Recent trends in peach breeding in Romania

The main objectives of the peach, Prunus persica L, breeding program in Romania focus on fruit quality and maturity. Cultivars with a ripening period exceeding 3 to 4 months, having high flavor, with resistance to diseases such as Taphrina deformans, Sphaerotheca pannosa var. persicae, Monifinia, Cylospora cincta and with resistance to pests (Myzus persicae, Cydia molesta, Anarsia lineatella) are needed. The adaptability of cultivars and rootstocks to adverse environmental conditions that continue to have high yields are also desired. Gene sources, including those from China and other areas with large biodiversity, have been examined to develop new peach and nectarine cultivars in Romania. Open pollination, hybridizations and. backcross have been used as breeding methods. Progeny are screened in the juvenile stage in greenhouse to reduce the time needed for selection cycles and evaluations. New fruit genotypes with improved shape, texture, flesh color, ripening date, storability have been named. Cultivars such as: Alexia, Amalia, Antonia, Dida, Eugen (peaches), Tina Mihaela (nectarines), Alex, Herastrau (flat peaches) have been released to private farms in Romania in the last 5 years. A description of recent Romanian peach breeding program and results are given.