Productive diversity and fruit quality of peach and nectarine cultivars

Abstract

From 2022 to 2023, 15 cultivars with low cold requirements were evaluated in Coatepec Harinas, State of Mexico, in order to select the most outstanding materials for their productive potential and fruit quality. Four-year-old trees were evaluated under forced production management, and growth, productivity and fruit quality were determined. Productive behavior in yield ranged from 3 to 23 kg tree^-1, the period from flowering to fruit maturity lasted between 105 and 134 days, and fruit production efficiency ranged from 0.18 to 0.91 kg cm^-2. The total soluble solids, content ranged from 11.6 to 19.7 °Brix, titratable acidity, from 0.5 to 0.97% malic acid and the TSS/TA ratio from 15.8 to 36.12. Fruit size ranged from 68 to 168 g, shaped from 64 to 255 and firmness from 1.2 to 4.4 kgF mm^-1. ‘Oro de San Juan’ and ‘Cardenal’ presented the highest yields; in terms of fruit quality, most cultivars showed excellent attributes in size, shape, firmness and sweeter, more aromatic fruity flavor in white-fleshed fruits. ‘Cardenal’ presented the earliest fruit ripening, 28 days before ‘Diamante’. The introduction and production of the peach cultivars Oro de San Juan, Cardenal, and Robín are real alternatives to increase per-hectare yields and the crop’s profitability, as well as to improve per capita consumption with better fruit characteristics in the market.