Grapefruit: History, Use, and Breeding

Grapefruit [Citrus xaurantium (synonym C. xparadisi)] is an important citrus commodity that originated in Barbados in the 17th century. Grapefruit is the youngest member of the genus Citrus. Most commercially important grapefruit cultivars arose through natural and induced mutations, not traditional breeding, of the white-fleshed and seedy Duncan grapefruit. Now, cultivars with a range of flesh colors exist; the pigmentation is correlated with lycopene content. A bud sport mutant of grapefruit discovered in Texas has a deep golden-colored flesh, significantly different from the typical reddish pigmentation. In this review, we discuss grapefruit's journey from its origin in Barbados and its global establishment including production, marketing, drug interactions, cultivar development, genetic diversity, and commercially significant cultivars.