47. Volume 14- Number 2 - IP Australia

PLANT VARIETIES JOURNAL 2001 VOL 14 NO. 2
common to its pollen parent, ‘June Pearl’ (U.S. Plant Patent
No. 9,360) white flesh nectarine, by producing clingstone
fruit that is white in flesh colour, sub-acidic and sweet in
flavour, firm in texture, and mostly red in skin colour, but is
distinguished by producing fruit that is larger in size,
rounder in shape, peach instead of nectarine, and that ripens
about seven days earlier. Selection criteria: sub-acidic
flavour, white flesh, firmness of fruit. Propagation: by
budding and grafting. After each propagation the variety has
been true to type and stable. Breeder: Lowell G Bradford
and Norman G Bradford, Le Grand, California, USA.
Choice of Comparators The two comparators that have
been selected are ‘Crown Princess’ (U.S. Plant Patent
7,070) and ‘Crimson Lady’ (U.S. Plant Patent 7,953) on the
basis that the candidate has intermediate maturity between
the comparators. ‘Crown Princess’ is also the seed parent of
the candidate variety. However, the major differences
between the varieties are: new variety is sub-acidic in
flavour and white fleshed and the comparators are both
acidic in flavour and yellow fleshed. The pollen parent was
excluded for reasons stated above
Comparative Trial The description is based on overseas
data gathered from U.S. Plant Patent 11,205. The
characteristics were verified under Australian conditions.
The trial trees are planted at Buchanan’s Nursery
Tenterfield, NSW. They have been observed for the past two
years. From all of the observations the variety is performing
the same in Australia as it does in the USA. It has proven to
be distinct, uniform and stable through several propagation
cycles.
Prior Applications and Sales
Country Year Current Status Name Applied
USA 1998 Granted ‘Ivory Princess’
First Sold in the USA in Dec 1998.
Description: Peter Buchanan, Buchanan’s Nursery, Tenterfield, NSW.
Prunus persica var nucipersica
Nectarine
‘Fire Sweet’ syn Fire Gold
Application No: 2000/269 Accepted: 6 Nov 2000.
Applicant: Lowell G Bradford & Norman G Bradford,
Le Grand, California, USA.
Agent: Buchanan’s Nursery, “Monkstadt”, via Tenterfield,
NSW.
Characteristics (Figure 28) Tree: size medium, vigour
medium, growth habit spreading and dense, productive,
regular bearing. Trunk: size medium, texture medium to
rough, bark colour greyish yellowish brown
(9.5YR4.6/2.1); lenticels numerous, colour greyish brown
(5.5YR 3.5/1.8), average size 6.4mm. Branches: size
medium, texture smooth on 1st year wood, increasing
roughness with age, colour of 1st year wood topside light
greyish red (5.3R 5.9/3.5), 1st year wood underside brilliant
yellow green (4.9GY 8.2/9.1), older wood light brown
(5.4YR 5.4/4.8); lenticels numerous, small, colour deep
orange yellow (8.6YR6.0/12.1), average size 1.6mm. Leaf
blade: size large, average length 165.1mm, average width
52
44.5mm, shape elliptical, apex acuminate, base acute,
surface smooth, colour of dorsal surface moderate olive
green (5.7GY3.6/4.8), ventral surface moderate yellow
green (4.8GY6.0/5.0), margin finely serrated, venation
pinnately net veined. Petiole: average length 12.7mm,
average thickness 1.6mm, colour moderate yellow green
(4.8GY6.0/5.0). Stipules: numerous, average length 6.4mm.
Nectaries: 2-4 per leaf, alternately positioned on petiole and
base of blade, size medium, shape reniform, colour light
yellow green (5.0GY 8.4/5.6). Flower bud: size medium,
length 19.1mm, form free, surface pubescent. Flowers:
blooming period late, size small, colour moderate purplish
red [7.1RP 4.5/9.0]. Fruit: size uniform, large, average
diameter axially 71.4mm, average transversely in suture
plane 68.3mm, shape globose to slightly oblong, shallow
suture groove extending from the base to beyond the apex,
having a slight depression beyond the pistil point. Stalk
cavity: flaring, elongated in the suture plane, suture
showing on one side, stem markings typically present,
depth 11.1mm, breadth 22.2mm, base rounded, apex
rounded to somewhat depressed, pistil point negligible in
length, depressed within the suture. Stalk: medium, average
length 9.5mm, average width 4.8mm. Skin: thickness
medium, texture medium, adherence to flesh strong,
tendency to crack none, colour dark red (4.0R2.8/6.8) over
a moderate reddish orange (9.3R 5.5/9.2) background with
a slight amount of pale orange yellow (9.2YR 8.7/4.4)
freckling toward the apex. Flesh: colour brilliant yellow
(4.4Y 8.7/8.9) toward the skin with some slight dark red
(4.0R 2.8/6.8)] streaking very close to the stone, amygdalin
scarce, juice abundant, rich; texture firm, tough, very crisp,
fibres abundant, fine; ripens evenly, flavour sub-acidic and
sweet, averaging 18 brix, aroma slight. Stone: type
clingstone, shape oval, base slightly oblique, apex acute,
sides equal, surface horizontally furrowed toward the apex
and some pitting toward the base, ridges jagged toward the
base, colour dark yellowish brown (9.4YR 2.3/3.3),
tendency to split absent. Kernel: shape oval, taste bitter,
viable, average width 12.7mm, Average length 20.6mm,
skin colour deep orange yellow (8.6YR 6.0/12.1) with
moderate brown (5.6YR 3.5/3.9) when dry, pellicle colour
deep yellowish brown (8.8YR 3.1/5.0), amygdalin
abundant. Maturity: hard ripe 18 Jan, date of first picking 21
Jan, date of last picking: 30 Jan on trial trees at Buchanan’s
Nursery, Tenterfield, NSW. (Note: all colour designations
are ISCC-NBS colour codes and Munsell renotations.)
Origin and Breeding Controlled pollination: F 1 between
seed parent ‘Summer Fire’ and an unnamed pollen parent in
a planned breeding program in Le Grand, California, USA.
The pollen parent is an F 1 between ‘Bradcrim’ and ‘August
Red’. The candidate variety is most similar to its seed
parent, ‘Summer Fire’ (U.S. Plant Patent 7506), by
producing yellow flesh clingstone nectarines that are nearly
full red in skin colour and very firm in texture, but is
distinguished by producing fruit that is sub-acidic rather
than acidic in flavour, that ripens about 6 days later, and that
has a bitter kernel instead of sweet. The candidate variety is
smaller to ‘Bradcrim’ (U.S. Plant Patent 8,461), one of the
pollen grandparents, by producing nectarines that are full
red in skin colour and sub-acidic in flavour, but is very
distinguished therefrom by producing fruit that is yellow
flesh instead of white flesh, that is clingstone instead of
freestone, that is much firmer, and that ripens about 30 days