Introducing the Characteristics of the New Peach Variety Tainong No. 3 Chunfeng
Peach trees have been fruit trees symbolizing longevity and good fortune since ancient times. Fresh peach fruits are not only round in appearance and brilliant in color, but also juicy, delicious, and fragrantly appealing, and are deeply loved and eaten by people. The 2010 Agricultural Statistics Yearbook of the Republic of China shows that Taiwan's peach planting area was 2,404 hectares, with an annual output of 28,000 metric tons and a production value of NT$1.32 billion, with the main production areas concentrated in central and northern Taiwan.
Taiwan's peach cultivation and production mainly consists of two production types: high-mountain and lowland. To reduce the pressure that high-mountain cultivation places on the environment, the government actively supports research and development for variety improvement to move peach trees to lowland areas, creating an environmentally friendly peach industry. Since 1991, the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute has successively bred new low-chill, low-acid, early-maturing, large-fruit, brightly colored, and high-quality peach varieties suitable for lowland planting, including early-, mid-, and late-maturing varieties. At present, lowland peaches account for more than 60% of the total cultivation area, effectively expanding the scale of the lowland peach industry, with a trend of expansion toward southern Taiwan.
The new variety Tainong No. 3 was created in 1997 by artificial cross-pollination using 'Tainong Sweet' as the female parent and the pollen parent 'Florida Red'. In October 2009, the new variety was bred and obtained plant variety rights, and the commercial name was designated 'Chunfeng', meaning early maturing and high yielding. The new variety combines the high yield and excellent flesh texture of 'Tainong Sweet' with the early maturity and large fruit characteristics of the male parent 'Florida Red', while also compensating for the shortcomings of 'Tainong Sweet' having small fruit and 'Florida Red' having relatively high fruit acidity.
'Chunfeng' has good fruit set. The fruit development period is 81-90 days, making it an early-maturing variety. Its peak production period is about 11 days earlier than that of the main commercial lowland production variety 'Tainong Sweet'. Fruit weight can reach 5 to 6 liang (187.5 to 225 grams), making it a large-fruited variety, larger than 'Tainong Sweet'. The fruit shape is round, the suture line is shallow, and the fruit symmetry is good. It has fuzz, red skin, a creamy yellow ground color, and peels easily. The flesh is white, with little coloration near the pit, soft melting, high sweetness (reaching 12 degrees), and low acidity (only 0.4%). The flavor is sweet and the aroma is strong.
Because 'Chunfeng' fruit matures early, 3-4 weeks before harvest it is advisable to strengthen the application of phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium fertilizers and suppress new shoot growth, so as to promote nutrient accumulation and increase fruit sweetness. At fruit harvest, the density of short fuzz on the fruit skin is much higher than that of the female parent 'Tainong Sweet'; the fruit skin is thicker and has rain-tolerant characteristics, so the degree of water injury is less than that of 'Tainong Sweet'. 'Chunfeng' has shallow dormancy and is suitable for planting in the lowlands and shallow hillside areas of central Taiwan. Its overall taste is sweet and rich, with excellent flavor, high yield, and high economic value. It has great promotional potential and has already been exclusively licensed to a company for seedling propagation, sales, and promotion.
