Performance and genotypic variability of late ripening vineyard peach

Vineyard peach can significantly contribute to the improvement of the most economically important traits of peach cultivars grown today. Thanks to unique and specific taste and aroma vineyard peach fruits are suitable for processing and fresh consumption. Additionally, vineyard peaches are a rich source of various essential elements and might be considered an important dietary mineral supplementation. The study was carried out at the Experimental Station Radmilovac of the Faculty of Agriculture in Belgrade. From the vineyard peach germplasm collection containing more than 100 genotypes, 15 genotypes were selected based on the late ripening, fruit weight and quality. The examined genotypes had ripening time after September 15th, high soluble solids (17.4–23%), and sugar (13.4–17.3%) content. Regarding fruit weight genotypes II/17, III/7 and IV/18 (92.5 g, 87.1 g, and 77.9 g respectively) stood out, and in terms of total organoleptic score III/7, IV/17 and IV/18 (17.0, 17.2, and 17.0 respectively) were distinguished. Hence, these genotypes are the most promising for fresh consumption. The observed divergences of fruit characteristics demonstrated the genetic potential of these genotypes to improve peach late-ripening assortment.