Chunxian Chen
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Peach evaluation is winding down in 2024 with few edible fruits on trees in variety and seedling blocks at the USDA Byron Station. 2024 was a special peach cropping year for breeding at the station. First, peach fruit set was incredibly heavy on a majority of seedling, selection and cultivar trees at the station, at…
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The USDA-ARS stone fruit program at Byron, GA has released two new early season peach cultivars named ‘May Joy’ (Fig. 1) and ‘Cardinal Joy’ (Fig. 2). ‘May Joy’ requires ~650 chill hours and produces yellow-fleshed, clingstone fruit that typically ripen approximately a week before ‘Flavorich’ and 2-3 weeks before ‘Carored’ in early to mid May…
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Chill hours (CH) are a sum of hours below 7.2 ℃ (45 ℉) between Oct 1st to next Feb 15th, often used to estimate if the chilling requirement of a peach cultivar is satisfied and ready for timely budbreak in regions (e.g., mid GA) where the spring begins to warm by late February. CH were…
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The USDA at Byron, GA has released a trio of “Joy” peach cultivars named ‘Crimson Joy’ (early mid-season), ‘Liberty Joy’ (mid-season), and ‘Rich Joy’ (late season). The three main-season cultivars all have self-fertile showy pink flowers, produce large, firm, melting and freestone fruit with high blush, yellow flesh, normal acidity and pleasant eating quality, and…
Posted in: General