2018 ASHS Annual Conference

Three exciting new peach (‘Evelynn’, ‘Selena’, and ‘Tiana’) and two nectarine cultivars (‘Brigantine’ and ‘Silverglo’) have been released from the Rutgers Stone Fruit Breeding Program. These new varieties were created and selected by Joseph Goffreda at the Rutgers Fruit and Ornamental Research Extension Center in Cream Ridge, New Jersey. To understand how best to select and market these varieties, growers need to better understand the characteristics of their fruit. We performed three years of studies (2015-2017) to estimate fruit qualities, both chemical and physical, that determine much of the value of peaches. For each study fruit were harvested from three to five-year-old trees established in commercial orchards in southern New Jersey. Harvesting at the time of commercial maturity for each cultivar was based on ground color change and size. After picking, fruits were transported to the laboratory at Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center, where all analyses were performed. Fruit were evaluated for firmness, size, total soluble solids (°Brix), total titratable acidity, and pH. ‘Evelynn’ has produced large fruit with very good firmness that are low in acid, giving them a sweet and delicate flavor. ‘Selena’ are late season yellow, firm-fleshed peaches with excellent firmness and can hang well in the tree. ‘Tiana’ has yielded consistently firm, large fruit that are sweet and acidic giving them a tangy flavor. ‘Brigantine’ has produced very attractively finished fruit with good size and firmness that are sweet, acidic and tangy in flavor. ‘Silverglo’ is very firm, and larger and more attractive than other white nectarines during their early harvest window. These five varieties can be recommended for trial planting or replacing poorly performing, concurrently harvested peach or nectarine varieties.