Minnie Finger Lime: A New Novelty Citrus Cultivar

Abstract

The major positive attributes of this new citrus scion are the combination of healthy growth in both a pot and the field, abundant production of fruit on very compact trees, and fruit traits that are good and similar to the finger lime (Microcitrus australasica) used as a garnish and accent for gourmet food and beverages. The cultivar can be propagated easily by grafting clean budwood of 'Minnie Finger Lime' onto a standard citrus rootstock cultivar. Origin This citrus scion cultivar originated from a 1997 cross of Microcitrus australasica • Microcitrus inodora (clone 80-527A) made at the USDA A. H. Whitmore Foundation Farm (Groveland, FL) by Dr. Kim D. Bowman of the USDA, ARS, U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory (USHRL), FL. Hybrid seed from the cross was planted at the Whitmore Foundation Farm in 1997 and grown until the hybrid that became 'Minnie Finger Lime' was selected for further study. Evaluation of 'Minnie Finger Lime' was planned and conducted by Kim Bowman under code no. BS97-R4-15, and later US-1936. Fruit quality traits of the cultivar were also evaluated by Greg McCollum, Anne Plotto, and Jinhe Bai of the USHRL.

Utilization of somatic fusion techniques for the development of HLB tolerant breeding resources employing the Australian finger lime (Citrus australasica)

“…Thus, our study provides novel information on the somatic fusion between a standard citrus and finger limes. The fruit shape in our somatic fusions resembled the ‘Minnie’ finger lime [ 60 ] but several other horticultural traits were unique.…”

Response of Citrus Germplasm Seedlings to Candidatus Liberibacter Asiaticus Infection under Controlled Greenhouse Conditions

“…Microcitrus species have also been used in rootstock and scion breeding programs, partly because of their tolerance against HLB (Bowman et al 2023;Ramadugu et al 2016). However, Microcitrus hybrids generally have not performed well as rootstocks (Bowman et al 2023), and their fruits are generally unsuitable for juicing or fresh consumption (Bowman et al 2019;Shaw et al 2000), likely requiring several generations of backcrossing to obtain suitable fruit quality in progeny for use as a commercial scion.…”

Comparative Volatilomic Profile of Three Finger Lime (Citrus australasica) Cultivars Based on Chemometrics Analysis of HS-SPME/GC–MS Data

“…The volatile profiles obtained from the three-finger lime samples present different VOCs profiles, as shown in Figures S1-S3, which display typical total ion chromatograms (TIC) of peel and juice of the CV Pink Pearl, Sanguinea, and Faustrime, respectively. A total of 84 volatile compounds were identified by HS-SPME/GC-MS in the peel and the juice of the three different finger lime CVs, including sesquiterpenes (33), monoterpenes hydrocarbons (19), oxygenated monoterpenes (12), aldehydes (7), esters (4), alcohols (4), and others (5), as listed in Table S1, which also reports the VOCs abbreviation code, the experimental and literature reported Kovats index, and the identification method (Table S1). Among all volatile components, 54 have been already identified in the peel extract of different finger lime CVs [1,3,[5][6][7][8][9][11][12][13], while a further 30 VOCs, which seem not been previously observed in any finger lime CV, have been reported in the volatile patterns of various Citrus species [10,[14][15][16][17][18][19].…”

“…A total of 84 volatile compounds were identified by HS-SPME/GC-MS in the peel and the juice of the three different finger lime CVs, including sesquiterpenes (33), monoterpenes hydrocarbons (19), oxygenated monoterpenes (12), aldehydes (7), esters (4), alcohols (4), and others (5), as listed in Table S1, which also reports the VOCs abbreviation code, the experimental and literature reported Kovats index, and the identification method (Table S1). Among all volatile components, 54 have been already identified in the peel extract of different finger lime CVs [1,3,[5][6][7][8][9][11][12][13], while a further 30 VOCs, which seem not been previously observed in any finger lime CV, have been reported in the volatile patterns of various Citrus species [10,[14][15][16][17][18][19]. Previous studies concerning the VOCs profiles in different finger lime CVs have highlighted that, based on a comparative qualitative and quantitative analysis of the volatile pattern in the peel extract, this fruit can be clustered into diverse chemotypes, which are not only unique in the lime species but also the genus Citrus [3,[5][6][7][8][9].…”

“…The skins of the Faustrime CV are differentiated by the higher presence of hydrocarbon monoterpenes α-pinene, α-phellandrene, β-myrcene, and p-cymene, (MH1, MH7, MH8, and MH15, respectively), along with the oxygenated monoterpenes linalool and β-citronellol (MO3 and MO7, respectively), and the sesquiterpenes α-bergamotene, α-caryophillene, and β-bisabolene, (Sesq8, Sesq16, and Sesq23, respectively). The hydrocarbon monoterpene fraction (MH1, MH7, MH8, and MH15), all described by a terpenic, citrus, slightly green flavor, and the two oxygenate monoterpenes (MO3 and MO7), both with citrus and floral odor, have been often found in moderate concentrations in lime species [1,9,12]. Moreover, these terpenes have been reported to extend different biological activities [1,12,23].…”