New red-leaf peach series cultivars, good for both ornamental viewing and eating

Ma Yuxi, a senior engineer at the Zhonghua Winter-Ripening Fruit Tree Research Center in Xun County, Henan Province (telephone: 0392-5811384), after 10 years of arduous exploration, finally bred 12 new red-leaf peach series cultivars with different colors and flower types, which both delight the eye and let people enjoy delicious fruit. After spring returns to the earth, this peach can first be enjoyed for its peach blossoms, then for its red peach leaves, third for the red fruit hanging all over the branches, and finally people can also eat sweet, large fresh peaches. For the red-leaf peach series cultivars, the flower buds begin to swell and the leaf buds begin to sprout in early March, flowering begins in early April, the flowers have 5 petals, the flower diameter is 3.5-3.8 cm, the flowering period is 10-15 days, and they are self-pollinating. After flowering, they bear purplish-red fruit. Flowers and leaves grow at the same time, and the red leaves remain until late May. As the temperature rises, the purplish-red leaves gradually turn copper-green or green from the base upward, but the newly grown shoots are still purplish-red. The beautiful scene of the whole fruit tree being green in the lower part and purplish-red in the upper part remains until the new shoots stop rapid growth in mid-September, after which all the leaves turn green. As the temperature rises, the fruit slowly changes from purplish-red to green. By mid-June, when the longitudinal diameter of the fruit grows to about 3.4 cm, it has entered the pit-hardening stage and development begins to slow down. In late August, as the temperature turns cooler, it again enters a rapid growth period. From early September, the fruit begins to color separately. At this time, purplish-red fresh peaches can be seen hanging all over the branches, with green leaves and red fruit setting each other off, which is very beautiful. The fruit that has been viewed gradually ripens. The fruit weight of the red-leaf peach series cultivars is respectively between 80-200 grams, and the flesh is white, juicy, and sweet, making it a fine edible product suitable for young and old alike. The red-leaf peach series cultivars have a vigorous tree habit and strong adaptability, and can be planted in the ground or in pots. Its development will play a positive role in increasing our country's landscaping cultivars, adding color to the environment, and enriching people's lives.