Nectarines for Massachusetts? 



Karen I. Hauschild 



Cooperative Extension, University of Massachusetts 



Nectarines have been a controversial fruit in 

 Massachusetts, largely as a result of mixed success 

 with the public. Many growers have complained that 

 nectarines do not sell well - their size often is not 

 competitive with West Coast fruit - or that adequate 

 pest management is lacking. Logic, however, dic- 

 tates that nectarines should be popular, if the afore- 

 mentioned problems can be overcome, since they 

 have all the good qualities of peaches but none of the 

 fuzz. 



As part of a project to evaluate new and promis- 

 ing peach cultivars at the University of Massachu- 

 setts Horticultural Research Center, we have 

 planted four nectarine cultivars. We hope that one or 

 more of these cultivars will be a valuable addition to 

 the direct-market grower and will help dispel the 

 myth that "we cannot grow competitive nectarines." 



Before I describe the cultivars that we have 

 chosen, I would like to comment on nectarine culture 

 -just a few points to keep in mi nd for producing fruits 

 of maximum size and quality. 



• Newer nectarine cultivars have been hybridized 

 with peach cultivars for greater size potential. 



• Nectarines, because of their lack of protective 

 "fuzz", ai£ more susceptible (in general) to insect 

 attack and fruit rotting organisms. 



• Many nectarine cultivars are as hardy as, or 

 more hardy than, peach cultivars. 



\/ Nectarines require more nitrogen than peaches 

 to produce good crops. 



• Good management practices result in better 



crops, implying greater consumer acceptance 

 and increased profitability for the grower. 



Following are descriptions of the four nectarine 

 cultivars planted in 1990 at the Horticultural Re- 

 search Center. 



Earliscarlet (Redhaven - 12 days) has excellent size 

 for an early cultivar, if properly thinned. Fruit are 

 scarlet red over bright yellow, firm, yellow, and 

 semi-freestone. Trees are productive and hardy. 

 Summer Beaut (Redhaven + 4 days) produces ex- 

 ceptionally large fruit for its season. Flesh is free- 

 stone, firm, yellow, juicy, and sweet. Fruits are solid 

 red and show resistance to brown rot. Trees are vig- 

 orous, and hardy. 



Redgold (Redhaven + 29 days) is a high quality late 

 cultivar. Large fruit are freestone, yellow, and firm- 

 fleshed with red around the pit. Redgold is consid- 

 ered to be a good shipper. Buds are very winter 

 hardy. 



Fantasia (Redhaven + 31 days) fruit are large, free- 

 stone, and red over yellow with firm, yellow flesh, 

 but are susceptible to bacterial leaf spot. Trees are 

 productive. 



Additional cultivars that may be worthy of con- 

 sideration are the following: 



Sunglo (Redhaven + 12 days) fruit are high quality, 

 midseason, red over yellow, and large. 

 Mericrest (Redhaven + 20 days) trees are hardy 

 with excellent flavored, freestone flesh. 



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Fruit Notes, Fall, 1990 



15 



