North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Lon J. Rombough" <lonrom@hevanet.com>]

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From: ARS News Service <NewsService@ars.usda.gov>
Reply-To: ARS News Service <NewsService@ars.usda.gov>
Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2003 08:41:17 -0500
To: ARS News subscriber <lonrom@hevanet.com>
Subject: Sweeter Peach Makes Debut

STORY LEAD:
Gulfprince Peach Makes Market Debut
___________________________________________

ARS News Service
Agricultural Research Service, USDA
Sharon Durham, (301) 504-1611, sdurham@ars.usda.gov
November 14, 2003
___________________________________________

Gulfprince, a new peach variety that can tree-ripen for several extra
days, thus becoming sweeter and juicier, is now available to consumers.

The new variety, released to growers in 1999, was developed by the
Agricultural Research Service, the University of Georgia and the
University of Florida. It was planted in grower orchards in 2001.

Thomas Beckman, a horticulturist at the ARS Fruit and Tree Nut Research
Laboratory in Byron, Ga., was part of the ARS-university team that
developed the new peach. Gulfprince possesses several qualities that
make it appealing to various market sectors.

The new peach is a "non-melting" variety, meaning it can remain on the
tree three to four days longer than a traditional "melting" peach
variety. Whether a peach is melting or non-melting comes down to a
difference in one gene that enables the fruit to stay firmer longer. The
additional time on the tree allows the fruit to accumulate more sugar,
attain more juiciness and become more fragrant.

Consumers will also like Gulfprince's size and color. More than 2-1/2
inches in diameter, it is red with a deep-yellow skin color, an
attractive combination that consumers seem to prefer. The non-melting
peach also improves handling capacity because it's slow to soften and
doesn't bruise easily.

Beckman and his colleagues continue to work on developing additional
varieties that ripen at different times, thus extending the peach
season.

ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research
agency.
___________________________________________

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