
Three New Peaches on the WayBy Tara
Weaver-Missick April 1, 1999Three new peaches fit for
royalty--Sureprince, Autumnprince and Springprince--have been released by the
Agricultural Research Service.
Horticulturist W. R. Okie with ARS
Southeastern
Fruit and Tree Nut Research Laboratory in Byron, Ga., developed these new
lush beauties. ARS is USDAs chief
scientific research agency. It takes years until a peach is groomed and ready to join the
royal court of peaches. They start off as one of thousands of seedlings from
parent varieties with desirable traits such as early or late ripening. Then
they go through years of field trials until they are released. Sureprince is an attractive, firm peach that ripens in mid-June just
slightly after Juneprince, a popular commercial variety. The chillier the
better for this peach: It performs well in the colder parts of Alabama, South
Carolina, and Georgia. Sureprince is no lightweight contender either, weighing
in at about 1/3 pound and about 2 ¼ to 2 ½
inches in diameter, if the trees are thinned properly. Sureprince was so named
because it is a reliable cropper. The surface is bright red at maturity with a
gleaming yellow flesh on the inside. Sure to melt in your mouth, the fruit has
good texture and flavor. Yellow-fleshed Springprince and Autumnprince, named for the seasons near
when they ripen, are both adapted to the Southeastern climate. Close to 2
¼ inches around, Springprince ripens in late May. It is firm and softens
slowly on the tree, allowing it to have good flavor for an early peach. Autumnprince, close to 3 inches around, ripens in late August to early
September when most commercial peaches are finished. It hangs on the tree
better than many late peaches, which tend to fall before ripening. All three new varieties have moderate resistance to bacterial spot, with
Sureprince being the most resistant. Scientific contact: William R. Okie, ARS Southeastern Fruit and Tree
Nut Research Laboratory, Byron, Ga., phone (912) 956-6405, fax (912) 956-2929,
[email protected]. U.S. Department of Agriculture | |