2019 ASHS Annual Conference

Peach growers often face the challenge of growing peach cultivars that are disease resistant and in the meantime meeting the fruit quality needs of key supply stakeholders such as packers, shippers and consumers. The fruit quality traits include not only acceptable flavor, appearance, and eating experience, but also attributes like sustainable production practices and freedom from pesticide residues. This study used an economic experiment to explore how peach growers in the southeastern United States value fruit quality versus disease resistance traits. The results show that peach growers assign higher values to disease resistance compared to fruit size and external fruit color. Importantly, grower preferences for the same peach attribute varied depending on harvest time. The information obtained from this study will help peach breeding programs prioritize traits and develop cultivars that appeal to both supply chain stakeholders and growers.