Field-screening Prunus for Longevity in the Southeastern United States

Abstract

Long-term field trials of a wide range of peach [ Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] germplasm on two peach tree short-life (PTSL) sites revealed marked differences in survival among lines. Generally, cuttings and seedlings of a given line performed similarly, as did ungrafted seedlings and their counterparts grafted to a commercial cultivar. No apparent relationship existed between a line's chilling requirement and survival. B594520-9 survived best in Georgia and South Carolina, providing significantly greater longevity than Lovell, the standard rootstock for use on PTSL sites. B594520-9 is derived from root-knot-nematode-resistant parentage, and progeny of surviving seedlings have demonstrated root-knot resistance similar to Nemaguard seedlings.