Stone Fruit Genetic Pool and Its Exploitation for Growing under Warm Winter Conditions

Abstract

Peaches, plums, apricots, and cherries are temperate fruit crops that generally require a cold winter to break dormancy and produce fruit on a yearly basis. As these stone fruit species have spread around the world, however, genotypes have been selected for adaptation to more marginal, and even extreme, local environments by farmers and researchers. In marginal environments such as in mild winter regions of the world, locally selected well-adapted cultivars often do not possess commercially acceptable fruit quality. Starting with these poor quality but adapted cultivars, fruit breeders have developed and are developing commercially acceptable stone fruit cultivars suited to a wide range of mild winter conditions.