A Comprehensive Analysis of the Current Status of New Peach Variety Breeding in China

I. Breeding of Fresh-eating Peach Varieties with Different Maturity Periods The breeding of fresh-eating peach varieties has always occupied a dominant position in China. Over the past 50 years, a large number of excellent new varieties (lines) with different maturity periods have been bred, which to a certain extent has changed the situation of overly concentrated market supply. 1. Breeding of early-maturing varieties. Since there are relatively few early-maturing peach varieties in production, early maturity and high quality have become the main goals of peach breeding. Through the efforts of breeders, a number of excellent early-maturing varieties have been bred using crossbreeding and bud sport selection methods. Most of these new varieties mature in early to mid-June, such as Chunxiu and Chunhua from Shanghai, Zaoxianglu and Yangzhou early-maturing peach from Jiangsu, Qinmi from Shaanxi, Xinxing from Hebei, Duanyu from Shanxi, etc.; Chunfeng and Chunyan from Qingdao mature in late June. There are also extra-early-maturing new varieties, such as Zaoxialu from Zhejiang, Zaohualu from Jiangsu, Chunlei from Shanghai, IV-29 from Chongqing, etc., which generally can be marketed in late May or early June. Among them, Zaoxialu, bred by the Zhejiang Institute of Horticulture, has a beautiful appearance, a relatively sweet flavor with a slight aroma, an average single fruit weight of 85g, matures in late May, and has a fruit development period of only about 55 days, maturing 2 days earlier than Chunlei and 2 to 4 days earlier than Zaohualu. In addition, early-maturing bud sport varieties include Zaoyabian Dajiubao and Yabian Chuxiaomei from Shanxi, Daguan No. 1 from Zhejiang Agricultural University, Tuancheng Zaosheng (a bud sport of Qingfeng) from Beijing, Baiyun (a bud sport of Baifeng) from Changshu, Jiangsu, etc. 2. Breeding of mid-maturing varieties. The mid-maturing peach varieties commonly used in production are Dajiubao and Baifeng introduced from Japan. In order to change the situation of monotony in varieties, China has bred many excellent new mid-maturing varieties, such as Qiyueren, Juhong Shuimi, Zaoxiangyu, and Xiangshan Shuimi from Beijing, Zaojin from Shanxi, Zaoyan, Beinong No. 1, and Beinong No. 2 from Beijing Agricultural University, Zaobaimi, Yangzhou No. 97, and Zhaohui from Jiangsu, Yunshu No. 1 from Zhejiang, etc. They generally mature in July, have a relatively long fruit development period, are large in size with an average single fruit weight reaching 200g, have good flavor, high sweetness, and juicy flesh. 3. Late-maturing varieties. In order to extend the supply of fresh-eating peaches on the market, breeding late-maturing and storage-tolerant varieties has become another direction of peach breeding. Many late-maturing new varieties (lines) have now been bred, such as Jingyu and Qiuxiang from Beijing, Wanshuomi and Xinbaihua from Jiangsu, Jinxiu from Shanghai, Hangyu from Hangzhou, Yulong Xuetao from Shandong, etc. Late-maturing varieties from Hebei include Wanhongmi, Dangui, and Wanxiang. The first two mature in mid-to-late September, while Wanxiang matures in early October, with a fruit development period of 130-155 days and an average single fruit weight of 150-175g. There are also recently bred late-maturing new lines - 2101 and 2102, characterized by large fruit size, maturing in late August or early September, with a fruit development period of 125-130 days, single fruit weight of 251-355g, regular fruit shape, bright color, and excellent quality. In particular, 2101 is both storage-tolerant and transport-tolerant. Packaged in plastic bags at room temperature, it can be stored for more than 15 days; packaged in plastic bags at low temperature, it can be stored for 40-50 days. At the same time, it can be used both for fresh eating and processing, with top-grade canning quality, making it an excellent line with great development potential. After these late-maturing varieties (lines) are applied to production, the supply period of fresh-eating peaches can be extended by more than 2 months. II. Breeding of Canning Peach Varieties In the late 1950s, China began to attach importance to the breeding of canning peach varieties, with yellow flesh, non-melting texture, and clingstone as the main breeding goals, and initial results have now been achieved. Earlier varieties include Jinfeng and Jinji from Jiangsu, and Fenghuang and Lianhuang from Dalian. Since the 1980s, the breeding of canning peaches has progressed rapidly. Jingchuan and Yanhuang from Beijing, Jinxing from Shanxi, Zhejiang No. 1 from Zhejiang, etc. have entered the stage of large-scale production. Many peach varieties can also be used for both fresh eating and canning, such as Zaobaimi and Yangzhou No. 97 from Yangzhou, Jiangsu, Jinxiu from Shanghai, 2101 from Hebei, etc. These new varieties (lines), with large fruit size, good yielding performance, and strong adaptability, have become rising stars among canning peach varieties, and with the combination of early, mid, and late maturity periods, they have greatly extended the processing period. III. Breeding of Nectarines China's nectarine breeding work started relatively late. In the 1970s, some nectarine varieties were introduced from abroad, but because of their relatively sour flavor, they could not be planted on a large scale. In order to breed varieties suitable for China's habit of preferring sweetness, nectarine breeding was also carried out in China, and a certain number of new nectarine varieties have been bred. In the 1980s alone, the two fruit tree research institutes in Beijing and Shaanxi bred 12 nectarine lines with bright red color, no fruit cracking, and good yielding performance. In the past 10 years, the Institute of Plant Protection and Environmental Protection of the Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences and other units have successively selected multiple lines such as Zaohongzhu, Danmo, Zaohongxia, Hongshanhu, and Xiangshanhu. In particular, Xiangshanhu has relatively large fruit, with an average single fruit weight of 153g, matures at the end of July, has a gorgeous color, with the ground color of the skin being milky white and fully covered with bright red to rose red, firm melting flesh, a rich sweet flavor, medium aroma, top-grade fresh-eating quality, and good transport tolerance. It is an excellent all-red mid-maturing sweet nectarine line with development potential. In addition, there are Qinguang from Shaanxi, Xiaguang from Shanxi, etc., all of which are welcomed by fruit growers and consumers, and their cultivation area is expanding rapidly. Although peach breeding work has achieved great success, it still cannot meet the needs of an increasingly developing economy. At present, greenhouse peach cultivation has appeared in many regions with considerable benefits, and peach breeding work must also adapt to this and breed new early-maturing peach varieties suitable for greenhouse cultivation as soon as possible. The poor storage and transport tolerance of peaches is still an urgent problem to be solved in production. On the basis of making full use of germplasm resources, new peach varieties with good storage and transport tolerance, good quality, and different maturity periods should be bred as soon as possible.