Commercial Horticulture - Fruits and Nuts
Nectarines and Peaches
Arkansas Nectarine Varieties
• Processing Cling Peaches
• Fresh-Market Peaches
Peaches have long been a favorite of Arkansans, and peach production has been
one of the major fruit crops in the State for many years. This production has
included fresh market and processing types. Ripe peaches are generally
considered hard to beat by most fruit consumers. However, fruit quality in the
marketplace has kept peach consumption level at best nationally in the last 25
years. Nectarine production and consumption in Arkansas has been much more
limited, but has increased in the last 20 years as familiarity with this
excellent crop has increased.
A common question is what is the difference between a peach and a nectarine?
The major difference is that nectarines lack the fuzz of peaches. Otherwise they
are very similar in most other characteristics, and are in the same genus and
species, Prunus persica. Slight differences in flavor and brown rot
susceptibility exist also. Otherwise they are produced the same culturally.
Peach and nectarine production has several limitations for commercial, and
especially home production. The first limitation is crop reduction from spring
frosts which have been common in the last 15-20 years in Arkansas. Secondly,
pest control is critical, as peaches and nectarines are very susceptible to
numerous insects and diseases. Critical diseases include brown rot, peach scab
and bacterial spot, and major insects are oriental fruit moth and peach tree
borer. Thus spraying with fungicides and insecticides is required to produce a
crop in most years. If no spraying is intended, then it is best to not consider
these crops for production.
The University of Arkansas has been working on peach and nectarine variety
development since the late 1960s, and several varieties have been released. This
developmental work was done at the U of A Cole Westbrook Fruit Research Station at Clarksville, so
all dates of bloom or harvest are based on data collected at that location. A
description of these developments follows.
Arkansas Nectarine Varieties
Fresh-Market Peaches
Processing Cling Peaches
Processing Cling Peach Varieties Released by the U of A (not patented and
nursery lists not maintained for these varieties).
AllGold
Year released - 1984
Full Bloom Date - March 23
Maturity Date - July 1
Average Fruit Weight (g) - 205
Soluble Solids (percent sweetness) - 12.1
Bacterial Spot - 9
Rating - Flesh Color Rating - 8
Rating - Fruit Firmness - 8
Goldilocks
Year released - 1984
Full Bloom Date - March 17
Maturity Date - July 18
Average Fruit Weight (g) - 150
Soluble Solids (percent sweetness) - 12.6
Bacterial Spot - 7
Rating - Flesh Color Rating - 7
Rating - Fruit Firmness - 8
GoldJim
Year released - 2000
Full Bloom Date - March 18
Maturity Date - July 19
Average Fruit Weight (g) - 183
Soluble Solids (percent sweetness) - 12.4
Bacterial Spot - 9
Rating - Flesh Color Rating - 9
Rating - Fruit Firmness - 9
Goldnine
Year released - 2000
Full Bloom Date - March 26
Maturity Date - July 11
Average Fruit Weight (g) - 187
Soluble Solids (percent sweetness) - 12.7
Bacterial Spot - 9
Rating - Flesh Color Rating - 6
Rating - Fruit Firmness - 9
Roygold
Year released - 2000
Full Bloom Date - March 20
Maturity Date - June 21
Average Fruit Weight (g) - 157
Soluble Solids (percent sweetness) - 11.7
Bacterial Spot - 9
Rating - Flesh Color Rating - 8
Rating - Fruit Firmness - 9
Bacterial spot, flesh color and fruit firmness ratings based on a scale of
1-10 with 10 best. Bacterial spot rating of 10 indicates no evidence of this
disease in any years, with a rating of 7 a common commercial variety rating;
Flesh color rating is highest if flesh is fully golden-yellow and lacks red
pigment in the flesh; Fruit firmness rating higher for firmer fruit.
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