Sir Tom is protected under provisional Plant Breeders Rights.
This selection has superior qualities as a late season, fresh market variety.
The selection has been in national evaluation trials throughout Australia for at least the past two years and it has been shown to be a superior selection in all regions.
The main features of this selection are its resistance to rain cracking and large size.
Characteristics Tree: type normal, vigour very strong, habit semi-upright, branching medium. One-year-old shoot: number of lenticels medium, position of vegetative bud in relation to shoot adpressed. Young shoot: anthocyanin colouration of tip medium. Leaf blade: length long, width narrow, ratio length/width large, green colour of upper side dark. Leaf: length of petiole medium, ratio length of petiole/length of blade medium. Petiole: nectaries present, colour of nectaries light red. Flower: diameter of corolla (completely opened) large. Fruit: size very large, shape cordate, pistil end pointed, colour of skin dark red to blackish, size of lenticels on skin medium, number of lenticels on skin medium, colour of juice pink, colour of flesh red, firmness firm, acidity low, sweetness high, juiciness medium, length of stalk long, abscission layer between stalk and fruit absent, thickness of stalk thick. Stone: size medium, shape (in ventral view) broad elliptic, size relative to fruit medium. Time of flowering: medium. Time of fruit maturity: late.
Origin and Breeding Controlled pollination: seed parent ‘Black Douglas’ x pollen parent ‘Stella’. The seed parent was characterised by late maturing, firm, large, black skin coloured fruit with slight susceptibility to rain induced cracking and self-incompatibility. The pollen parent was characterised by medium maturing, medium firmness, large, dark red skin coloured fruit with high susceptibility to rain induced cracking and self-compatibility.
(Source: Plant Varieties Journal Quarter Four 2001, Vol.14, No. 4. Eds Hossain T, Hulse N, Prakash K, Costa H, Waterhouse D, Dawes-Read K, Blazey B. Dept Ag. Fish. For. Aust. ACT. Australia. Website: www.affa.gov.au)
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Parentage: |
Black Douglas X Stella |
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Fruit size: |
Extremely large |
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Shape: |
Cordate |
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Skin: |
Mahogany |
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Juice: |
Pink |
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Eating quality: |
Good |
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Stone size: |
Intermediate |
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Cropping: |
Intermediate |
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Pollination: |
Considered Self-fertile |
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Maturity: |
Late |
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TSS level: |
18-21 % |
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Firmness: |
Firm |
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Stem length |
Long |
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Full Bloom: |
7 days post Stella |
| Rain cracking: | Slightly susceptible |
SARDI Horticulture
Lenswood Centre, Swamp Rd, Lenswood, SA, 5240
Phone: 08 8389 8800
Fax: 08 8389 8899