PEACH BREEDING IN FRUIT AND GRAPE RESEARCH STATION PKB - BEOGRAD

Peaches with 92 000 mt (1980) are the fifth most important fruit in Yugoslavia. Serbia produces more than one half of it. Beograd region is the largest peach producing area in the continental part of Yugoslavia. Peach breeding program in our Station is to develop hardy, self-fertile, productive, large, attractive, firm, good-quality, yellow-fleshed, freestone peach and nectarine cultivars ripening mainly after Redhaven (in August and September). It was raised circa 5 000 seedlings (hybrids and inbreds) since 1974. Many seedlings of peach cultivars Cresthaven were not infected by Taphrina deformans. Inbreeding is very important peach breeding method. It was selected 8 promising peach and nectarine seedlings (inbreds) ripening mainly in August. Two inbreds, named PKB-2 and PKB-3 (Glohaven x Glohaven), ripe in early August, after Redhaven and before Glohaven. These inbreds are under way to be released. The inbred PKB-3 is our best selection. It is hardy, self-fertile, productive (41.4 mt/ha in the fifth year from bud, without irrigation), large (174.3 g), yellow-fleshed, good quality, freestone peach.