Phenological characteristics and yield potential of some late-ripening peach hybrids

Abstract

Phenological characteristics and yield potential in eight promising peach hybrids from selection based on fruit quality were studied in this paper. The hybrids flowered from late March to mid-April, and fruit ripened from late August to late September. The FS3, FS4, and FS7 hybrids had the highest density of flower buds. The initial fruit set was quite high (73.9%) and the final fruit set was much lower (32.2%). Fruit weight ranged from 129.8 g (FS4 hybrid) to 178.1 g (FS7 hybrid). The FS3 and FS7 hybrids had the highest yield per 1 m of shoot length (3.5 kg), and the FS2 hybrid had the highest yield per tree (25.3 kg) and the highest yield efficiency (0.30 kg cm-2). The FS2, FS3, and FS7 hybrids stood out based on yield potential. They are good candidates for release as new high-yielding peach cultivars or for use in further breeding efforts.