Introduction and Main Characteristics of the Zaoyanli Sweet Peach Variety

The earliest-ripening sweet peach variety in China. It comes to market on May 20 in the Puyang area of Henan Province, 5-7 days earlier than Chunlei and early nectarines. The single fruit weighs 150-200 grams, with the largest fruit reaching 248 grams, 2-3 times that of Chunlei and early nectarines, and it has excellent quality, a well-formed fruit shape, bright fruit color, and pure sweet fruit flavor, with a soluble solids content of 13-15%. When first ripe it is crisp and sweet; when soft-ripe it is honey-sweet. This variety is easy to manage and high-yielding; generally, if planted in the first year, it bears fruit in the second year, and in the third year the yield per plant exceeds 20 kg, and every five years the yield of a high-yielding single plant can reach 150 kg. Because this variety ripens early, it has few pests and diseases, little natural disaster risk, and a short period requiring care, so it saves labor, time, pesticides, and money compared with ordinary varieties. The Han Yanli peach tree has moderate to strong vigor, a semi-spreading tree posture, robust new shoots, and a pattern-like marking at the base of the branches; the leaves are medium-large and dark green, and the old leaves at the base turn red at the end of May. The initial flowering period is in early April, it is self-pollinating, and it has a high fruit-setting rate. Alternate bearing is not obvious. Recommended planting density: 55-110 trees per mu in open field, 300-450 trees per mu in greenhouses.