Anatomical and biochemical studies of fruit development in peach

Abstract

The development of fruit and seed tissues of Prunus persica L. Batsch cultivars 'Springcrest', 'Redhaven' and 'Suncrest' was studied in three consecutive years. Morphological and compositional changes in the embryo were related to the double sigmoid pattern of development in the pericarp. When the fruit of the early maturing cultivar, 'Springcrest', ripened the embryo had not developed to fill the ovule but it was morphologically complete and capable of normal germination under laboratory conditions. Only minor differences were noted in the rates of morphological differentiation of the three cultivars. However, when fruit ripened, the lipid content was about 7%, 38% and 59% of the seed dry matter in the early, midseason and late cultivars, respectively. The main reason for low field germination of early varieties appears to be a deficiency of energy reserve to ensure survival during low temperature after ripening.