Texas Peach Handbook

Chapter 5: Cultivar and Rootstock Recommendations for Texas Peach Growers

Chapter 5 CultivarandRootstockRecommendations forTexasPeachGrowers C ommercial peach production has been important in Texas since the 1890s. Peach cultivars are generally self-fruitful and generally do not need other varieties as pollenizers (sources of pollen). To be successful choices for a given location, varieties should produce a reliable crop of fruit that is firm and has commercially acceptable size, an attractive blush, and good eating quality. Growers typically choose a number of varieties that ripen in sequence so that fruit is available for an extended period over the course of the season. The varieties that are suggested are listed by chilling category—high, medium , and low chilling—and adapted to various parts of the state. A map of approximate average winter chilling accumulation appears in chapter 4 of this book.Although varieties are categorized in high, medium , and low chilling groups, growers should pay specific attention to the listed chilling requirement to determine adaptability to a given area. Varieties are described in ripening order relative to the age-old standard‘Elberta.’Although it has been decades since that variety has been recommended for commercial production, it remains an important standard in knowing when varieties in high and medium chilling zones ripen. For lower chilling cultivar comparisons, ‘Flordaking’ is used as the standard. Varieties are also described as to their stone freeness. Typically, very early season varieties are clingstones, midseason peaches are described as semi-cling or semi-free, and later season varieties, which have a definitive cavity between fruit flesh and the pit, as freestone fruit. Some varieties are physiologically clingstones, even though they may ripen late in the season. 40 41 Cultivar and Rootstock Recommendations Selected High ChillingVariety Descriptions ‘Regal’ is a relatively new variety that ripens very early in the season . The product of a cross between‘Surecrop’ and‘Harvester,’‘Regal’ was released by the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station in 1992.It is very resistant to bacterial leaf spot and has greatly improved size and quality over ‘Springold,’ the old standard for that ripening slot. ‘Goldprince’ was first released in 1989 from the Southeastern Fruit and Nut Research Laboratory in Byron, Georgia. It is moderately resistant to bacterial spot and is the replacement for‘June Gold,’ which may have an excessive amount of split-pit fruit. ‘Sentinel’ is a variety with both positive and negative attributes. The ridge or suture on the side of the peach can be very prominent,especially in low chilling years, making this variety hard to ship without excessive fruit bruising. This variety also has a high degree of pubesHigh chilling varieties (700- to 1,000-hour zones). Variety Chilling Requirement Stone Freeness Days Before Elberta ‘Flavorich’ 700 Cling 64 ‘Regal’ 700 Semi-Cling 54 ‘Goldprince’ 650 Cling 46 ‘Surecrop’ 1000 Semi-Free 42 ‘Juneprince’ 650 Semi-Free 35 ‘Sentinel’ 850 Semi-Free 34 ‘Gala’ 750 Semi-Free 34 ‘Harvester’ 750 Free 26 ‘Ranger’ 1000 Free 24 ‘Fireprince’ 850 Free 20 ‘Cary Mac’ 750 Free 20 ‘Topaz’ 850 Free 18 ‘Majestic’ 850 Free 16 ‘Redglobe’ 850 Free 13 ‘Cresthaven’ 850 Free 3 ‘Dixiland’ 750 Free 3 ‘Redskin’ 750 Free 2 Days After Elberta ‘Flameprince’ 850 Free 14 ‘Parade’ 850 Free 30 ‘Fairtime’ 750 Free 35 ‘Regal’ ‘Surecrop’ ‘Sentinel’ ‘Harvester’ ‘Redglobe’ ‘Majestic’ ‘Redskin’ ‘Flordaking’ 42 Chapter 5 43 Cultivar and Rootstock Recommendations cence or fuzz.That said,‘Sentinel’is a reliable producer of high quality fruit. It may be best for roadside or pick-your-own operations. ‘GaLa’ is a 1994 joint release from the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station and USDA’sAgricultural Research Service.It ripens with‘Sentinel’ and was released to be a firmer, less pubescent replacement for it. It is not consistently productive in some locations. ‘Harvester’ is a highly recommended standard midseason variety grown across much of the state. The fruit is round, firm, and good quality, and the tree is vigorous and very productive. This is the first freestone of the season in this chilling regime. ‘Dixiland’ is another standard variety that ripens relatively late in the season. It has a reputation of being a consistently productive, high quality variety that ripens at a time when there are several other varieties also maturing. Selected Medium ChillingVariety Descriptions ‘Flordaking’is an important early season variety for moderate chill zones. It is a consistent producer of large, somewhat soft fruit most adapted to local sales. It is moderately resistant to bacterial spot and, like other varieties, it can have a prominent suture...