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Welcome

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CULTIVATION of

PEACH & PLUM

Mr. Pawan Kumar Nagar M.Sc. (Hort.) student

Fruit Science, AAU, Anand.

Peach

Scientific classification

F.N : Primus persica

Kingdom: Plantae

Order: Rosales

Family: Rosaceae

Genus: Prunus

Subgenus: Amygdalus

Species: P.persica

FLOWERING :

The peach flower is termed perigynous. The receptacle is cup-shaped

and encloses the ovary. The air space between the receptacle

and ovary is thought to provide some

insulation during spring frosts. Following bloom, the cup-like receptacle

dries and is called the shuck, which

splits and falls off as the fruit grows.

Diagram of a peach flower.

FLOWER BUDS :

The flower buds of peach develop in leaf axils on current

season's growth.

These buds will bear the following season's fruit. The terminal

bud on a peach shoot is vegetative.

Flower buds on peach trees are said to be "simple" or "pure," as

they contain only flower tissue, which contrasts with the

apple's mixed buds from which both flower and leaf tissues

arise.

In the peach, one flower comes from each bud.

In winter, examination of a peach shoot about 1-1/2 feet in length

reveals several bud arrangements . Near the upper end, single

buds (one at a node) of two types predominate. There are single,

small, pointed vegetative buds, and the somewhat larger,

rounder, more pubescent (hairy) flower buds. In the lower two

thirds of the shoot, many of the nodes have three buds arranged

side by side.

The two outer flower buds are larger and rounder; the center

leaf bud is frequently very inconspicuous, small, and pointed.

Arrangement of flower and vegetative buds on a peach shoot

Breeding objective of PEACH : The main objective of peach (Primus persica) improvement for

low chilling areas would be to develop cultivars with low

chilling requirement.Recent investigations in peach breeding are concerned less with the

inheritance of qualitative characters and more with an understanding of the transmission of quantitative traits.

Extension of season of maturity remains an important objective in many breeding programs.

Tolerance to high summer temperature. Maturity between 60 and 70 days after full bloom, firm flesh, freedom from loose fiber, attractive colour, Non browning of flesh, resistance to root-knot nematode, iron

chlorosis and water logging. For processing peaches, firmness of flesh, freedom from loose

fiber, attractive colour and non-browning of flesh are the

important characters to be improved.

Ideal Characteristic of Peach :

The peach tree, Prunus persica, is a deciduous tree. Prunus persica grows to 4–10 m (13–33 ft) tall and 6 in. in

diameter. The leaves are lanceolate, 7–16 cm (2.8–6.3 in) long, 2–3 cm

(0.79–1.2 in) broad, pinnately veined. The flowers are produced in early spring before the leaves; They are solitary or paired, 2.5–3 cm diameter, pink, with five

petals. The fruit has yellow or whitish flesh, a delicate aroma, and a

skin that is either velvety (peaches) or smooth (nectarines) in different cultivars.

The flesh is very delicate and easily bruised in some cultivars, but is fairly firm in some commercial varieties, especially when green.

The single, large seed is red-brown, oval shaped, approximately 1.3–2 cm long, and is surrounded by a wood-like husk.

Peaches, along with cherries, plums and apricots, are stone fruits (drupes).

There are various heirloom varieties, including the Indian peach, which arrives in the latter part of the summer.

Breeding Method of PEACH : Introduction and selection : A large number of low chilling peach varieties, e.g. Floradasun, Sun Red and

Sun Gold and some other selections, Floradared and Flordabelle were introduced at the PAU, Ludhiana, during late

sixties from Florida and California states in USA. Of these introductions, Flordasun, Flordared, Sun Red and 16-33 (named Shan-

I-Punjab) became very popular. Of the later introductions from USA, TA 170, known as 'Partap', has been identified as early (7 days earlier than Flordasun).

Its flesh is yellow, firm, with red colouration and better keeping quality. Another two introductions from Florida, Flordaprince and Earligrande, have been recommended for commercial cultivation for the plains of Punjab and adjoining areas.

Flordaprince is an early ripening, whereas Earligrande is a mid-season variety.

Clonal selection 'Sharbati' is a chance seedling selected at Saharanpur.

Hybridization

Redhar is a cross between ‘Halehaven’ and ‘Kalhaven bred’ at USA.

Interspecific hybrdization has been also attempted in peaches especially in

the development of rootstock resistant to nematodes.

Nemagcrad, a hybrid between P.persica x P.davididasa is a widely used

root-knot nematode resistant rootstock, which is immune to Meloidogyne

incognita.

Planned hybridization work on peach was started in 1957 at Saharanpur.

Peach Saharanpur Prabhat (Sharbati x Flordasun) was released.

Fruits of this variety are attractive, sweet, maturing at least 4 days earlier

than Flordasun.

Approach for crop improvement of Peach : Development of Peach Molecular marker & their use for

finger

print & for the evaluation of Genetic resources. The morden peach cultivar should be propagated through

Vegetative propagation. Many Prunus microsatellites have been developed in Peach. Many of them were tested for their usefulness to fingerprint

Peach varieties. Several sets of Prunus microsatellite markers were chosen and

proven to be highly effectives for this purpose. Single nucleotide polymorphism also development progress in

peach .

Peach Germplasm Collection : 5 species & 16 varieties were identified within a genus

Prunus. 3 national germplasm of peach identified in Beijing,

Zhengzhou and Nanjing. Peach germplasm collection occurred in Shanghai,Dalian

and Shanxi. More than 1000 germplasm accessions have been collected

and maintained to safeguard again genetic erosion. A number of foreign cultivars were introduced to china. Screening and evolution effects at the repositories have

resulted in a marketed increase in the understanding of special genotypes and the effect use of genotypes.

Germplasm collection & center of peach & plum in india

There are over 400 to 430 species in the genus Prunus, but only 89 are listed in the Genetic Resource Information System (Willis, 1948; Anonymous, 1969; Bailey and Bailey, 1976; Ghora and Panigrahi, 1984).

In India, about 36 Prunus species have been reported so far and 18 species are useful for cultivation for different purposes (Santapau and Henry, 1973; Ghora and Panigrahi, 1984; Pandey et al., 2008).

In India, a rich diversity of seedling population of peach & plum landraces is also found in Kashmir (J&K) and Kinnaur (Himachal Pardesh).

Bio-Technology including to Peach :

Micro propagation

Regeneration

Somaclonal variation and selection in-vitro

Transformation

Enzyme and molecular marker

Plum

Scientific classificationF.M : Prunus domestica

Kingdom: Plantae

Order: Rosales

Family: Rosaceae

Subfamily: Maloideae or Spiraeoideae

Genus: Prunus

Subgenus: Prunus

Plum species:

1. European plums - Prunus domestica L. Worldwide, this is one of the main

species grown.Fruit are generally oval, smaller, and more variable in color

than Japanese plums. In the USA, P. domestica is used for prunes or fruit

cocktail or other products, and rarely eaten fresh.

2. Japanese plums - P. salicina Lindl. and hybrids. These are the most common fresh eating plums in the USA. They are larger, rounder (or heart shaped), and firmer than

European plums and are primarily grown for fresh market.

Flowers : Flowers are similar in morphology

to peach, but white, smaller, and

have longer pedicels. Flowers are borne mostly in

umbel-like clusters of 2-3

individuals on short spurs, and

solitary or 2-3 in axils of 1-yr-old

wood. European plums bloom much later

than Japanese types, and are

therefore less frost prone.

flower structure of European plum

flower structure of Japanese plum

Ideal Characteristic of Plum :

A plum is a stone fruit tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus.

The subgenus is distinguished from other subgenera (peaches, 

cherries, bird cherries, etc.) in the shoots having a terminal bud

 and solitary side buds .

The flowers  in groups of one to five together on short stems, and

the fruit having a groove running down one side and a

smooth stone (or pit).

Mature plum fruit may have a dusty-white coating that gives them

a glaucous appearance; this is easily rubbed off.

Dried plum fruits are called dried plums or prunes, although 

prunes are a distinct type of plum, and may have antedated the

fruits now commonly known as plums.

Grafted plum trees are capable of bearing large crops from 1 year

after planting.

They make delightful ornamental trees due to their mass display of

white blossoms during August.

Both self-pollinating and cross-pollinating varieties are available

and exhibit very different characteristics.

Breeding objectives of plum

The main objective of plum is…. Improvement programmer for subtropical regions are the

early maturity cultivar with low chilling requirement. Tolerant to high temperature and drafting root stocks tolerant

to saline. Large fruited, free stone, juice with proper TSS/Acid ratio. suitable for processing and resistant /tolerant to insect, pest &

disease. Salable fruit of plum must be attractive in colour, adequate

size & acceptable flavor and texture.

Breeding Method of Plum

Introduction & Selection : A large number of plum varieties have been introduced

from

different countries.

Of these, Santa Rosa, Sutlej Purple are important

commercial

cultivars found suitable for mid hills of North

Western

Himalayas.

Other methods of breeding are not yet followed in this

crop in

India.

Pollination of plum :

• Many plum varietes are self-fertile or partially self-fertile and do not need a pollination partner.

• For plum varieties that are not self-fertile, another plum tree of a different variety flowering at the same time is usually all that is necessary to ensure good pollination and heavy crops - there are few of the pollination incompatibilities found with apples, pears and cherries.

European plums have a much better and more interesting

range of flavours than the 'Japanese' plums usually found in

supermarkets. Most garden plum trees in Northern Europe are of this

species, and they are well suited to temperate climates, being

hardier than the Japanese varieties and flowering later. Whilst European plums do not store particularly well, the fruit

usually ripens over a 1-2 week period, during which time the

tree can be picked daily to ensure a steady supply of fruit.

Germplasm collection of Plum : Plum germplasm consist primarily of local selection and

cultivars, plus a small amount of wild accessions. Because most of the plum breeding programs are for cultiver

development and use primarily adopted, improved parents, it

is little evolution of wild peach germplasm. P.salicina, major collection from China. Several European institutions have large collection of

European Plum . Most of the wild germplasm of plum have been collected form

National Clonal Gemplasm Repository,Davis ,California,

U.S.A