Breeding report of a new ornamental peach cultivar Yanhong

Abstract：Yanhong is a new ornamental peach cultivar developed by a crossbreeding with Yanhongzaohua peach as the female parent and Zaotian peach as the male parent. It was initially selected in 2013 for its bright colors and very early flowering time. Through artificial hybridization pollination, 50 hybrid seeds were got. In March 2015, after flowering of 30 seedlings, excellent individual plants with specific performance were found. The initial flowering period of this individual plant was around March 5th, 12 days earlier than the mother parent Yanhongzaohua. The flowers were red and fragrant, with high ornamental value. Subsequently, peach was used as the rootstock for grafting and propagation. In 2016, after flowering of grafted seedlings, the budding stage, initial flowering stage, peak flowering stage, and final flowering stage was observed, the performance of flowers, leaves, fruits and other characteristics were recorded, and flower diameter, internode length and fruit size were measured. Through comparison, it was found that its traits were stable and consistent with the performance of the mother plant. After regional adaptability testing at three sites (including Xuchang, Zhengzhou and Luoyang) over five years from 2016 to 2020, it was finally selected in 2021. The tree is of moderate vigor, with a semi-open posture and straight branches. The internodes are of moderate size, with an average length of 2.7 cm. The flowers usually grow on long branches, with an average of 48 flowers per branch. It is easy to initiate flowers, with moderate number of flower buds. The flower is plum-blossom shaped, and has double petal, with an average diameter of 4.2 cm and an average number of 29 petals. The middle petal is 1.46 cm long and 1.22 cm wide, with an ovate shape. The flower is red and sweet with 10 pieces of sepals. There are 1-2 pistils, which have almost the same length as stamens. The anther is light brownin color. In Xuchang of Henan province, buds appear on March 1st, with the initial flowering period on March 5th, the peak flowering period from March 10th to 30th, and the final flowering period in early April. The flowering stage lasts for about 28 days. The fruit has long hair, dual color and oval shape, with an average weight of about 70 g and a maximum of 120 g. It is resistant to drought, cold and adversity. It has wide adaptability. It is suitable for planting in areas where the chilling requirement of 300-600 hours could be met. Grafting methods is used for propagation. Hard branch grafting can be used in early spring and bud grafting should be carried out before June 10th, using peach as the rootstock. It is suitable for planting at a space of 2 m × 3 m or 2 m × 4 m. In the early stage of pruning, the main focus is on training tree shape, while in the later stage, the vigorous growth is controlled to promote flower bud differentiation. Before flower bud differentiation, watering can be combined with applying phosphorus and potassium fertilizers to improve the quality and quantity of flower buds. During the period of flower bud expansion, the lime sulfur mixture should be sprayed to reduce the damage by aphids, scale insects and some fungi.