Inbreeding and Coancestry of Freestone Peach Cultivars of the Eastern United States and Implications for Peach Germplasm Improvement

Analysis of the pedigrees of selected eastern United States freestone peach [ Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] cultivars reveals high degrees of inbreeding and coancestry. Commonly used parents include ‘Admiral Dewey’, ‘Elberta’, ‘Halehaven’, ‘J.H. Hale’, ‘Rio Oso Gem’, and ‘St. John’. These cultivars and their progeny were used as parents primarily for superior fruit quality. Selection for fruit quality has led to the intensive use of relatively few cultivars and a restriction in freestone peach germplasm. Future progress in the development of high quality, cold hardy, disease- and insect-resistant cultivars will depend upon expansion of the germplasm base, and identification and interfusion of genes conferring desired tree and fruit characters into existing eastern United States peach germplasm.