The executive directors of two organizations that play a vital role in getting citrus varieties into the hands of growers summarize how the process works. They are John Beuttenmuller with Florida Foundation Seed Producers (FFSP) and Peter Chaires with New Varieties Development & Management Corporation (NVDMC).
When University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) plant breeders propose a new variety for industry use, the variety is considered by a UF/IFAS Cultivar Release Advisory Committee and then a UF/IFAS-wide Cultivar Release Committee, Beuttenmuller says. According to citrusindustry.net, once approved by UF/IFAS, the non-profit FFSP takes over.