Citrus plants were introduced into North America as early as 1565, in Florida. Over the centuries, large groves were established in central Florida. Over time, a relatively cold-tolerant variety of Satsuma oranges spread across the region.
Continued efforts were made to produce even more cold-tolerant varieties of the Satsuma, with some of the more recent effort being conducted by Wayne Hanna at the University of Georgia's Tifton campus. In 2016 he released three varieties of seedless cold-tolerant oranges carrying the brand name "Frost." These include Sweet Frost tangerines, Grand Frost lemons, and Pink Frost grapefruit, adding Southern Frost navel oranges this year.
Growers Billy Pate and his wife Rhonda Jarvis Pate have added Sweet Frost and Pink Frost to their groves, which have a variety of cold-tolerant citrus trees. The Pates and other members of the Cold Hardy Citrus Association were hopeful that the cooler temperatures of south Georgia would not only produce sweeter fruit than that grown farther to the south, but would also act as a natural deterrent to citrus greening.
The association has served to help growers face the challenges of working with this relatively new crop as well as address issues related to packing, marketing and pricing. They adopted the name "Sweet Valley Citrus" for the region.
Source: news.yahoo.com
