Fruit set and yield potential of late ripening vineyard peach genotypes

Fruit set and yield potential were studied in 15 genotypes of vineyard peach of late maturity (from middle to the end of September) during a three-year period (2012-2014). The study was carried out at the Experimental Station Radmilovac of the Faculty of Agriculture in Belgrade. Genotypes were evaluated for: initial and final fruit set, fruit weight, number of fruits m(-1) of shoot length and yield m(-1) of shoot length. Initial fruit set varied from 36.0% (genotype IV/16) to 67.0% (genotype IV/14), and final fruit set from 24.9% (genotype IV/13) to 51.2% (genotype IV/14). Fruit weight ranged from 40.1 g (genotype II/24) to 78.2 g (genotype II/17). Highest number of fruits m(-1) of shoot length was recorded at genotype II/17 (21.3) and the lowest at genotype II/31 (9.6). Yield m(-1) of shoot length varied from 0.5 kg (genotypes II/13 and II/24) to 1.4 kg (genotype IV/18). Among studied vineyard peach genotypes, three genotypes (II/17, IV/17 and IV/18) can be recommended as promising related to yield potential, or as starting material for new peach cultivars of late maturity in further breeding work.