Zhongxing No. 7, a new large fruit and sweet kernel apricot cultivar

Abstract: Zhongxing No. 7 apricot is a new large fruit and sweet kernel apricot cultivar selected from crossing between Mixiang and Katy apricot. It was approved by the Approval Committee for Improved Varieties of Forest Tree of Henan Province in January, 2023. The average fruit weight was 108.5 g, and the maximum fruit weight was 140.0 g. The average longitudinal diameter, transverse diameter and side diameter of the single fruit were 5.5 cm, 6.0 cm and 5.9 cm respectively. The fruit shape was near globose with concave apex and no fruit tip, and the fruit had yellow ground color and flake pink color on the sunny side when mature. The fruit had nearly symmetry, deep suture, and medium deep cavity. The fruit surface was smooth, the pericarp was hairy and the fruit peel was medium thick. The fruit flesh was orange in color, delicate in texture, with a low fiber content, medium firmness, balanced sugar/acid ratio and intense fruity aroma. The fruit soluble solids content was 14.5%, the total soluble sugar content was 7.9%, the total acid content was 1.1%, and the Vitamin C content was 9.3 mg·100 g-1 . The fruit kernel was round, brown and detached from the flesh. The average dry kernel weight was 3.2 g, the kernel length was 2.7 cm, and the kernel width was 2.4 cm. The kernel was sweet and large with average single dry weight of 0.5 g. The edible rate was 96.3% . The burst date of flower buds was in earlyMarch, early blossoming period in mid-March, and full blossoming period in mid-late March. The flowering period was approximately 7-10 days in Xinxiang area, Henan Province. The flower was showy. It had five light pink petals with one pistil and 26-35 stamens. The anther was light yellow with a lot ofpollen. The fruit development period was about 75 days. The fruit ripening date was early June in Xinxiang. The leaf buds bursted in late March and the leaves expanded in early April. Trees defoliation started in early-November. The tree posture was spreading and the tree vigor was strong. The flower bud formation was easy and the fruits were mainly bore on the short fruit branches. The pollination tree was needed for its poor self- fruiting ability. The tree was highly and stably productive and started to bear fruits in the second year after planting. It exhibited strong adaption to undesirable circumstances, and was resistance to frost. It would be suitable for cultivation in Henan province and the other apricot suitable planting areas of China.