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The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in
Zhejiang province Zhejiang ( or , ; , Chinese postal romanization, also romanized as Chekiang) is an East China, eastern, coastal Provinces of China, province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable citie ...
of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties), nectarines. The specific name ''persica'' refers to its widespread cultivation in Persia (modern-day Iran), from where it was transplanted to Europe. It belongs to the genus '' Prunus'', which includes the cherry,
apricot An apricot (, ) is a fruit, or the tree that bears the fruit, of several species in the genus ''Prunus''. Usually, an apricot is from the species '' P. armeniaca'', but the fruits of the other species in ''Prunus'' sect. ''Armeniaca'' are also ...
, almond, and plum, in the rose family. The peach is classified with the almond in the subgenus ''
Amygdalus ''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'' is a subgenus of ''Prunus''. This subgenus includes plums, apricots and bush cherries. Most species inside this subgenus bear fruit that is sugary, storing large amounts of energy, which is why most ''Prunus'' species ...
'', distinguished from the other subgenera by the corrugated seed shell ( endocarp). Due to their close relatedness, the kernel of a peach stone tastes remarkably similar to almond, and peach stones are often used to make a cheap version of marzipan, known as
persipan Persipan (from ''Persicus'' (peach) and ''marzipan''; also known as Parzipan) is a material used in confectionery. It is similar to marzipan but, instead of almonds, is made with apricot or peach kernels. Persipan consists of 40% ground kernels ...
. Peaches and
nectarines The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, no ...
are the same species, though they are regarded commercially as different fruits. The skin of nectarines lacks the fuzz (fruit-skin trichomes) that peach skin has; a mutation in a single gene (''MYB25'') is thought to be responsible for the difference between the two. In 2018, China produced 62% of the world total of peaches and nectarines.


Description

''Prunus persica'' grows up to tall and wide, but when pruned properly, trees are usually tall and wide. The
leaves A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...
are lanceolate, long, broad, and pinnately veined. The flowers are produced in early spring before the leaves; they are solitary or paired, 2.5–3 cm diameter, pink, with five petals. The fruit has yellow or whitish flesh, a delicate aroma, and a skin that is either velvety (peaches) or smooth (nectarines) in different cultivars. The flesh is very delicate and easily bruised in some cultivars, but is fairly firm in some commercial varieties, especially when green. The single, large seed is red-brown, oval shaped, around 1.3–2 cm long, and surrounded by a wood-like husk. Peaches, along with cherries, plums, and apricots, are stone fruits ( drupes). The various
heirloom varieties An heirloom plant, heirloom variety, heritage fruit (Australia and New Zealand), or heirloom vegetable (especially in Ireland and the UK) is an old cultivar of a plant used for food that is grown and maintained by gardeners and farmers, particula ...
including the 'Indian Peach', or 'Indian Blood Peach', which ripens in the latter part of the summer, and can have color ranging from red and white, to purple. Cultivated peaches are divided into clingstones and freestones, depending on whether the flesh sticks to the stone or not; both can have either white or yellow flesh. Peaches with white flesh typically are very sweet with little
acid In computer science, ACID ( atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability) is a set of properties of database transactions intended to guarantee data validity despite errors, power failures, and other mishaps. In the context of databases, a sequ ...
ity, while yellow-fleshed peaches typically have an acidic tang coupled with sweetness, though this also varies greatly. Both colors often have some red on their skins. Low-acid, white-fleshed peaches are the most popular kinds in China, Japan, and neighbouring Asian countries, while Europeans and North Americans have historically favoured the acidic, yellow-fleshed
cultivars A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...
. Peach trees are relatively short-lived as compared with some other fruit trees. In some regions orchards are replanted after 8 to 10 years, while in others trees may produce satisfactorily for 20 to 25 years or more, depending upon their resistance to diseases, pests, and winter damage.


Etymology

The scientific name ''persica'', along with the word "peach" itself – and its cognates in many European languages – derives from an early European belief that peaches were native to Persia (modern-day Iran). The
Ancient Romans In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–5 ...
referred to the peach as ("Persian apple"), later becoming French , whence the English "peach". The scientific name, ''Prunus persica'', literally means "Persian plum", as it is closely related to the plum.


Fossil record

Fossil endocarps with characteristics indistinguishable from those of modern peaches have been recovered from late Pliocene deposits in Kunming, dating to 2.6 million years ago. In the absence of evidence that the plants were in other ways identical to the modern peach, the name ''Prunus kunmingensis'' has been assigned to these fossils.


History

Although its botanical name ''Prunus persica'' refers to Persia, genetic studies suggest peaches originated in China, where they have been cultivated since the Neolithic period. Until recently, cultivation was believed to have started around 2000 BC. More recent evidence indicates that domestication occurred as early as 6000 BC in
Zhejiang Province Zhejiang ( or , ; , Chinese postal romanization, also romanized as Chekiang) is an East China, eastern, coastal Provinces of China, province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable citie ...
of China. The oldest archaeological peach stones are from the
Kuahuqiao The Kuahuqiao site () is an early Neolithic site of Kuahuqiao culture (跨湖桥文化 Kuahuqiao Wenhua) near Xianghu village, Xiaoshan District, in suburban Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. It was first discovered in the early 1970s during the constr ...
site near Hangzhou. Archaeologists point to the
Yangtze River Valley The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest river in Asia, the third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains (Tibetan Plateau) and flows ...
as the place where the early selection for favorable peach varieties probably took place. Peaches were mentioned in Chinese writings and literature beginning from the early first millennium BC. A domesticated peach appeared very early in Japan, in 4700–4400 BC, during the
Jōmon period The is the time in Japanese history, traditionally dated between   6,000–300 BCE, during which Japan was inhabited by a diverse hunter-gatherer and early agriculturalist population united through a common Jōmon culture, which reached a c ...
. It was already similar to modern cultivated forms, where the peach stones are significantly larger and more compressed than earlier stones. This domesticated type of peach was brought into Japan from China. Nevertheless, in China itself, this variety is currently attested only at a later date around 3300 to 2300 BC. In India, the peach first appeared by about 1700 BC, during the Harappan period. It is also found elsewhere in
Western Asia Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Ana ...
in ancient times. Peach cultivation reached Greece by 300 BC. Alexander the Great is sometimes said to have introduced them into Greece after conquering Persia, but no historical evidence for this claim has been found. Peaches were, however, well known to the Romans in the first century AD; the oldest known artistic representations of the fruit are in two fragments of wall paintings, dated to the first century AD, in Herculaneum, preserved due to the
Vesuvius Mount Vesuvius ( ; it, Vesuvio ; nap, 'O Vesuvio , also or ; la, Vesuvius , also , or ) is a somma-stratovolcano located on the Gulf of Naples in Campania, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is one of ...
eruption of 79 AD, and now held in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples. Archaeological finds show that peaches were cultivated widely in Roman northwestern Continental Europe, but production collapsed around the sixth century; some revival of production followed with the
Carolingian Renaissance The Carolingian Renaissance was the first of three medieval renaissances, a period of cultural activity in the Carolingian Empire. It occurred from the late 8th century to the 9th century, taking inspiration from the Christian Roman Empire of th ...
of the ninth century. An article on peach tree cultivation in Spain is brought down in Ibn al-'Awwam's 12th-century agricultural work, ''Book on Agriculture''. The peach was brought to the Americas by Spanish explorers in the 16th century, and eventually made it to England and France in the 17th century, where it was a prized and expensive treat.
Horticulturist Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...
George Minifie supposedly brought the first peaches from England to its North American colonies in the early 17th century, planting them at his estate of Buckland in Virginia. Although Thomas Jefferson had peach trees at Monticello, American farmers did not begin commercial production until the 19th century in Maryland, Delaware, Georgia, South Carolina, and finally Virginia. The Shanghai honey nectar peach was a key component of both the food culture and agrarian economy the area where the modern megacity of Shanghai stands. Peaches were the cornerstone of early Shanghai's garden culture. As modernization and westernization swept through the city the Shanghai honey nectar peach nearly disappeared completely. Much of modern Shanghai is built over these gardens and peach orchards. In April 2010, an international consortium, the
International Peach Genome Initiative International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...
, which includes researchers from the United States, Italy, Chile, Spain, and France, announced they had
sequenced In genetics and biochemistry, sequencing means to determine the primary structure (sometimes incorrectly called the primary sequence) of an unbranched biopolymer. Sequencing results in a symbolic linear depiction known as a sequence which succi ...
the peach tree genome (doubled haploid Lovell). Recently, it published the peach genome sequence and related analyses. The sequence is composed of 227 million nucleotides arranged in eight pseudomolecules representing the eight peach chromosomes (2n = 16). In addition, 27,852 protein-coding genes and 28,689 protein-coding transcripts were predicted. Particular emphasis in this study is reserved for the analysis of the genetic diversity in peach germplasm and how it was shaped by human activities such as domestication and breeding. Major historical bottlenecks were found, one related to the putative original domestication that is supposed to have taken place in China about 4,000–5,000 years ago, the second is related to the western germplasm and is due to the early dissemination of the peach in Europe from China and the more recent breeding activities in the United States and Europe. These bottlenecks highlighted the substantial reduction of genetic diversity associated with domestication and breeding activities.


Cultivation

Peaches grow in a fairly limited range in dry, continental or temperate climates, since the trees have a
chilling requirement The chilling requirement of a fruit is the minimum period of cold weather after which a fruit-bearing tree will blossom. It is often expressed in chill hours, which can be calculated in different ways, all of which essentially involve adding up ...
that tropical or subtropical areas generally do not satisfy except at high altitudes (for example in certain areas of Ecuador, Colombia, Ethiopia, India, and Nepal). Most cultivars require 500 hours of chilling around . During the chilling period, key chemical reactions occur, but the plant appears dormant. Once the chilling period is fulfilled, the plant enters a second type of dormancy, the
quiescence Quiescence (/kwiˈɛsəns/) is a state of quietness or inactivity. It may refer to: * Quiescence search, in game tree searching (adversarial search) in artificial intelligence, a quiescent state is one in which a game is considered stable and unl ...
period. During quiescence, buds break and grow when sufficient warm weather favorable to growth is accumulated. The trees themselves can usually tolerate temperatures to around , although the following season's flower buds are usually killed at these temperatures, preventing a crop that summer. Flower bud death begins to occur between , depending on the cultivar and on the timing of the cold, with the buds becoming less cold tolerant in late winter. Another climate constraint is spring frost. The trees flower fairly early (in March in Western Europe), and the blossom is damaged or killed if temperatures drop below about . If the flowers are not fully open, though, they can tolerate a few degrees colder. Climates with significant winter rainfall at temperatures below are also unsuitable for peach cultivation, as the rain promotes peach leaf curl, which is the most serious fungal disease for peaches. In practice, fungicides are extensively used for peach cultivation in such climates, with more than 1% of European peaches exceeding legal pesticide limits in 2013. Finally, summer heat is required to mature the crop, with mean temperatures of the hottest month between . Typical peach cultivars begin bearing fruit in their third year. Their lifespan in the U.S. varies by region; the University of California at Davis gives a lifespan of about 15 years while the
University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine or UMO) is a public land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the flagship university of the University of Maine System. It is classifie ...
gives a lifespan of 7 years there.


Cultivars

Hundreds of peach and nectarine cultivars are known. These are classified into two categories—freestones and clingstones. Freestones are those whose flesh separates readily from the pit. Clingstones are those whose flesh clings tightly to the pit. Some cultivars are partially freestone and clingstone, so are called semifree. Freestone types are preferred for eating fresh, while clingstone types are for canning. The fruit flesh may be creamy white to deep yellow, to dark red; the hue and shade of the color depend on the cultivar. Peach breeding has favored cultivars with more firmness, more red color, and shorter fuzz on the fruit surface. These characteristics ease shipping and supermarket sales by improving eye appeal. This selection process has not necessarily led to increased flavor, though. Peaches have a short shelf life, so commercial growers typically plant a mix of different cultivars to have fruit to ship all season long. Different countries have different cultivars. In the United Kingdom, for example, these cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's
Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...
: * 'Duke of York' * 'Peregrine' * 'Rochester' * 'Lord Napier' (nectarine) For China specifically see .


Nectarines

The variety ''P. persica'' var. ''nucipersica'' (or var. ''nectarina'') – these are commonly called ''nectarines'' – has a smooth skin. It is on occasion referred to as a "shaved peach" or "fuzzless peach", due to its lack of fuzz or short hairs. Though fuzzy peaches and nectarines are regarded commercially as different fruits, with nectarines often erroneously believed to be a crossbreed between peaches and plums, or a "peach with a plum skin", nectarines belong to the same species as peaches. Several genetic studies have concluded nectarines are produced due to a
recessive allele In genetics, dominance is the phenomenon of one variant (allele) of a gene on a chromosome masking or overriding the effect of a different variant of the same gene on the other copy of the chromosome. The first variant is termed dominant and t ...
, whereas a fuzzy peach skin is dominant. Nectarines have arisen many times from peach trees, often as
bud sport In botany, a sport or bud sport, traditionally called ''lusus'', is a part of a plant that shows morphological differences from the rest of the plant. Sports may differ by foliage shape or color, flowers, fruit, or branch structure. The cause is ...
s. As with peaches, nectarines can be white or yellow, and clingstone or freestone. On average, nectarines are slightly smaller and sweeter than peaches, but with much overlap. The lack of skin fuzz can make nectarine skins appear more reddish than those of peaches, contributing to the fruit's plum-like appearance. The lack of down on nectarines' skin also means their skin is more easily bruised than peaches. The history of the nectarine is unclear; the first recorded mention in English is from 1616, but they had probably been grown much earlier within the native range of the peach in central and eastern Asia. Although one source states that nectarines were introduced into the United States by David Fairchild of the Department of Agriculture in 1906, a number of colonial-era newspaper articles make reference to nectarines being grown in the United States prior to the Revolutionary War. The 28 March 1768 edition of the ''New York Gazette'' (p. 3), for example, mentions a farm in Jamaica, Long Island, New York, where nectarines were grown.


Peacherines

Peacherines are claimed to be a cross between a peach and a nectarine, but as they are the same species cannot be a true cross (hybrid); they are marketed in Australia and New Zealand. The fruit is intermediate in appearance, though, between a peach and a nectarine, large and brightly colored like a red peach. The flesh of the fruit is usually yellow, but white varieties also exist. The
Koanga Institute ''Koanga'' is an opera written between 1896 and 1897, with music by Frederick Delius and a libretto by Charles Francis Keary, inspired partly by the book '' The Grandissimes: A Story of Creole Life'' by George Washington Cable (1880). Inspirat ...
lists varieties that ripen in the Southern Hemisphere in February and March. In 1909, ''Pacific Monthly'' mentioned peacherines in a news bulletin for California. Louise Pound, in 1920, claimed the term peacherine is an example of language stunt.


Flat peaches

Flat peaches, or ''pan-tao'', have a flattened shape, in contrast to ordinary near-spherical peaches.


Planting

Most peach trees sold by nurseries are cultivars budded or
grafted Grafting or graftage is a horticultural technique whereby tissues of plants are joined so as to continue their growth together. The upper part of the combined plant is called the scion () while the lower part is called the rootstock. The succ ...
onto a suitable rootstock. Common rootstocks are 'Lovell Peach', 'Nemaguard Peach', ''Prunus besseyi'', and 'Citation'. The rootstock provides hardiness and budding is done to improve predictability of the fruit quality. Peach trees need full sun, and a layout that allows good natural air flow to assist the thermal environment for the tree. Peaches are planted in early winter. During the growth season, they need a regular and reliable supply of water, with higher amounts just before harvest. Peaches need nitrogen-rich fertilizers more than other fruit trees. Without regular fertilizer supply, peach tree leaves start turning yellow or exhibit stunted growth.
Blood meal Blood meal is a dry, inert powder made from blood, used as a high-nitrogen organic fertilizer and a high protein animal feed. N = 13.25%, P = 1.0%, K = 0.6%. It is one of the highest non-synthetic sources of nitrogen. It usually comes from cattle ...
,
bone meal Bone meal is a mixture of finely and coarsely ground animal bones and slaughter-house waste products. It is used as a dietary supplement to supply calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) to monogastric livestock in the form of hydroxiapathite. As a slow-r ...
, and calcium ammonium nitrate are suitable fertilizers. The flowers on a peach tree are typically thinned out because if the full number of peaches mature on a branch, they are undersized and lack flavor. Fruits are thinned midway in the season by commercial growers. Fresh peaches are easily bruised, so do not store well. They are most flavorful when they ripen on the tree and are eaten the day of harvest. The peach tree can be grown in an espalier shape. The Baldassari palmette is a design created around 1950 used primarily for training peaches. In
walled garden A walled garden is a garden enclosed by high walls, especially when this is done for horticultural rather than security purposes, although originally all gardens may have been enclosed for protection from animal or human intruders. In temperate c ...
s constructed from stone or brick, which absorb and retain solar heat and then slowly release it, raising the temperature against the wall, peaches can be grown as espaliers against south-facing walls as far north as southeast Great Britain and southern Ireland.


Insects

The first pest to attack the tree early in the year when other food is scarce is the earwig (''
Forficula auricularia ''Forficula auricularia'', the common earwig or European earwig, is an omnivorous insect in the family Forficulidae. The European earwig survives in a variety of environments and is a common household insect in North America. The name ''earwig'' ...
'') which feeds on
blossom In botany, blossoms are the flowers of stone fruit trees (genus ''Prunus'') and of some other plants with a similar appearance that flower profusely for a period of time in spring. Colloquially, flowers of orange are referred to as such as we ...
s and young leaves at night, preventing fruiting and weakening newly planted trees. The pattern of damage is distinct from that of
caterpillars Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Symph ...
later in the year, as earwigs characteristically remove semicircles of petal and leaf tissue from the tips, rather than internally. Greasebands applied just before blossom are effective. The larvae of such moth species as the peachtree borer (''
Synanthedon exitiosa ''Synanthedon exitiosa'', the peachtree borer, is a species of moth in the family Sesiidae that is native to North America.Strickland, J. S''Synanthedon exitiosa''.Featured Creatures. Department of Entomology and Nematology. University of Florid ...
''), the yellow peach moth (''
Conogethes punctiferalis ''Conogethes punctiferalis'', the durian fruit borer or yellow peach moth, is a moth of the family Crambidae. Description The larvae live concealed in their foodplant in a case lined with silk. Full-grown larvae are about 20 mm long. It ...
''), the well-marked cutworm (''
Abagrotis orbis ''Abagrotis orbis'', the well-marked cutworm or Barnes' climbing cutworm, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1876. It is in southwestern North America, extending eastward across the ...
''), '' Lyonetia prunifoliella'', ''
Phyllonorycter hostis ''Phyllonorycter hostis'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from Italy, Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Tunisia. There are some records from Great Britain and Germany. There are four generations per year in Ital ...
'', the fruit tree borer (''
Maroga melanostigma The fruit tree borer (''Maroga melanostigma'') is a moth of the family Xyloryctidae. It is native to Australia. The wingspan is about 40 mm. The adults have satin white forewings, with a black dot near the centre of the wing. The hindwing ...
''), ''
Parornix anguliferella ''Parornix anguliferella'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is found from Germany to Sardinia, Sicily and Greece and from the Netherlands to southern Russia. The larvae feed on ''Amelanchier ovalis'', ''Cydonia oblonga'', ''Prun ...
'', ''
Parornix finitimella ''Parornix finitimella'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is found in nearly all of Europe, except Ireland, the Iberian Peninsula and parts of the Balkan Peninsula. The wingspan is about 10 mm. Adults are on wing in May and a ...
'', ''
Caloptilia zachrysa ''Caloptilia zachrysa'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from China, India, Japan (the islands of Honshū and Kyūshū), Korea, Sri Lanka and Taiwan. The wingspan is 10.2–13.2 mm. The larvae feed on ''Rhodod ...
'', ''
Phyllonorycter crataegella The apple blotch leafminer (''Phyllonorycter crataegella'') is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from Canada (Nova Scotia, Québec, Ontario and New Brunswick) the United States (Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New H ...
'', ''
Trifurcula sinica ''Trifurcula sinica'' is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It was described by Yang in 1989. It is known from the Shaanxi in China. Adults have been recorded in April. The larvae make galls in young branches of ''Prunus cerasifera'', ''Prun ...
'', Suzuki's promolactis moth (''
Promalactis suzukiella Suzuki's promalactis moth (''Promalactis suzukiella'') is a moth of the family Oecophoridae. It is native to Korea, Japan and Taiwan, but is an introduced species in the United States. It was originally recorded from the mid-Atlantic states i ...
''), the white-spotted
tussock moth The Lymantriinae (formerly called the Lymantriidae) are a subfamily of moths of the family Erebidae. The taxon was erected by George Hampson in 1893. Many of its component species are referred to as "tussock moths" of one sort or another. The ca ...
(''
Orgyia thyellina ''Orgyia thyellina'', the white-spotted tussock moth, is a species of moth of the subfamily Lymantriinae first described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1881. It is native to the Russian Far East, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and China. It was discovered ...
''), the apple leafroller (''
Archips termias ''Archips termias'', the apple leafroller, is a moth of the family Tortricidae. It is found in Vietnam, India, Nepal and China. Larvae have been recorded feeding on ''Acacia nilotica'', ''Citrus'', ''Rosa'', ''Coffea liberica'', ''Malus pu ...
''), the catapult moth (''
Serrodes partita ''Serrodes partita'', the catapult moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775. It is found in western, eastern, central and southern Africa, India, Indonesia (Borneo, Java) and Sr ...
''), the wood groundling ('' Parachronistis albiceps'') or the omnivorous leafroller (''
Platynota stultana The omnivorous leafroller (''Platynota stultana'') is a moth of the family Tortricidae. It is found in Mexico and the United States ( California, Arizona, Texas, Florida and Hawaii). The wingspan is about 14 mm. Adults are on wing year-ro ...
'') are reported to feed on ''P. persica''. The flatid planthopper (''
Metcalfa pruinosa ''Metcalfa pruinosa'', the citrus flatid planthopper, is a species of insect in the Flatidae family of planthoppers first described by Thomas Say in 1830. Subspecies * ''Metcalfa pruinosa cubana'' (Metcalf & Bruner, 1948) Distribution The sp ...
'') causes damage to fruit trees. The tree is also a host plant for such species as the
Japanese beetle The Japanese beetle (''Popillia japonica'') is a species of scarab beetle. The adult measures in length and in width, has iridescent copper-colored elytra and a green thorax and head. It is not very destructive in Japan (where it is control ...
(''Popillia japonica''), the unmonsuzume (''Callambulyx tatarinovii''), the promethea silkmoth (''Callosamia promethea''), the orange oakleaf (''Kallima inachus''), ''Langia zenzeroides'', the speckled emperor (''Gynanisa maja'') or the brown playboy (''Deudorix antalus''). The European red mite (''Panonychus ulmi'') or the yellow mite (''Lorryia formosa'') are also found on the peach tree. It is a good pollen source for honey bees and a List of honeydew sources, honeydew source for aphids.


Diseases

Peach trees are prone to a disease called leaf curl, which usually does not directly affect the fruit, but does reduce the crop yield by partially defoliating the tree. Several fungicides can be used to combat the disease, including Bordeaux mixture and other copper-based products (the University of California considers these organic treatments), ziram, chlorothalonil, and dodine. The fruit is susceptible to Monilinia fructicola, brown rot or a dark reddish spot.


Storage

Peaches and nectarines are best stored at temperatures of 0 °C (32 °F) and in high humidity. They are highly perishable, so are typically consumed or canned within two weeks of harvest. Peaches are Climacteric (botany), climacteric fruits and continue to ripen after being picked from the tree.


Production

In 2020, world production of peaches (combined with nectarines for reporting) was 24.6 million tonnes, led by China with 61% of the world total (table). The U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia is known as the "Peach State" due to its significant production of peaches as early as 1571, with exports to other states occurring around 1858. In 2014, Georgia was third in US peach production behind California and South Carolina.


Cultural significance

Peaches are not only a popular fruit, but also are symbolic in many cultural traditions, such as in art, paintings, and folk tales such as the Peaches of Immortality.


China

Peach blossoms are highly prized in Chinese culture. The ancient Chinese believed the peach to possess more vitality than any other tree because their blossoms appear before leaves sprout. When early rulers of China visited their territories, they were preceded by sorcerers armed with peach rods to protect them from spectral evils. On New Year's Eve, local magistrates would cut peach wood branches and place them over their doors to protect against evil influences. Peach wood was also used for the earliest known door gods during the Han dynasty, Han. Another author writes: Peachwood seals or figurines guarded gates and doors, and, as one Han account recites, "the buildings in the capital are made tranquil and pure; everywhere a good state of affairs prevails". Writes the author, further: Peach kernels (桃仁 ''táo rén'') are a common ingredient used in traditional Chinese medicine to dispel blood Stasis (medicine), stasis, counter inflammation, and reduce allergies. In an orchard of flowering peach trees, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei took Oath of the Peach Garden, an oath of brotherhood in the opening chapter of the classic Chinese novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms''. Another peach orchard, in "The Peach Blossom Spring" by poet Tao Yuanming, is the setting of the favourite Chinese fable and a metaphor for utopias. A peach tree growing on a precipice was where the Taoist master Zhang Daoling tested his disciples. The Old Man of the South Pole, one of the deities of the Chinese folk religion ''Fu Lu Shou, fulu shou'', is sometimes seen holding a large peach, representing long life and health. The term "Homosexuality in China#Terminology in China, bitten peach", first used by Legalism (Chinese philosophy), Legalist philosopher Han Fei in his work ''Han Feizi'', became a byword for homosexuality. The book records the incident when courtier Mizi Xia bit into an especially delicious peach and gave the remainder to his lover, Duke Ling of Wei, as a gift so that he could taste it, as well.


Korea

In Korea, peaches have been cultivated from ancient times. According to ''Samguk Sagi'', peach trees were planted during the Three Kingdoms of Korea period, and ''Sallim gyeongje'' also mentions cultivation skills of peach trees. The peach is seen as the fruit of happiness, riches, honours, and longevity. The rare peach with double seeds is seen as a favorable omen of a mild winter. It is one of the 10 immortal plants and animals, so peaches appear in many ''minhwa'' (folk paintings). Peaches and peach trees are believed to chase away spirits, so peaches are not placed on tables for ''jesa'' (ancestor veneration), unlike other fruits.


Japan

The world's sweetest peach is grown in Fukushima (city), Fukushima, Japan. The Guinness world record for the sweetest peach is currently held by a peach grown in Kanechika, Japan, with a sugar content of 22.2%. However, a fruit farm in rural Fukushima, Koji grew a much sweeter peach, with a Brix score of 32°. Degrees Brix measures the sugar content of the fruit, and is usually between 11 and 15 for a typical peach from a supermarket. Momotarō, a folktale character, is named after the giant peach from which he was birthed. Two traditional Japanese words for the color pink correspond to blossoming trees: one for peach blossoms (), and one for cherry blossoms (Cherry blossom#Symbolism in Japan, ).


Vietnam

A Vietnamese mythic history states that in the spring of 1789, after marching to Ngọc Hồi and then winning a great victory against invaders from the Qing dynasty of China, Emperor Quang Trung ordered a messenger to gallop to Phú Xuân citadel (now Huế) and deliver a flowering peach branch to the Empress Lê Ngọc Hân, Ngọc Hân. This took place on the fifth day of the first lunar month, two days before the predicted end of the battle. The branch of peach flowers that was sent from the north to the centre of Vietnam was not only a message of victory from the Emperor to his consort, but also the start of a new spring of peace and happiness for all the Vietnamese people. In addition, since the land of Nhật Tân had freely given that very branch of peach flowers to the Emperor, it became the loyal garden of his dynasty. The protagonists of ''The Tale of Kieu'' fell in love by a peach tree, and in Vietnam, the blossoming peach flower is the signal of spring. Finally, peach bonsai trees are used as decoration during Vietnamese New Year (Tết) in northern Vietnam.


Europe

Many famous artists have painted with peach fruits placed in prominence. Caravaggio, Vicenzo Campi, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, Édouard Manet, Henri Fantin-Latour, Severin Roesen, Peter Paul Rubens, and Van Gogh are among the many influential artists who painted peaches and peach trees in various settings. Scholars suggest that many compositions are symbolic, some an effort to introduce realism. For example, Tresidder claims the artists of Renaissance symbolically used peach to represent heart, and a leaf attached to the fruit as the symbol for tongue, thereby implying speaking truth from one's heart; a ripe peach was also a symbol to imply a ripe state of good health. Caravaggio's paintings introduce realism by painting peach leaves that are molted, discolored, or in some cases have wormholes – conditions common in modern peach cultivation. In literature, Roald Dahl named his children's fantasy novel ''James and the Giant Peach'' because a peach is "prettier, bigger and squishier than a cherry."


United States

South Carolina named the peach its List of U.S. state foods, official fruit in 1984. The peach became the state fruit of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, nicknamed the "Peach State", in 1995. The peach went from feral trees utilized opportunistically to a tended commercial crop in the Southern United States in the 1850s, as the boll weevil attacked regional cotton crops. When Georgia reached peak production in the 1920s, elaborate festivals celebrated the fruit. By 2017, Georgia's production represented 3–5% of the U.S. total. Alabama named it the "state tree fruit" in 2006. Delaware's List of U.S. state and territory flowers, state flower has been the peach blossom since 1995, and peach pie became its official dessert in 2009.


Nutrition

Raw peach flesh is 89% water, 10% carbohydrates, 1% protein, and contains negligible fat. A medium-sized raw peach, weighing , supplies 39 calories, and contains small amounts of essential nutrients, but none is a significant proportion of the Daily Value (DV, right table). A raw nectarine has similar low content of nutrients. The glycemic load of an average peach (120 grams) is 5, similar to other low-sugar fruits. One medium peach also contains 2% or more daily value of vitamins E and K, niacin, folate, iron, choline, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, zinc and copper. Fresh peaches are a moderate source of antioxidants and vitamin C which is required for the building of connective tissue inside the human body.


Phytochemicals

Total polyphenols in mg per 100 g of fresh weight were 14–102 in white-flesh nectarines, 18–54 in yellow-flesh nectarines, 28–111 in white-flesh peaches, and 21–61 mg per 100 g in yellow-flesh peaches. The major phenolic compounds identified in peach are chlorogenic acid, catechins and epicatechins, with other compounds, identified by High-performance liquid chromatography, HPLC, including gallic acid and ellagic acid. Rutin and isoquercetin are the primary flavonols found in clingstone peaches. Red-fleshed peaches are rich in anthocyanins, particularly cyanidin glucosides in six peach and six nectarine cultivars and malvin glycosides in clingstone peaches. As with many other members of the rose family, peach seeds contain Glycoside#Cyanogenic glycosides, cyanogenic glycosides, including amygdalin (note the subgenus designation: ''Amygdalus''). These substances are capable of decomposing into a sugar molecule and hydrogen cyanide gas. Cyanogenic glycosides are toxic if consumed in large doses. While peach seeds are not the most toxic within the rose family (see bitter almond), large consumption of these chemicals from any source is potentially hazardous to animal and human health. Peach food allergy, allergy or food intolerance, intolerance is a relatively common form of hypersensitivity to proteins contained in peaches and related fruits (such as almonds). Symptoms range from local effects (e.g. oral allergy syndrome, contact urticaria) to more severe systemic reactions, including anaphylaxis (e.g. urticaria, angioedema, gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms). Adverse reactions are related to the "freshness" of the fruit: peeled or canned fruit may be tolerated.


Aroma

Some 110 chemical compounds contribute to peach aroma, including alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, esters, polyphenols and terpenoids.


Gallery

File:Peachblossoms3800ppx.JPG, alt=Tree in blossom File:Prunus_persica(花桃)4035837.JPG, Peach blossoms File:Peach flowers.jpg, alt=Blossoms File:Breskva Collins - zametnuti plodovi.jpg, Incipient fruit development File:Prunus persica coupe MHNT.jpg, alt=Wood File:Prunus persica - Peach Hungary.jpg, alt=Fruits on tree File:Prunus persica pit.jpg, alt=Seed File:Starr-130504-4357-Prunus_persica_var_persica-Florida_Prince_fruit_on_branch-Hawea_Pl_Olinda-Maui_(24842890479).jpg, Peaches on tree File:Hillview_Farms_peaches_in_a_basket.jpg, Peaches in a basket


Paintings

File:Retrato de Isabella y John Stewart.jpg, Portrait of Isabella and John Stewart by Charles Willson Peale, 1774 File:Still Life Basket of Peaches by Raphaelle Peale 1816.jpeg, ''Still Life Basket of Peaches'' by Raphaelle Peale, 1816 File:Claude Monet - Das Pfirsichglas.jpg, ''A Jar of Peaches'' by Claude Monet File:Bairei_kachō_gafu,_Spring_04,_peach-blossoms_and_green_pheasants.jpg, "Spring 4, peach-blossoms and green pheasants" by Kōno Bairei, 1883 File:Pomological Watercolor POM00005183.jpg, Peach (cultivar 'Berry'), watercolour, 1895


References


Further reading

* Okie, William Thomas. ''The Georgia Peach: Culture, Agriculture, and Environment in the American South'' (Cambridge Studies on the American South, 2016).


External links

*
National Center for Home Food Preservation—Freezing Peaches



Clemson.edu: Everything About Peaches
{{Authority control Crops originating from China Flora of China, Flora of China Fruits originating in East Asia Garden plants of Asia Ornamental trees Peaches Plants described in 1753 Prunus Drupes Fruit trees Symbols of Alabama Symbols of Georgia (U.S. state)