COMPARING FRUIT AND TREE CHARACTERISTICS OF 2 PEACHES AND THEIR NECTARINE MUTANTS

Two peach-to-nectarine mutants were compared with their peach progenitors to quantify physical and biochemical characters associated with this conversion, Both nectarine mutants showed pleiotropic effects that included smaller, rounder, and more-dense fruit with redder skin and altered sugar and organic acid composition relative to those found in their peach progenitors. In addition, one of the nectarine mutants exhibited a later bloom time, a less pronounced change in fruit size, a shorter fruit development period, and an associated capacity to develop red fall leaf color.