5B-62.013. Parent Trees

Parent trees are selected as unique germplasm belonging to a nurseryman, grower, or researcher or on property that the owner has given written permission to a nurseryman and the department for access for observation and testing. At the time of entry into the Citrus Nursery Stock Certification Program, the owner shall sign a Parent Tree Candidate Entry Form, FDACS-08298, Revised 03/14, as incorporated in Rule 5B-62.005, F.A.C.

(1) Prospective parent trees. As a prerequisite to entry into the program, the person entering the parent tree for consideration must provide a brief history or background of the selection that includes the location of tree from which the testing material is taken.

(2) The parent tree should be exceptional, distinctive, or unique in regards to its vigor, fruit, disease resistance, or any other characteristic that would make it of value to cultivate.

(3) Prospective parent trees of exceptional horticultural value that are found to be infected with one or more graft-transmissible pathogens can be subjected to shoot-tip grafting or other acceptable techniques to eliminate graft-transmissible pathogens provided this is done under the supervision of the department. Plants that are shoot-tip grafted shall be retested for the graft-transmissible pathogen detected, subject to all other registration requirements and if shoot-tip grafted by the department, made available for distribution to all interested nurserymen and growers if approved by the owner.

(4) The parent tree or shoot-tip graft shall have tested negative for all the endemic diseases listed in paragraph 5B-62.003(3)(b), F.A.C.

(5) All trees propagated for testing in the department’s facilities shall become property of the department.

(6) Parent trees will not be used for a source of propagating material; rather the tested registered propagation from the parent tree or shoot-tip graft will be the source material of the parent tree clone to be used to establish foundation or scion trees.

Rulemaking Authority 570.07(23), 581.031(1), (3), (8), 581.1843(3), (4) FS. Law Implemented 570.07(2), (13), 581.031(1), (14), (17), (23), 581.1843(3), (4) FS. History–New 12-26-06, Amended 2-25-15.