Multi-Year Phenological, Production, and Fruit Quality Attributes of Nectarine Cultivars with Different Harvest and Storage Intervals

Rapid demographic change across countries, with people from diverse ethnic backgrounds and preferences, mandates new nectarine (Prunus persica var. nucipersica) cultivars with varying skin and flesh colors and times of availability. After a 4-year initial screening with 21 cultivars, long-term phenological characteristics, yield, and fruit quality attributes of several cultivars of yellow- and white-fleshed nectarine, harvested at two intervals (Harvest 1 and Harvest 2) and stored for two storage durations (Period 1 and Period 2), were studied over four years. ‘Royal Bright’ consistently exhibited the latest bloom (higher Julian day) and, together with ‘Giant Pearl’, required greater cumulative growing degree days (GDD) than other cultivars to reach both Harvest 1 and Harvest 2 each year. Fruit GDD differences at Harvest 2 as compared to Harvest 1 in ‘Candy Pearl’ were the longest, and those of ‘Giant Pearl’, ‘BN7’, and ‘Royal Bright’ were shorter among all cultivars. ‘Burnectseven’ (‘BN7’), ‘Flame’, and ‘Royal Bright’ always had higher yield, while all “Pearl” series (‘Giant Pearl’, ‘Majestic Pearl’, ‘Candy Pearl’) were in the low-yielding cultivars. ‘Candy Pearl’, ‘Majestic Pearl’, and ‘BN7’ nectarines often had larger fruit than other cultivars. Fruit picked at the second harvest had lower firmness than that picked at the first harvest in all cultivars every year. Fruit of ‘Candy Pearl’ often had higher firmness, but those of ‘BN7’ and ‘Royal Bright’ had lower firmness, at the times of both Harvest 1 and Harvest 2. Fruits of ‘BN7’ and ‘Candy Pearl’ often had higher soluble solids concentrations at Harvest 1 and Harvest 2, and after keeping the fruit in storage for Period 1 and Period 2. According to this study, ‘Candy Pearl’ is recommended as a good choice for the early market, as the fruit in this cultivar was mild with high flavor and attractive red skin and white flesh. Also, ‘Majestic Pearl’, ‘BN7’, and ‘Flame’ can be grown for the mid-to-late August market. ‘Majestic Pearl’ and ‘Flame’ had large fruit with a moderate level of russet and a split pit in some years, and thus, any cultural practices that may contribute to fruit russet and split pit should be avoided. Details on recommendations for suitable cultivars, harvest stages, and storage durations are provided in this study.