Wangmu Red Immortal Peach: A New Extremely Late-Ripening High-Quality Peach Variety

Wangmu Red Immortal Peach, also known as Golden-Beak Immortal Peach, is an extremely late-ripening high-quality new peach variety in China. Its main characteristics are: late ripening, large fruit, red color, sweetness, good storage tolerance, good shipping tolerance, and relatively high economic value. It is a highly promising extra-late-ripening high-quality variety.

I. Botanical Characteristics

The tree is vigorous and upright in habit. The trunk and perennial branches are white and smooth. One-year-old branches are reddish-brown with short internodes, averaging 1.53 cm. New shoots grow vigorously from mid-May to mid-June, secondary shoots grow vigorously from July to August, and secondary branches grow most strongly with large growth amounts. Leaves are thick and consistently green, with yellow-green veins, leaf length 15 cm, width 3.2-3.5 cm, apex gradually pointed, petiole length 0.8 cm. Flower buds are relatively small, flowers are large, anthers are yellow-purple, pollen is abundant, initial flowers are pink, gradually turning deep red afterward.

II. Biological Characteristics

1. Growth and Fruiting Habits

This variety has medium germination rate and strong branching ability. Young trees have large annual growth and quickly form a canopy. There are 2-3 rounds of secondary shoots per year, with an average internode length of 1.53 cm, showing slight spur-type characteristics. After entering the fruiting stage, the tree becomes moderate in vigor and stable in growth. In 4-year-old trees, long fruiting branches account for 56.5%, medium fruiting branches 21.3%, short fruiting branches 16.6%, and flower-bouquet fruiting branches 5.6%. Flower formation is easy, flower buds are borne at low node positions, generally starting from the second node at the base of the branch, and flowers develop normally. It is self-pollinating, with a self-pollination fruit-setting rate of up to 46.8, so no pollinizer trees need to be planted when establishing an orchard.

2. Fruit Economic Traits

The fruit is nearly round, with the fruit tip slightly protruding, the fruit tip is bright yellow-white, and the area near the pit is purple-red, hence it is also called Golden-Beak Immortal Peach. The suture line is obvious and moderately deep, and the two halves are relatively symmetrical. The average single fruit weight is 350 g, and the largest fruit weight is 1350 g. The ground color of the fruit surface is light yellow, and after ripening the color is bright red, with the colored area reaching more than 75%. The fruit surface is smooth, with very short and sparse fuzz. The flesh is yellow-white, purple-red near the pit, crisp and fine, sweet, with a strong fruit flavor and a slight aroma, semi-clinging to the pit. It contains 18-21% soluble solids, and the sugar content of bagged fruit is 20-22%. It is tolerant of storage and shipping and can be stored at room temperature for nearly about 100 days.

3. Fruit Yield Potential

When one-year-old finished seedlings are planted, the fruiting plant rate in the second year is 100%. Two-year-old trees average 260 flowers per tree and an average yield of 4.8 kg per tree. Three-year-old trees average 465 flowers and an average yield of 27.6 kg per tree. Four-year-old trees average 1468 flowers per tree and an average yield of 56.3 kg per tree, equivalent to 2500 kg per 666.7 sq m.

4. Adaptability

Judging from fruiting orchards, Wangmu Red Immortal Peach has strong adaptability and strong drought resistance and tolerance to poor soil. High yields can be obtained whether cultivated on plains or in hilly and mountainous areas.

5. Phenological Period

Flower buds begin to swell in mid-March, and leaf buds begin to swell in late March. The flowering period is in mid-April and lasts about 10 days. The initial growth period of new shoots is from early May to the end of mid-May, and the vigorous growth period of new shoots is from mid-May to early June. The first fruit enlargement period is from late August to late October. The fruit development period is about 180 days, making it an extremely late-ripening variety. The leaf-fall period is in mid-to-late November.

III. Key Cultivation Techniques

1. Orchard Establishment

Planting density: 3*4 m is suitable for plain areas, and 2.5-3*3 is suitable for hilly areas. The trunk-setting height is 25-30 cm, and the natural open-center tree shape is suitable.

2. Fruit Thinning

This variety has a large number of flowers and a high fruit-setting rate. If grown naturally, the fruit size is not large, so fruit thinning is necessary. The first fruit thinning is in late May, and the second fruit thinning is in early June. This second thinning is also called "final fruit setting." Generally, long fruiting branches retain 2-3 fruits, medium fruiting branches retain 1-2 fruits, and short fruiting branches retain 1 fruit.

3. Bagging and Leaf Removal

This is carried out in late June. Using double-layer paper bags gives better results. Removing the bags all at once 2 weeks before harvest can effectively avoid fruit cracking, and the fruit color is bright red and gorgeous, with fine, smooth skin. After removing the bags, remove leaves, taking off leaves stuck to the fruit and leaves that block light, to promote even coloring on the fruit surface.