Diredo Additional Information

The University of California has maintained a fig cultivar improvement programsince 1922. The "Conadria" and "DiRedo" cultivars were released to the industry from this program in the mid 1950s and the "Tena" cultivar was selected and released in the mid 1970s. The key to the development of hybrid fig seedlings that are persistent or of the "common" type came in 1942 when Dr. Ira Condit discovered a unique type of caprifig growing at Cordelia, California. This caprifig, thought to be a European cultivar named "Croisic," was parthenocarpic, edible and could pass on the persistent characteristic to a portion of a seedling population developed from it. In time, through the efforts of Dr. William Storey, the Cordelia caprifig was improved through hybridization. By the late 1970s, three superior persistent caprifigs had been identified for use as pollen parents, each bearing heavy loads of fruit with green skin, white meat and amber pulp. One of the caprifigs contained genes of the Calimyrna cultivar. By the late 1980s, with additional hybridization, four new persistent caprifigs had been identified by James Doyle, each containing a varying percentage of the Calimyrna genome, (047)

One of Condit's favorites and one intended for commercial growers, also an Adriatic cross. Released in 1957. Not notably vigorous and not a commercial success. (001b)

One of Condit's favorites and one intended for commercial growers, also an Adriatic cross. Released in 1957. Not notably vigorous and not a commercial success. (001b)

Info from Commercial Dried Fig Production in California, University of California, Leaflet 21051, p. 5, November 1978: DiRedo is another selection originating from the University of California breeding program. It is as productive as Adraitic, but it has a smaller eye and thus fewer quality problems. The dried figs are similar to those of Adriatic, but the tree leafs out 10 to 12 days later. There is an off-type (low-yielding) DiRedo present in some DiRedo orchards. Care should be taken not to select wood for propagation from such trees, (049b)

From Joe Diredo's daughter-in-law: Some faculty came from UC Davis to Fresno. They wanted Joe to help develop the tree and he did such a great job they named it after him. [This fig was] named after their him [Joe Diredo] and their family. The cultivation was done at UCD and Joe was in charge of taking care of it and making it flourish. There were supposed to be 350 acres somewhere but Joe thinks they have all been developed [into houses]. His trees died because of water and frost. For 6 years in a row Joe had to fight: when they started importing figs from Turkey Greece and Portugal he could not give the figs away. So his 600 acres dried up. Now here at Fresno state they are trying to promote fig farming. [E-mails from 2008] (910)

Diredo
Additional Information
USDA / UC Davis Accession Data
The University of California has maintained a fig cultivar improvement programsince 1922. The "Conadria" and "DiRedo" cultivars were released to the industry from this program in the mid 1950s and the "Tena" cultivar was selected and released in the mid 1970s. The key to the development of hybrid fig seedlings that are persistent or of the "common" type came in 1942 when Dr. Ira Condit discovered a unique type of caprifig growing at Cordelia, California. This caprifig, thought to be a European cultivar named "Croisic," was parthenocarpic, edible and could pass on the persistent characteristic to a portion of a seedling population developed from it. In time, through the efforts of Dr. William Storey, the Cordelia caprifig was improved through hybridization. By the late 1970s, three superior persistent caprifigs had been identified for use as pollen parents, each bearing heavy loads of fruit with green skin, white meat and amber pulp. One of the caprifigs contained genes of the Calimyrna cultivar. By the late 1980s, with additional hybridization, four new persistent caprifigs had been identified by James Doyle, each containing a varying percentage of the Calimyrna genome, (047) One of Condit's favorites and one intended for commercial growers, also an Adriatic cross. Released in 1957. Not notably vigorous and not a commercial success. (001b) One of Condit's favorites and one intended for commercial growers, also an Adriatic cross. Released in 1957. Not notably vigorous and not a commercial success. (001b) Info from Commercial Dried Fig Production in California, University of California, Leaflet 21051, p. 5, November 1978: DiRedo is another selection originating from the University of California breeding program. It is as productive as Adraitic, but it has a smaller eye and thus fewer quality problems. The dried figs are similar to those of Adriatic, but the tree leafs out 10 to 12 days later. There is an off-type (low-yielding) DiRedo present in some DiRedo orchards. Care should be taken not to select wood for propagation from such trees, (049b) From Joe Diredo's daughter-in-law: Some faculty came from UC Davis to Fresno. They wanted Joe to help develop the tree and he did such a great job they named it after him. [This fig was] named after their him [Joe Diredo] and their family. The cultivation was done at UCD and Joe was in charge of taking care of it and making it flourish. There were supposed to be 350 acres somewhere but Joe thinks they have all been developed [into houses]. His trees died because of water and frost. For 6 years in a row Joe had to fight: when they started importing figs from Turkey Greece and Portugal he could not give the figs away. So his 600 acres dried up. Now here at Fresno state they are trying to promote fig farming. [E-mails from 2008] (910)