Progress in the Development of Moderate-chill Peach Cultivars for the Southeastern United States

The Southeastern U.S. peach industry is spread over four production areas, i.e., central Georgia/South Carolina (high chill, main season), the Lower Coastal Plain along the Gulf coast (moderate chill, early season), north Florida (low chill, very early season) and, most recently, central Florida (ultra-low chill, ultra-early season). These areas have distinctly different climates and, consequently, require markedly different priorities for the breeding of new peach cultivars.  The main season production areas in central Georgia and South Carolina have been supported for many years by the breeding programs at the USDA-Byron location in central Georgia and Clemson University South Carolina (recently restarted after a lengthy hiatus). The north Florida production area has been supported by the breeding program at the University of Florida since 1952. The University of Florida has recently turned its attention to the needs of the "upstart" central Florida production area as well.  However, for many years the lower coastal plain production area lacked any focused breeding support and, instead, had to rely on the occasional "spin-off" from other peach breeding programs, many of which are now shuttered.  In 1991, a cooperative, moderate chill peach breeding program was established by the University of Georgia, the University of Florida and the USDA-Agricultural Research Service (Byron, GA) to address the unique needs of this industry.  A novel aspect of this program has been its utilization of non-melting (i.e. “canning”) flesh germplasm for the fresh market where melting flesh cultivars have traditionally dominated.  Non-melting flesh germplasm offers a considerably slower rate of softening as fruit approaches maturity compared to melting types.  This makes possible the breeding of peaches that can be harvested at a more mature stage, allowing the development of significantly improved eating quality, larger size and improved red blush without sacrificing the firmness needed for long distance shipping.  To date, this program has released eight cultivars including six non-melting peaches, several of which have been extensively planted by commercial growers in southern Georgia.