PRODUCTION AND QUALITY OF PEACH AND NECTARINE FRUITS UNDER SUBTROPICAL CLIMATE OF THE STATE OF SAO PAULO

The behavior of peaches in a certain region determines the production success, the final product quality and the guaranteed acceptance by the consumer market. The present study aimed to evaluate the production and quality of fruits from cultivars of peach and nectarine trees, cultivated or not, with a purpose to obtain more options of fruits cultivars in Botucatu, State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and regions with the same climate conditions. The experiment was carried out during three crop cycles, 2006/2007, 2007/2008 and 2008/2009, at the School of Agronomical Sciences, UNESP, Botucatu campus. The predominant climate in the region is mesothermic, Cwa, subtropical humidity, with rainfall in the summer and drought in the winter. The evaluated peach tree cultivars were: Turmalina, Cascata 968, Cascata 848, Cascata 587, Conserva 693, Precocinho, Diamante Mejorado, Oro Azteca, CP-9553 CYN and Tropic Beauty. The evaluated cultivar of nectarine was Sun Blaze. Yield and fruit quality characteristics were assessed. The obtained results indicated that the cultivar Turmalina was the most productive. The cultivars Cascata 968 and Diamante Mejorado had the highest soluble solid content and the cultivars Cascata 587 and CP 9553 CYN presented the highest soluble solid/acidity titratable.