Breeding report of a new superior mid-late-maturing plum-apricot hybrid cultivar Fangxin No. 1

Fangxin No. 1 is a new mid-late-maturing plum-apricot hybrid cultivar developed through artificial hybridization and systematic selection, with the introduced first-generation late-maturing Prunus salicina × armeniaca cultivar Weihou as the female parent and the excellent Chinese plum cultivar Taoxingli as the male parent. From 2003 to 2024, a series of work related to the breeding of Fangxin No. 1 has been carried out successively, including artificial hybridization, sowing and seedling cultivation, selection of excellent single plant, top-grafting propagation, and adaptability testing, etc. Finally, Fangxin No. 1 was approved by the Approval Committee for Improved Varieties of Forest Tree of Henan Province in December, 2025. The fruit is distinctively heart-shaped, with an average mass of 78.5 g and a maximum mass of 107 g. The average longitudinal diameter and transverse diameter of the single fruit are 5.9 cm and 5.1 cm, respectively. The fruit surface is smooth, and the fruit peel is purplish-red covered by a white waxy layer. The fruit flesh is orange-yellow in color, crisp and juicy with a well-balanced sugar/acid ratio and low fiber content. The fruit soluble solid content is 16.9%, the soluble sugar content is 9.96%, the total acid content is 0.64%, the vitamin C content is 6.04 mg · 100 g- 1 , and the crude fiber content is 0.4%. The fruit exhibits excellent storage performance, with a shelf life of 20-30 days under ambient conditions and 3-5 months under low-temperature storage at 2-5 ℃. In Zhengzhou region, Henan Province, the fruit ripens in mid-to-early August, with a fruit development period of approximately 145 days, demonstrating a pronounced mid-late-maturing character that effectively fills a supply gap. The fruit has a long peduncle with a medium suture line. The fruit stone is elliptical and small. Its flower buds are primarily borne on long and medium-long fruiting branches, with high fruit set and marketable fruit rates, ensuring high and stable yields. Propagation of Fangxin No. 1 is achieved through grafting onto rootstocks, which may include Prunus persica var. persica (Hairy peach), Prunus davidiana (wild peach), or Prunus sibirica (Siberian apricot). Both bud grafting and scion grafting are applicable methods. Two-year-old grafted saplings begin fruiting in the third year after planting, yielding an average of 3-10 kg per plant. By the fourth year, trees enter high-yield production, with mature trees producing 30-40 kg per plant at full bearing stage, the yield exceeds 2000 kg·666.7 m-2 . This cultivar has strong adaptability, thriving in a wide range of soil types with low sensitivity to soil pH. It exhibits good tolerance to drought and cold, making it suitable for cultivation in regions where apricots and plums are traditionally grown. As the first plum- apricot hybrid cultivar with independent intellectual property rights in China, the development of Fangxin No. 1 addresses the scarcity of high-quality latematuring plum-apricot hybrid varieties and promotes the localization of plum-apricot hybrid breeding and cultivation.