Shahongtao: A Rare and Excellent Variety Among Fresh Peaches

Shahongtao is a new fresh-eating peach variety systematically selected and bred by engineer Zheng Deyou from the Japanese Cangfang Zaosheng variety, and was approved by the Shaanxi Province Crop Variety Approval Committee in 1999.

Variety characteristics: the tree posture is relatively upright, biennial branches are brown, smooth, with small and few lenticels; leaves are long elliptical lanceolate, large, 20-24 cm long, 5-7 cm wide, leaf margins bluntly serrated, leaf surfaces raised on both sides, flowers are rose-type, single-petaled, pink, 4 cm in diameter, with pollen, anthers light red. The tree grows vigorously, with a high germination rate and strong branching ability, mainly fruiting on medium and long fruiting branches. Trees can bear fruit at 2 years of age and enter full fruiting period at 6 years. Flower buds are plump and full, capable of self-pollination, with a relatively high natural fruit-setting rate. The fruit is round, with the two halves relatively symmetrical, the fruit apex flat and concave, the suture line obvious, the stem cavity narrow and deep, and the fruit size extra large, with an average single fruit weight of about 280 g and a maximum fruit weight of 500 g. When ripe, the fruit is entirely red, with more than 90% of the fruit surface showing rose red, the fuzz dense and short, the skin thick, the flesh milky white, the flesh crisp and firm, the texture fine, with few fibers, and the taste sweet with a strong aroma. When fully mature, the skin is relatively easy to peel off; disease resistance is strong, with few pests.

Cultivation techniques: on flat land, plant spacing 3 x 4 m, 55 trees per mu, small canopy pruning, canopy height controlled at about 3 m, with good yielding ability. Irrigation 3 times a year is sufficient, no chemical fertilizer is needed, and heavy application of organic fertilizer is required. The key to fertilization should be grasped as applying 6 kg phosphorus fertilizer and 5 kg potassium fertilizer per 100 kg of fruit. The best time for fertilization is winter and autumn. Applying fertilizer once a year and also cutting roots once a year ensures that all peach trees produce a large number of new capillary roots in the water and fertilizer zone every year to absorb water and nutrients. This is the secret to Shahongtao's full nutrition, vigorous energy, and high and stable yields year after year. Summarizing several years of production practice: "work the tree underground, seek money from space." Other fertilization, pruning, and pest and disease control are the same as for ordinary peach trees.