Plant Variety Journal - IP Australia

Details of Application
Application Number 2007/326
Variety Name ‘Sweetcot’
Genus Species Prunus salinica x Prunus armeniaca
Common Name Interspecific Plum
Synonym Blackcot
Accepted Date 29 Feb 2008
Applicant Lowell G. Bradford, Le Grand, CA, USA
Agent Buchanan's Nursery, Hodgsonvale, QLD
Qualified Person Peter Buchanan
Details of Comparative Trial
Overseas Testing US Patent and Trademark Office
Authority
Overseas Data US PP 15,652
Reference Number
Location Overseas data was verified at Buchanan’s Nursery, 262
Breydon Rd, Hodgsonvale, QLD 4352.
Descriptor Japanese Plum (Prunus salicina) TG/84/3.
Period 3 years.
Conditions Normal growing conditions for Hodgsonvale, QLD. Some
drought conditions were experienced. Supplemental irrigation
was required for the duration of the trial.
Trial Design 10 trees of the proposed variety and the comparator were
planted at 1.5m x 5m tree spacing. Irrigation was applied and
industry standard management practice was used.
Measurements Observations of tree and fruit characteristics were made to
confirm the variety is true to type and to see if there were any
climatic or geographic variations.
RHS Chart - edition N/A
Origin and Breeding
Open-pollination: during the 1996 blooming season Lowell Glen Bradford isolated an
entire ‘Angeleno’ plum tree by covering it with a plastic covered house. He placed a
hive of bees inside the house and brought various bouquets of plum, apricot and plumapricot
interspecific trees to hybridize the ‘Angeleno’ plum tree. Upon completion of
the bloom, the house and bees were removed and the resulting fruit was allowed to
ripen. Upon maturity, the fruit was harvested and their seeds were germinated and
grown as seedlings on their own roots in a greenhouse. Upon reaching dormancy the
seedlings were transplanted to a cultivated area of the experimental orchard at
Bradford Farms, Le Grand, California. The group of seedlings was labelled “House
8”. During the 2000 evaluation season he selected the new variety as a single tree
from the group of seedlings described above because it produced a heavy crop of firm
fruit that was very sweet in flavour. The new variety exhibited several indications that
it was itself an interspecific, such as pubescent skin, orange yellow flesh, and leaves
that resembling apricots. Subsequent to origination of the new variety it was asexually
reproduced and such reproduction of plant and fruit characteristics were true to the
original in all respects. Breeder: Lowell G. Bradford, Le Grand, CA, USA.
Page 239 of 550
Plant Varieties Journal Vol. 21 No.3