Acclimatization and escape of the peach, Prunus persica L. batsch and its importance in Hungary

The Hungarian peach gene pool was introduced or originated from the following civilisations: - Celtic or other ethnics groups before Romans (from Asia Minor), - Romans in Pannonia (from Persia), - Frankish, Italian and French in early Middle Ages. - In XVI to XIX, century : old French, English and Italian cultivars were introduced - At the turn of the XIX century : foreign peaches came from England, America, Italia and France. The peach assortment widened with new types in consequence of the acclimatization, mutation and escape which established the production of local cultivars in Hungary (Mohacsy et al. 1967, Suranyi 1985, Timon 1992, Faust and Timon 1995). The author has shown some historical examples and specific morphological features of native peach cultivars which supports the research of rootstock populations and scion varieties (including clingstone, brugnon, blood peach, hairy peach, gum peach and other freestone types). This paper presents only the main phenotypic characters of 11 peach cultivars and 2 peach x almond hybrids suitable as peach rootstocks. This material is virus-free.