Report of a new late-ripening peach cultivar Qiuyi

Abstract: Peach has been cultivated for more than four thousand years in China. Yanhong peach is a main cultivar in Hebei province, but the fruits of it tend to be subjected to cracking in the rainy season. Qiuyi is a new late- ripening peach cultivar derived from the seedings of Yanhong. The seeds of Yanhong were collected in late August of 2002 and were sowed in early March of 2003 after stratification. The seedlings were transplanted to the breeding nursery in May. The seedlings bore fruits in 2005. After three years selection. The elite seedling numbered 02-08-102 was selected in 2007 for its good quality. After regional adaptability testing in Changli county, Laoting county and Yongqing county started from 2008. It was named as Qiuyi finally and licensed in 2021. The trees of Qiuyi are tall with semi-spreading tree gesture. The flowers have self-pollination ability The fruit shape of Qiuyi is nearly round and the top of fruit is concave, the suture is shallow and symmetrical. The average fruit weight is 287 g, and the biggest one can reach 415 g. The color of background skin is green-white, and more than 95% of the fruit surface is covered by deep red color. The flesh is white with red pigment, and hard- melting. It tastes sweet. The texture is fine. The soluble solids content is 12.6%, and the firmness is 12.5 kg·cm^-2 . The stone is cling. The quality is excellent. In Changli area, Hebei province, the flower buds of Qiuyi begin to sprout in early April, and flower by the end of April. The fruits mature in early-mid September. The fruit development period is about 130-135 days. The fruits have good storage stability and the shelf life is about 15 days. The cultivar has generally high germination rate and branching ability. It is resistant to fruit cracking and coldness. The variety can bear fruits in the third year after planting, and has high yield potential. The spacing would be 3 m× 4 m for“Y”shape form and 3 m× 5 m for open heartshape form Summer pruning would be recommended to control tree size and maintain tree vigor. Qiuyi would be suitable for planting in Hebei and Shandong provinces.