http://www.clemson.edu/newsroom/articles/2009/january/peach_varieties.php5
Clemson fruit expert presents new peach varieties for the Southeast
CLEMSON Savannah will host a debutante party for four Southern peaches the edible kind. Clemson University peach expert Desmond Layne will speak about four new peach varieties developed especially for the Southeast Friday at the Southeastern Peach Convention, part of the SE Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference in Savannah Jan. 9 through 11.
The new varieties were developed in the Southeast for the Southeast, said Layne, associate professor of pomology and Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service fruit tree specialist. Peach production in the southeastern United States is dependent on the availability of cultivars that are competitive in the market as well as reliable producers in our highly variable climate.
We are the No.2 peach grower in the nation; California is No. 1. Our climate is more humid and wet and a lot of peaches developed for California do not do well here," Layne said.
The four new peaches are the Scarletprince, Julyprince, Early Augustprince and Augustprince. The varieties were developed by W.R. Okie, a USDA plant breeder in Byron, Ga. Okie honors his USDA predecessor Victor Prince by adding the Prince name to the peaches he breeds. There are more than a dozen prince varieties, including the new ones.
At Clemsons Musser Fruit Farm, Layne grows approximately 300 peach varieties, evaluating them for consistent fruit production, size, color, firmness and taste. This year, Layne will add 90 more peach varieties to the research orchards.
For peach growers, June through August is high season. Southern growers raise varieties that ripen at different times to keep markets and roadside stands well supplied. Early Augustprince ripens with or just after Cresthaven and Sunprince. Augustprince is an attractive, very firm peach, according to Layne.
Along with new varieties, Layne also will talk about emerging peach trends.
Subacid is a word growers are going to hear more about in the years to come, Layne said.
Subacid refers to peaches that are sweet but dont have the trace of tartness traditional peaches have. They are crunchy almost like an apple. They are popular with Asians and Hispanics, who like the smooth, sweet flavor.
Layne leads extension programming that serves the needs of commercial fruit growers in South Carolina who manage and market 17,000 acres of peaches, 2,000 acres of apples and approximately 500 acres of strawberries. He is an adviser to the S.C. Peach Council and co-editor of The Peach: Botany, Production and Uses published in 2008.
