Variety Releases

Clemson scientists have developed more than 100 new varieties of food, fiber, and landscape plants that are now being used by growers in temperate zones throughout the world. Several other varieties are still being tested before they are released for commercial production.

As a result of this research, consumers enjoy a wider variety of fruits and vegetables for their dinner table, improved cotton fiber for their clothing, and more choices of ornamental trees and grasses for their landscapes. Internationally, 90% of the okra grown in the world is produced by a variety developed at Clemson, and half of the cucumber acreage in the world is planted with Clemson varieties. 

Below is a list of variety releases by year and by crop. Varieties noted with * were developed jointly by Clemson University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

• Tiger Paws watermelon - 1999
• Ruddy sweet potato* - 1999
• Motte soybean - 1998
• Musen soybean - 1997
• CU-263 tobacco - 1995
• Clemson-201 wheat - 1994
• White Regal sweet potato* - 1994
• Dillon soybean - 1994
• BY520-9 peach rootstock (Guardian )* - 1993
• Maxcy soybean - 1992
• Carolina Bunch sweet potato* - 1992
• Clemson-100 barley - 1990
• Carogem peach - 1990
• Hagood soybean - 1990

1980-1989

• Excel sweet potato* - 1988
• Clemson Purple southern pea - 1988
• Carolina Sapphire AZ cypress - 1987
• PD-48 tobacco - 1987
• Perrin soybean - 1987
• PD-3 cotton* - 1986
• Southern Delite sweet potato* - 1986
• PD-279 tobacco - 1985
• Carolina Cayenne pepper* - 1985
• PD-2 cotton* - 1984
• PD-1 cotton* - 1984
• Williams wheat -1984
• Sumor sweet potato* - 1984
• Regal sweet potato* - 1984
• Hi-Dry sweet potato* - 1984
• Tyke holly - 1983
• Gayle holly - 1983
• Carefree holly - 1983
• Simpson oat - 1983
• Resisto sweet potato* - 1983
• Burgundy okra - 1983
• SC-110 pole bean - 1983
• Clemfine tall fescue* - 1982
• Kershaw soybean - 1982
• Star okra - 1982
• Blondy okra - 1982
• Green Ice muskmelon* - 1982
• Carolina-84 cucumber -  1982
• Clemson Greenspire AZ cypress - 1981
• Edisto cantaloupe reselection - 1981
• Sexton peach - 1980
• PD-4 tobacco - 1980
• Colossus-80 pea* - 1980
• Clemson Spineless-80 okra - 1980
• Garden cucumber - 1980
• America collard - 1980 

1970-1979

• Redhill barley - 1979
• Hercules pea - 1979
• Footlong pole bean* - 1979
• Slice cucumber - 1979
• Poinmarket cucumber - 1979
• Pick cucumber - 1979
• Marketsett cucumber - 1979
• Piedmont orchardgrass - 1978
• Govan soybean* - 1978
• SC-1 cotton* - 1977
• Roots turnip* - 1977
• Charlestowne turnip* - 1977
• Carolina collard* - 1977
• Poinsett 76 cucumber* - 1976
• Southlate orchardgrass - 1973 or 1974
• Wade plum - 1973
• Colossus pea - 1972
• Carolina cucumber - 1972
• Sumter cucumber - 1972
• Camden peach - 1972
• McNeely peach - 1972
• Ranger cucumber - 1970
• Galaxy cucumber - 1970

1960-1969

• Summerfield watermelon* - 1969
• Cherokee 7 cucumber - 1969
• Explorer cucumber - 1969
• Gemini 7 cucumber - 1969
• Chipper cucumber - 1968
• Sunburst tomato - 1968
• Redcliff sweet potato - 1968
• Keowee barley - 1968
• Planters Jumbo cantaloupe* - 1968
• Cherokee cucumber - 1967
• Gemini cucumber - 1967
• Pioneer cucumber - 1967
• Southern Cross cucumber - 1967
• Pee Dee-102 bermudagrass - 1967
• Poinsett cucumber - 1966
• Cherokee sweet potato - 1965
• Tillman white clover* - 1965
• Ranger squash - 1964
• Edisto 47 cantaloupe - 1964
• Pixie cucumber - 1963
• Early Market tomato - 1963
• Culican I tomato* - 1961
• Polaris cucumber - 1961
• Marion tomato - 1960

1939 - 1959

• Caro Gold sweet potato - 1958
• Edisto cantaloupe - 1957
• Ashley cucumber - 1956
• Stono cucumber - 1956
• Parris Island lettuce* - 1952
• Santee cucumber - 1951
• Palmetto cucumber - 1948
• Cherokee wax bean - 1946
• Clemson Spineless okra - 1939

Arizona Cypress

• Clemson Greenspire - 1981
• Carolina Sapphire - 1987

Collard

• Carolina* - 1977
• America - 1980

Cotton

• SC-1* - 1977
• PD-1* - 1984
• PD-2* - 1984
• PD-3* - 1986

Cucumber

• Stono - 1956
• Ashley - 1956
• Palmetto - 1948
• Santee - 1951
• Polaris - 1961
• Pixie - 1963
• Poinsett - 1966
• Southern Cross - 1967
• Pioneer - 1967
• Gemini - 1967
• Cherokee - 1967
• Chipper - 1968
• Gemini 7 - 1969
• Explorer - 1969
• Cherokee 7 - 1969
• Galaxy - 1970
• Ranger - 1970
• Sumter - 1972
• Carolina - 1972
• Poinsett-76 - 1976
• Marketsett - 1979
• Pick - 1979
• Poinmarket - 1979
• Slice - 1979
• Garden - 1980
• Carolina 84 - 1982

Holly

• Carefree - 1983
• Gayle - 1983
• Tyke - 1983

Lettuce

• Parris Island* - 1952

Muskmelon (Cantaloupe)

• Edisto - 1957
• Edisto-47 - 1964
• Planters Jumbo* - 1968
• Edisto reselection - 1981
• Green Ice* - 1982

Okra

• Clemson Spineless - 1939
• Clemson Spineless 80 - 1980
• Star - 1982
• Blondy - 1982
• Burgundy - 1983

Orchardgrass

• Piedmont - 1978
• Southlate -1973 or 1974

Peach

• Camden - 1972
• McNeely - 1972
• Sexton - 1980
• Carogem - 1990
• BY520-9 (Guardian) - 1993

Pepper

• Carolina Cayenne* - 1985

Plum

• Wade - 1973

Pole Bean

• Footlong* - 1979
• SC-110 - 1983

Small Grain

• Keowee barley - 1968
• Redhill barley - 1979
• Simpson oat - 1983
• Williams wheat - 1984
• Clemson-100 barley - 1990
• Clemson-201 wheat - 1994
• H585 barley - 2002

Southern Pea

• Colossus - 1972
• Hercules - 1979
• Colussus-80* - 1980
• Clemson Purple - 1988

Soybean

• Govan* - 1978
• Kershaw - 1982
• Perrin - 1987
• Hagood - 1990
• Maxcy - 1992
• Dillon - 1994
• Musen - 1997
• Motte - 1998
• Santee - 2000
• SC00-1075 RoundUp Ready® Soybean - 2003

Squash

• Ranger - 1964

Sweet Potato

• Caro Gold - 1958
• Cherokee - 1965
• Redcliff - 1968
• Resisto* - 1983
• HiDry* - 1984
• Regal* - 1984
• Sumor* - 1984
• Southern Delite* - 1986
• Excel* - 1988
• Carolina Bunch* - 1992
• White Regal* -  1994
• Ruddy - 1999
• Patriot - 2001

Tobacco

• PD-4 - 1980
• PD-279 - 1985
• CU-263 - 1995
• PD-48 - 1987
• CU748 tobacco - 2003

Tomato

• Marion - 1960
• Culican I - 1961
• Early Market - 1963
• Sunburst - 1968

Turfgrass

• Pee Dee-102 bermuda - 1967
• Clemfine tall fescue - 1982
• CU9501T tall fescue - 2000
• CU9502T tall fescue - 2000
• CN29 Bermuda grass - 2001

Turnip

• Charlestowne* - 1977
• Roots* - 1977

Watermelon

• Summerfield* - 1969
• Tiger Paws - 1999

Wax Bean

• Cherokee - 1946

White Clover

• Tillman* - 1965