Phenological characteristics and yield potential of some late-ripening peach hybrids
Aleksandar Radović, Vera Rakonjac, Grujica Vico, Boban Đorđević, Dejan Đurović, Ivana Bakić and Dragan Nikolić
Abstract: Phenological characteristics and yield potential in eight promising peach hybrids from selection based on fruit quality were studied in this paper. The hybrids flowered from late March to mid-April, and fruit ripened from late August to late September. The FS3, FS4, and FS7 hybrids had the highest density of flower buds. The initial fruit set was quite high (73.9%) and the final fruit set was much lower (32.2%). Fruit weight ranged from 129.8 g (FS4 hybrid) to 178.1 g (FS7 hybrid). The FS3 and FS7 hybrids had the highest yield per 1 m of shoot length (3.5 kg), and the FS2 hybrid had the highest yield per tree (25.3 kg) and the highest yield efficiency (0.30 kg cm-2). The FS2, FS3, and FS7 hybrids stood out based on yield potential. They are good candidates for release as new high-yielding peach cultivars or for use in further breeding efforts.