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PEACHES (PRUNUS)
Most commercial production lies between latitudes 30° and 45° North and South (Hesse, 1975). Low mid-winter temperatures and spring frost limit peach production in the temperate zone.
Insufficient chilling of reproductive and vegetative buds limits production in the tropics.
World production of peaches and nectarines for fresh market is over 6 million tons with almost half being produced in Italy and the U.S.A. Major producing countries and production estimates are listed in Table 1. The peach is low in calories and a good source of potassium, vitamin A (yellow flesh types), and ascorbic acid (Adams, 1975).
Peaches are native to China.
Peach culture dates back at least 4,000 years (Wang, 1985). Wild peaches known as “Maotao” (hairy peach) or “Yitao” (wild peach) currently exist in remote areas of China, where they are used as seedling rootstocks for improved cultivars (Li, 1984). Wang (1985) estimates that there are 1000 peach cultivars in China.
China is a large country with diverse environments and cultures.
Based upon their adaptation, and taste preferences of the inhabitants, particular fruit types are characteristic of certain areas of China.
Certain major cultivars are archetypal of each group.
The Chinese recognize three groups (Li, 1984; Wang, 1985). The Southern group of peaches are grown along the Yangtze River in the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, and Sichuan.
The climate is similar to the southeastern U.S.A., with mild winters and hot, wet summers.
These peaches, as represented by ‘Shanghai Shuimi’, ripen well in hot weather and tolerate humid climates.
Many have low-acid “honey” flavor, and some are flat (pantao). The Northern group of peaches is found along the Yellow River in Shandong, Hebei, Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces.
Winters are cold and summers hot and dry until July.
These peaches tend to be drought-and cold-tolerant, but do poorly in the southern areas.
The Mitao and Miantao groups of cultivars are representative of this group.
A third group is found in the arid northwest of China.
Here yellow-fleshed peaches and