Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Nectarine
A common misconception is that nectarines are hybrids between plums and
peaches. In reality, nectarines and peaches are the same species; nectarines
simply lack fuzzy skins. Nectarines can develop from peach seeds or bud
sport mutations on peach trees, and vice versa. In general, nectarine fruits
are somewhat smaller than peaches and ripen earlier in the season. The lack
of fuzz on the skins makes them more attractive for fresh use, but it also in-
creases damage from insects such as plum curculio, thrips, and green peach
aphid. The fuzzless skins may also make the nectarines more susceptible to
bacterial and fungal fruit diseases. Nectarines tend to be more susceptible
to brown rot than peaches and are harder to produce organically in humid
regions.
California produces about 98 percent of the nectarines grown in North
America, mostly in the southern San Joaquin Valley for the fresh market.
Culturally, nectarines are treated the same as are peaches. In terms of variet-
ies, there are far fewer nectarines than peaches. As with peaches, most nec-
tarine varieties are self-fruitful and do not require cross-pollination.
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