Twenty-two peaches and thirteen nectarines introduced from the University of Florida breeding program were evaluated by the Instituto Agronômico (IAC) at the Jundiaí Experimental Station (23o08' S; 46o55' W), State of São Paulo, Brazil. Bud density based on the average number of buds per branch meter; flower and leaf buds per node; fruit set; fruit development period; epiderm and flesh color; flesh firmness; flesh acidity and harvest season, were evaluated for three years. The highest degree of bud density was observed in `Sungem', Fla 3-4N; Fla 6-4; Fla 84-16N and `Okinawa' with 51.1; 50.8; 45.8; 45.2; 44.2 buds per meter, respectively. The highest number of flower and leaf buds per node was observed for `Desertgold'(2.36), `Sunwright'(2.32), `Sunred'(2.24), `Sunlite'(2.21), `Newbelle'(2.16) and `Sundowner'(2.13). Fruit set was higher in `Okinawa'(66.3%), `TropicBeauty'(51.1%), Flordastar'(50.0%), Fla 84-4 (4,5%) and `Flordaprince' (41.5%). Cultivars such as Flordadawn, Fla 84-5, Fla 84-4, Flordastar and Oro A were the most precocious, with fruit development period between 75 and 85 days from bloom to harvest. The less susceptible cultivars or selections to rust leaf disease were: Fla 9-9N, Sundowner, Sunlite, Fla 87-3 and Fla 84-16N and to peach blight: Sunwright, Fla 82-23N, Fla 9-11N, Flordadawn and Fla 1-8. The new Fla. selections: Fla 84-5, Fla 84-16N; Fla 84-4 and Fla 84-13N, with low chilling requirement, productive, precocious, red skin, yellow flesh and mainly fruits of large size and less acidity were selected for crosses in the IAC peach breeding program and experimental cultivation by fruit growers.
Prunus persica; peach; nectarine; Prunus persica; germplasm; phenology
