Report of a new late-ripening yellow-fleshed peach cultivar Meiyang

Abstract：Meiyang is a yellow-fleshed and high quality peach cultivar derived from selfing of 99-1-44 in 2004 in the experimental field of Shijiazhuang Institute of Fruit Trees, Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences. The parent 99-1-44 is a mid-late ripening white- fleshed peach selected from a cross between Fengbai and Baby Gold 5 in 1999. It was initially selected in 2008 for its yellow flesh, late-ripening, freestone and high quality, and tested for regional adaptability in Changan District of Shijiazhuang, Ningjin County of Xingtai, Shunping County of Baoding and Xinji City from 2011 to 2020. It passed the final selection, and approved by Hebei Forest Variety Certification Committee in 2020. The fruit was round with two symmetrical halves, and had a concave top with intermediate suture. The average fruit mass was 377 g, and the maximum fruit mass was 602 g. The vertical diameter, check diameter and suture diameter was 8.33 cm, 8.46 cm, and 8.49 cm, respectively. The peel had yellow background covered with 20%-50% red blush on the surface and short fuzz. The flesh was yellow with firm texture and moderate juice, and covered with little red pigment around stone. The flavor was sweet with a soluble solid content of 13.3% to 16.2%, and titratable acid content of 0.22%. The eating quality was excellent. The flesh firmness was 13.7 kg·cm^-2 , and the harvesting duration was more than 10 days. The storage capacity was good, and fruits could be stored at room temperature for 10-15 days. The leaf was green with 2-3 reniform leaf glands. The leaf shape was elliptical lanceolate. The showy flower was pink with pollens. In Shijiazhuang, the buds burst in late March, and the flower buds opened in early April. The fruits ripened in mid to late September, about 173 days after blooming. The leaves fell in early November. The tree had strong growing vigor and the tree form was semi-open. Y-shape could be ad-opted, with spacing of (2.5-3.0) m × (5.0-6.0) m. The fruit setting rate by self-pollination and natural fruit setting rate was 38.6% and 69.2%, respectively. The pollination trees were not necessary. In commercial production, fruit thinning was necessary to maintain eating and commercial quality, and the distance between fruits should be about 20 cm. The yield should be kept at the level of less than 2000 kg per 666.7 m² . The fruit bagging should be recommended after thinning, and the peel would be pure yellow without removing the bag before harvesting. The freezing injury of branches and flower buds had never occurred since 2006. It should be suitable for planting in the central and southern of Hebei Province and similar climatic regions.