Citrus Experiment Station marks 100th year

General Science / Other

The Citrus Experiment Station at the University of California, Riverside, has marked its 100th year of developing and breeding new fruit strains.

The station celebrated its anniversary Wednesday, exactly 100 years after it was founded by University of California scientists in 1907, The Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.

Tracy Kahn, a University of California scientist who watches over the tress, said the experiment station is a popular destination for citrus aficionados, including nurserymen, restaurateurs searching for new flavors and one obsessed tangerine fan who traveled from Texas to have his picture taken with the Seedless Kishu mandarin tree.

"That was a little strange," Kahn said of the tangerine devotee.

The citrus groves that make up the experiment station, which contains about 400 acres of trees, have continued to flourish for the past 100 years, despite growing development of homes and shopping centers in the area. The groves are considered among the most diverse in the world.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International

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