Analysis on Heritability of Genetic Traits in Progeny of Peach

Heritability of quantitative genetic traits like full bloom date,fruit ripening date,fruit size/ color/ flavor of peach(Prunus persica L.) were analyzed on the base of the records collected during 5 years 1987 to 1991 from 1 361 peach seedlings of 12 crosses including 6 standard,5 semi-dwarf and 2 dwarf varieties and selections at the Fruit Experiment Institute of Rome,Italy.The heritability of the other 7 traits,such as fruit shape,flesh firmness and color,productivity,flesh adhesion,plant size and fruit quality were studied as well.Full bloom date,fruit ripening date,fruit size,fruit color were moderately heritable traits(H2=0.3～05),while fruit flavor was relatively low heritable.As for fruit shape,round fruit was dominant over elliptic,ovate and oblate ones at a ratio of 76∶12∶8∶4.Parents in the crosses tended to produce-0.2(Max.5) grade less firm fruits averagely in their progenies.Although all the parents had yellow fruit flesh,their progenies segregated broadly into three types of flesh color with an absolute dominance of yellow over white and green fruit flesh.The productivity in progeny were 1 grade lower than the average value of their parents,high cropping seedlings were however obtained in the progeny of the crosses,such as,7310828(J.H.Hale×Bonanza)×Bonanza,and Fortyniner×7310902(J.H.Hale×Bonanza).Free stone was dominant over semi-free and clingstone except the progeny from the cross of 7310828×Bonanza.Averagely,fruit quality declined for about 2(Max.5) grade in the progenies,but very large-fruit selections with bright external color and orange flesh were obtained in the progenies of the crosses Fortyniner ×7310828 and O'Henry(op.).Of all the progenies,standard plant size was significantly dominant over semi-dwarf and dwarf plant(82∶14∶4).Pillar peach could be one of the suitable parents for getting vigorous upright seedlings.