US SuperSour 3
Estimated Genetic Ancestry
- 50% Mandarin
- 25% Poncirus trifoliata
- 25% Pummelo
US SuperSour 3 was selected from a 2006 Sunki mandarin × US-802 cross made by Kim D. Bowman at USDA’s A.H. Whitmore Foundation Farm in Groveland, Florida. USDA/ARS released SS3 on 2 November 2018.[4][2]
In a single-node cutting comparison, 82% of SS3 cuttings produced healthy nursery liners. The release document says seed had not been observed on the clone and apomictic seed uniformity had not been evaluated; it recommends cuttings or micropropagation from tested FDACS sources.[4]
In the 2014 Picos/St. Lucie County trial, grafted Valencia on SS3 produced 43.3 kg fruit per tree cumulatively in 2018–21, 26% above Swingle; canopy health averaged 4 of 5 in 2020–21. All trial trees tested CLas-positive and trial-wide survival through 2021 was 94%. These findings concern grafted Valencia and do not establish SS3 fruit traits or SS3-specific immunity.[5]