Breeding of a new late-ripening and high cold resistance peach cultivar Qiuyue

TIAN Qihang; LI Jie; TIAN Zhendong; LIU Guojian; WANG Yu; WANG Zhaoyuan; CHANG Rui-feng; WEI Jing; LI Yonghong

doi:10.13925/j.cnki.gsxb.20250307

Abstract：China,with over 4000 years of peach cultivation history,dominates global production.North-eastern Hebei,leveraging its unique microclimate and fertile plains,is a key production region,boasting 130 000 hectares and over 2.7 million tons output in 2024.However,industry development is con-strained by an irrational variety structure,notably a deficiency in high-quality,late-ripening cultivars ex-hibiting adequate cold hardiness,consistent yield,and transport/storage tolerance,leading to market im-balances.To address this,the Changli Institute of Pomology,Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forest-ry Sciences,initiated a breeding program targeting late-ripening peaches with superior appearance,inter-nal quality,cold resistance,high yield,and good storage/transport characteristics.In 2007,a cross was made using Qiuyan(a seedling descendant of Yanhong,previously identified as 02-18-112 and regis-tered in Hebei in 2015)as the female parent and Donghe No.1(a unique cold-region semi-cultivar)as the male parent.Hybrid seeds were collected in September 2007,stratified,sown in March 2008,and seedlings planted in May 2008.Initial selection commenced in 2011,with selection 11-10-118 identi-fied in 2013 for its excellent quality and resilience.Top-grafted onto rootstock in 2014,it demonstrated late maturity(about 150 days fruit development period),yellow-white skin,white flesh,good adaptabili-ty,and stress resistance during 2015-2017 evaluations,leading to its advancement.Multi-location tri-als(2018-2023)across Hebei's main peach areas and comprehensive evaluation at full bearing(2021-2023)confirmed the stability and superior traits of Qiuyue(pedigree 11-10-118).It ripens in late Sep-tember,producing large(avg.334 g),uniform,near-round fruit with over 90％red blush on a yellow-white background.The white flesh is firm-melting,moderately juicy,very sweet(SSC 13.6％),with ex-cellent flavor and high firmness(13.2 kg·cm-2).It is clingstone,crack-resistant,and highly tolerant to storage and transport.The tree exhibits moderate vigor,a semi-open habit,bears primarily on medium/long shoots,is self-fruitful,productive,and exhibits consistent annual bearing.Crucially,Qiuyue pos-sesses strong cold hardiness,surviving extreme winter lows in 2021 and 2023 without damage,and ex-hibits resistance to scab and bacterial shot hole.Key cultivation recommendations include planting in deep,fertile,well-drained soil(3-4 m × 4-5 m spacing,44-55 trees·666.7 m-2)using a two-primary scaffold open-center system emphasizing summer pruning(4-5 times·year-1).Despite high self-fruitful-ness,rigorous fruit thinning(≤250 fruits/tree,target yield 2200-3000 kg·666.7 m-2)is essential;bag-ging is advised in sunny regions.Employ drip irrigation;apply 4-5 m3·666.7 m-2 of well-rotted manure as a base fertilizer before leaf fall,supplemented by top-dressing pre-bloom and mid-late June.Pest management focuses on bacterial shot hole,scab,brown rot,aphids,fruit borers,leafminer,mites,and scale insects.Registered by the Hebei Forest and Grassland Variety Approval Committee in 2024(No.Ji S-SV-PP-032-2024),Qiuyue integrates late maturity,high quality,robust cold tolerance,disease resis-tance,and excellent storability,making it ideal for enhancing late-season peach production in Hebei and similar regions.