| Shonan Gold (湘南ゴールド) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Hybrid parentage | Citrus flaviculpushort. exTanaka (Ōgonkan) × Citrus unshiu(Swingle)Marcow. cv. Imamura unshiu |
| Cultivar | Shōnan Gold |
| Origin | Kanagawa Agricultural Technology Center (神奈川県農業技術センター),Japan |
Shonan Gold (湘南ゴールド) is ahybridJapanese citrus, with a characteristic "golden" bright yellow color.
Though not completely seedless, the seeds are few in number.[1] The yellowness is inherited from its mother plant (seed parent), a small-sized variety known asŌgonkan or "Golden Orange", which has beencrossed with the Imamura unshiu variety ofsatsuma orange for size and other desired traits. The cultivar was developed by anagricultural experiment station run by theKanagawa Prefecture.[1][2]
Shōnan gold was first cultivated in 1988, by hybrid crossing theCitrus flaviculpus (Ōgonkan (黄金柑,"Golden Orange")) withCitrus unshiucv.Imamura unshiu (今村温州) (a variety ofSatsuma orange).[1][2][3] It is thought to be anucellar seedling of the mother plant Ōgonkan.[1]
The cultivation was first conducted at the Kanagawa Agricultural Research Institute, Nebukawa Experiment Station (神奈川県農業総合研究所根府川試験場) in the city ofOdawara,[2] although the station has since been bureaucratically reorganized as the Nebukawas Sub-Office, under the Ashigara-ku Office, Kanagawa Agricultural Technology Center (神奈川県農業技術センター足柄地区事務所根府川分室).[4] Further seed selection and propagation was continued until the 12th year (1999) to establish stability of characteristics.[2][5] The hybrid was registered with the name "Shōnan Gold" (registration number 11469) at Japan'sMinistry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) in 2003,[1][2] and the first harvest took place that same year.[6] Shipment started in 2006 (FY2005) with about 2.0 metric tons officially entering the market,[7] or about 450 kg according to a newspaper coverage.[5][a]
The sphere-shaped fruit averages about 77 g (2.72 oz) each in weight and the rind or peel is yellow.[1] The flesh or pulp is tender, succulent, and sweet,[1] with sugar concentration typically 11–12 °Bx (i.e. 11–12% by mass).[6] It is fragrant like theŌgonkan, but is smoother-skinned and easier to peel by hand.[1] The fruit ripens during April and retains excellent flavor until May,[1] which exactly targets the months when theunshū (satsuma) oranges run scarce in the Japanese market.[6]
The young sapling is thorny and grows upright, but as it ages, it loses its thorns and begins to spread its limbs laterally.[1] To encourage earlier fruiting, it is important totrain the branches on the young tree so they fan out.[1] Fruiting is bountiful, but has alternate year bearing (biennial bearing) tendencies.[1]
The growers (the JA-kanagawaseisho (かながわ西湘農業協同組合), i.e., theJapan Agricultural Cooperatives of the "WestShōnan" region ofKanagawa) and the agency (Kanagawa Agricultural Technology Center) jointly held a symposium on the proper method of fruitthinning and planted a test tree, to continue to develop improved cultivation techniques and quality.[8]
The history of planted acreage, annual yields, and shipments, according to the agriculture ministry data are tabulated below.[7][9]
In statistics up to 2010, Kanagawa prefecture accounted for 100% of Shonan Gold production in Japan.[b] The major producers are the city ofOdawara and the town ofYugawara.[7]
| FY | Acreage | Crop yields | Shipments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 0.9 ha | 2.2 t | 2.0 t |
| 2006 | 0.9 ha | 2.2 t | 2.0 t |
| 2007 | 2.7 ha | 8.8 t | 8.0 t |
| 2008 | 3.7 ha | 11.0 t | 10.0 t |
| 2009 | 3.9 ha | 31.1 t | 30.0 t |
| 2009 | 3.9 ha | 31.1 t | 30.0 t |
| 2010 | 5.7 ha | 41.6 t | 40.0 t |
The year is fiscal year, so the first shipment, given as FY2005 in the above data, really occurred in 2006. According to anAsahi Shimbun online edition, the first shipment amounted only to 450 kg (990 lb).[5][a]
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Media related toCitrus 'Shonan Gold' at Wikimedia Commons
