	Weak
103	Fruit rind: conspicuousness of	Absent or
	oil glands on inner surface	Weakly
		Conspicuous
104	Fruit rind thickness		3.5	mm
105	Fruit rind ease of peeling	Somewhat
		easy

106	Fruit: color of albedo	Light yellow	JHS color
			chart No. 1905
107	Fruit: density of albedo	Medium
108	Fruit: main color of flesh	Dark orange	JHS color
			chart No. 1306
109	Fruit: filling of core	Medium
110	Fruit: presence of rudimentary	Absent or
	segments	Very Weak
111	Number of segments per fruit		12

112	Fruit: strength of segment walls	Medium
113	Fruit; conspicuousness of juice	Medium
	vesicle walls
114	Fruit: presence of navel (viewed	Absent or
	internally)	Very Rare
115	Fruit: juiciness	High
116	Fruit juice: total soluble solids	High	13.1	Brix

117

Fruit juice: acidity

Medium

1.02

118	Juice sac length		8.4	mm
119	Juice sac width		2.8	mm

120	Juice color	Dark orange	JHS color
			chart No. 1306
121	Fruit: strength of fiber	Medium
122	Fruit: number of seeds (con-	Absent or	0
	trolled manual self-pollination)	Very Few
123	Fruit: number of seeds (open	Absent or	0

	pollination)	Very Few
124	Fruit weight		233.21	g
125	Fruit productivity: amount of		35	kg/
	fruit produced per tree per			tree
	season
126	Seed: polyembryony	Absent

127	Time of maturity of fruit for	Medium to	April
	consumption	Late

128	Fruit: parthenocarpy	Present
129	Plant: self-incompatibility	Present

Other features of the plant are as follows:

• Disease and pest resistance: Normal resistance was observed for pests and diseases in Uwajima, Ehime, Japan.
• Tree hardiness: USDA Hardiness Zone 9a-9b (until −3° C.).
• Fruit shipability: Medium.
• Fruit storageability: Medium.

Claims (1)

The invention claimed is:

1. A new and distinct variety of Citrus plant named ‘Mikanken16’, substantially as described and illustrated herein.

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