STORY LEAD:
SummerFest and FlavrBurst Join ARS Peach Variety Offerings
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ARS News Service
Agricultural Research Service, USDA
Stephanie Yao, (301) 504-1619, stephanie.yao@ars.usda.gov
June 17, 2009
--View this report online, plus photos and related stories, at
www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr
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Peach growers and consumers now have two new sweet, juicy, yellow-flesh
peaches to add to their list of favorite varieties.
SummerFest and FlavrBurst were created by Agricultural Research Service
(ARS) horticulturalist Ralph Scorza at the ARS Appalachian Fruit
Research Station in Kearneysville, W.Va. They are the latest peach
varieties released through cooperative research with Adams County
Nursery, Inc., in Aspers, Pa.
Other notable varieties released through the partnership include
Crimson Rocket and Sweet-N-UP. Both varieties are patented and
available for licensing. Plant patents are pending for SummerFest and
FlavrBurst.
SummerFest is a high-quality freestone peach with an excellent balance
of sweetness and acidity. Harvested in the middle of peach season
(mid-August in the Mid-Atlantic states), SummerFest has good firmness,
which is important for shipping. It is also the second upright-growing
peach tree released by ARS and Adams County Nursery, Inc.
Upright tree forms are well-suited for high-density peach production
systems. Planted eight feet apart in the row, upright peach trees are a
more efficient use of land and resources and may lessen production
costs. In turn, the savings may be passed down to the consumer.
Gardeners may also prefer to grow upright peach trees in their yards.
FlavrBurst is another high-quality freestone peach that has a good
amount of sweetness, but is lower in acidity than typical peach
varieties. It may be more suitable for those who cannot tolerate acidic
fruits, but still desire a “peachy” flavor. FlavrBurst is a
standard-type tree, harvested mid-season and also has good firmness at
harvest maturity.
Classified as dessert peaches, SummerFest and FlavrBurst are best eaten
fresh, but can also be used in baking pies. The peaches grown on these
trees can reach three inches in diameter, a nice size for the fruit.
They can be grown in most areas where peaches are currently produced.
These new cultivars were made available this spring to commercial
growers and university test sites for further evaluation. Consumers can
expect to see these peaches in their local market in 2011.
ARS is the principal intramural scientific research agency of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
________________________________________________________________________
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ARS News Service, Information Staff, Agricultural Research Service
5601 Sunnyside Ave., Room 1-2251, Beltsville MD 20705-5128
NewsService@ars.usda.gov | www.ars.usda.gov/news
Phone (301) 504-1636 | fax (301) 504-1486
[NAFEX] Fwd: Two New Peach Varieties,
Lon J. Rombough, 06/17/2009