New Rumanian peach cultivars

The peach breeding program, started in 1982 at the Research Station for Fruit Tree Growing at Baneasa (Bucharest, RO), has led in recent years to the introduction of eleven peaches and two nectarines. The aims of the program are to obtain hardy cultivars resistant to diseases and frost, highly productive and with good fruit quality. Almost 2,500 seedlings have been screened to select for new cultivars aimed at improving the present day cultivar assortment by extending the ripening season and enhancing fruit taste. The yield potential and the fruit quality of the last introduced nectarines, 'Tina' and 'Mihaela', and peaches, 'Dida' and 'Eugen', are described. The cultivars are under growers' evaluation. The introduction of the new cultivars will offer a new chance for the peach industry of the Rumanian peach growing districts.