Breading of a new late-ripening peach cultivar Songyuan No. 1

Abstract: Songyuan No. 1 was a late-ripening peach cultivar from the natural seedling of Qingzhoumitao, which is a well-known native cultivar in Weifang, as well as one of the six famous peach varieties in China. In 2011, during the investigation of Qingzhoumitao germplasm resources, an early maturing individual tree was discovered by the research group in the Qingzhoumitao base of Shengshi Fruit and Vegetable Professional Cooperative. The single mutant plant produced comparatively big and nearly all red fruits that ripened in mid-to-late August, approximately a month before Qingzhoumitao. Through high-grafting, variety comparison and regional cultivation experiments, the mutation plant showed good fruit quality and stable genetic traits. It was authorized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs as a new plant variety in September 2023, and was named Songyuan No. 1, with variety rights code of CNA20201005934. The fruit shape of Songyuan No. 1 is ovate, with a slightly convex fruit top. The suture line of the fruit is medium, and the two halves are relatively symmetrical. The average fruit weight is 138 g, and maximum fruit weight is 264 g. The fruits are difficult to peel off, and the density of hairs is medium. The backgroud color of fruit is light green, and more than 80% is covered by the deep red colour. The flesh is light green with intermediate red pigment, and hard-melting. The fruit firmness is 8.5 kg· cm-2 . The soluble solids content is 14.1%, the soluble sugar content is 10.04%, and the titratable acid content is 0.23%. The flesh is crispy and sweet. The core is freestone. The cultivar offers exceptional fruit quality and great storage characteristics, and the flavor remains unchanged for 10 days at room temperature or a month in cold storage. In Weifang, Shandong province, the flowering period of Songyuan No. 1 is in early April and lasts for about one week. The fruit ripening date begins in mid-tolate August, and the fruit development period is about 130 d. The budbreak period of trees is in midMarch, the defoliation period is in late November, and the whole growth period is 260 days approximately. Compared with Qingzhoumitao, its fruit mature period is about a month earlier and the fruit sizeis larger. The tree vigor is srong with more branches. The leaves are medium in size, lanceolate, and deep green color, with two to four kidney-shaped nectar glands, and the petioles are middle length and thick. The flowers are rose-shape with pollen, and pale pink color, and stamens are higher than pistils. The variety has high self-fruitful ability, excellent early fertility and good flower-forming capacity. The trees begin to bear fruits in the 2nd year after planting, and in the 4th year they come into a higher production. In mountain areas, it is recommended to train the open system with three scaffold limbs, and planting spacing should be 3 m × 4 m. In plain areas, it is suitable for applying Y-shape pruning with the spacing of 2 m × 5 m. After many years of cultivation and observation, the cultivar have shown excellent cold and drought resistance, and has no special diseases and insects or pests. It is suitable for popularization and planting in northern peach-producing areas like Shandong and Hebei.