China, the world's leading producer of fruit, is also by far the leading producer of peaches.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, as of 2010, peach production in China was 10 million tonnes (11 million short tons), accounting for 50% of world production. Other leading peach producers are Italy (10%), Spain (7%) and the United States (6%). [1] [2] Since most of China's peaches are for domestic consumption, China is not the world's largest exporter of peaches, but instead ranks as the fifth-largest peach exporter, behind Spain, Italy, France and the United States (4th). China's export of peaches to the U.S. during 2010 was valued at about US$55 million. [3]
The peach is indigenous to China, with its historical records traced from fossil stones in Wu County in Jiangsu province, during archaeological excavations. [1] The two types of peaches (Prunus persica, a deciduous fruit) are clingstone and freestone; the history and cultivation of both types have been traced as far back as 1000 BCE in China. They are now grown worldwide. [1] [3] [4]
Although its botanical name Prunus persica suggests that the peach is native to Persia, peaches actually originated in China, where they have been cultivated since the early days of Chinese culture.
Recent evidence indicates that peach domestication occurred as far back as 6000 BC in Zhejiang Province of China. The oldest archaeological peach stones are from the Kuahuqiao site near Hangzhou. [5]
According to archaeologists,
Five populations of archaeological peach stones recovered from Zhejiang Province, China, document peach use and evolution beginning ca. 8000 BP. The majority of the archaeological sites from which the earliest peach stones have been recovered are from the Yangzi River valley, indicating that this is where early selection for favorable peach varieties likely took place. [5]
Peaches were mentioned in Chinese writings and literature beginning from the early 1st millennium BC. [4] Peaches play an important role in Chinese mythology and history and were said to have magical powers. Peaches are mentioned in many ancient pieces of Chinese literature and art, such as Tao Yuanming's The Tale of the Peach-Blossom Spring .
In addition, the results of archaeological excavations in Banpo village, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province support references in ancient manuscripts to 17 different fruits, mostly deciduous and including peaches, beginning with Shi Jing , an ancient record of songs scripted in 1000 BC. Archaeological finds testify to a well-developed agricultural knowledge base in pomology. The Chinese knew about cultivar differences in winter peaches in the second century BC. [1]
Peach production is largely concentrated in northern, central to eastern and north-western China, although a significant part of the country grows them. In general, peach production in China can be divided into seven regions based on regional climate and ecological differences. These main areas of production are Northwest in Xinjiang, Ningxia, Shaanxi and Gansu; the Northern China plains in Beijing, Tianjing, Hebei, southern Liaoning, Shandong, Shanxi, Henan, Jiangsu and northern Anhui, especially along the Huai River; the humid Yangtze region in the centre and east in southern Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, southern Anhui, Jiangxi and Hubei; the Yunnan-Guizhou high plateau in Yunnan, Guizhou and southwest Sichuan; the Qinghai-Tibet cold plateau; the cold northeast in Jilin and Heilongjiang; and finally the subtropical region of Southern China, particularly to the south of the Yangtze, in the provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi, southern Hunan, north Guangdong, north Guangxi and Taiwan. [6]
Peach/nectarine production for the year 2010 (January to December) was reported to be 10 million tonnes from an area of 6,850 square kilometres (2,640 sq mi). While the area decreased by 1% over the previous year, production recorded an increase of 2%. In the well-managed areas of Shadang, yield was reported at 3.5 tonnes per mu (5,200 t/km2). Export forecast for 2010 was 52,000 tonnes, an increase of 30% over the previous year; this is attributed to better cold storage facilities and increase in demand from Southeast Asia, Central Europe and Russia. [7]
The native peach of China is categorised under two major groups, namely, the cultivars and the ecotypes. North China has the Mitao cultivars, which bear larger fruits with a firm flesh. These are grown in Feicheng and Yidou in Shandong province, Shenzhou in Hebei province, Liquan and Fuping in Shaanxi province and Zhenging and Zhangye in Gansu province. Other major cultivars are Feicheng Tao, Shenzhou Mitao and Yidou Mitao. The Shuimitao peach, also known as the Water Honey peach, is grown extensively in the Yangtze River basin areas in South China. [1] These cultivars are well adapted to conditions in the Yangtze River basin, which has suitable wet climatic conditions with high summer temperatures. They have tender flesh and are juicy, with high sugar content. Fenghua yulu and Baihua shuimi cultivars are popular in areas close to the cities of Nanjing, Wuxi, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo and Fenghua. Areas under production with early peach and nectarine cultivars have increased. [1] The major root stocks used for peaches are Prunus davidiana Franc in Southern China and Prunus persica Stoke in Northern China. [1]
Since 1959, the peach has also been grown under a protected system innovated by the Shandong Agricultural University which has substantially extended its marketing period. Protected system practices involve the application of chemicals under controlled conditions, setting foliage limits, pruning during summer, girdling during autumn, creating drought stress, pruning roots and use of "dwarfing root stocks and dwarfing or semi-dwarfing cultivars", micro-climate control (temperature, humidity, light, water, CO2:O2 ratio, additional illumination, covering with transparent films and use of reflective lights on ground to control air and light in order to induce ripening and improve fruit quality), apart from many other techniques in use of fertilisers, pruning, irrigation, inter-cropping systems and humidity control. The productivity of peach trees in greenhouses using this programme is limited to about 10 years. [8]
Consumption of peaches within China has increased with marked preferences, people in Shanghai preferring the sweet and juicy variety, while Beijing people prefer the hard-flesh sourish variety. Canned peaches are also becoming popular in urban areas, yellow peaches being the preferred variety for canning. [7]
About 80% of peaches produced are for the domestic fresh market through well organised distribution centres. Fruit is harvested when about 80% ripe and then packed in cardboard boxes before dispatch to marketing centres. Export of fresh white-fleshed melting peach has been a trend in recent years and processed products (such as canned, dried, sliced dry products, juices, tea, beer, fruit jelly and candies) are exported to Europe and the US. [9]
Kiwifruit, or Chinese gooseberry, is the edible berry of several species of woody vines in the genus Actinidia. The most common cultivar group of kiwifruit is oval, about the size of a large hen's egg: 5–8 centimetres in length and 4.5–5.5 cm in diameter. Kiwifruit has a thin, fuzzy, fibrous, tart but edible, light brown skin and light green or golden flesh with rows of tiny, black, edible seeds. The fruit has a soft texture with a sweet and unique flavour.
The peach is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others, nectarines.
An apricot is a fruit, or the tree that bears the fruit, of several species in the genus Prunus.
A plum is a fruit of some species in Prunus subg. Prunus. Dried plums are often called prunes, though in the United States they may be labeled as 'dried plums', especially during the 21st century.
Prunus is a genus of trees and shrubs in the flowering plant family Rosaceae that includes plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, and almonds. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, being native to the North American temperate regions, the neotropics of South America, and temperate and tropical regions of Eurasia and Africa, There are about 340 accepted species as of March 2024. Many members of the genus are widely cultivated for their fruit and for decorative purposes. Prunus fruit are drupes, or stone fruits. The fleshy mesocarp surrounding the endocarp is edible while the endocarp itself forms a hard, inedible shell called the pyrena. This shell encloses the seed, which is edible in some species, but poisonous in many others. Besides being eaten off the hand, most Prunus fruit are also commonly used in processing, such as jam production, canning, drying, and the seeds for roasting.
Prunus cerasus is a species of Prunus in the subgenus Cerasus (cherries), native to much of Europe, North Africa and West Asia. It is closely related to the sweet cherry, but has a fruit that is more acidic. Its sour pulp is edible.
Anhui is an inland province located in East China. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze and Huai rivers, bordering Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the east, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei and Henan to the west, and Shandong to the north. With a population of 61 million, Anhui is the 9th most populous province in China. It is the 22nd largest Chinese province based on area, and the 12th most densely-populated region of all 34 Chinese provincial regions. Anhui's population is mostly composed of Han Chinese. Languages spoken within the province include Lower Yangtze Mandarin, Wu, Hui, Gan and small portion of Central Plains Mandarin.
Prunus armeniaca is the most commonly cultivated apricot species. The native range is somewhat uncertain due to its extensive prehistoric cultivation. Genetic studies indicate Central Asia is the center of origin. It is extensively cultivated in many countries and has escaped into the wild in many places.
Jiangnan is a geographic area in China referring to lands immediately to the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, including the southern part of its delta. The region encompasses the city of Shanghai, the southern part of Jiangsu Province, the southeastern part of Anhui Province, the northern part of Jiangxi Province and Zhejiang Province. The most important cities in the area include Anqing, Changzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Ningbo, Shaoxing, Suzhou, Wuxi, Wenzhou, Yangzhou and Zhenjiang.
The tamarillo is a tree or shrub in the flowering plant family Solanaceae. It bears the tamarillo, an egg-shaped edible fruit. It is also known as the tree tomato, tomate de árbol, tomate andino, tomate serrano, blood fruit, poor man's tomato, tomate de yuca, tomate de españa, sachatomate, berenjena, chilto and tamamoro in South America, tyamtar, rambheda or rukh tamatar in Nepal, and terong Belanda in Indonesia. It is popular globally, especially in Peru, Colombia, New Zealand, Ecuador, Nepal, Rwanda, Burundi, Australia, and Bhutan.
Prunus salicina, commonly called the Japanese plum or Chinese plum, is a small deciduous tree native to China, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. It is an introduced species in Korea, Japan, Israel, the United States, and Australia.
Acer buergerianum is a species of maple native to eastern China, Taiwan and Japan. The specific epithet is a patronym honoring Dutch plant hunter J. Buerger (1804-1858).
Taphrina deformans is a fungus and plant pathogen, and a causal agent[s] of peach leaf curl. Peach trees infected with T. deformans will experience leaf puckering and distortion, acquiring a characteristic downward and inward curl. Leaves will also undergo chlorosis, turning a pale green or yellow, and later show a red or purple tint. Fruit can either drop prematurely or show surface distortions. Severe infection can also produce lesions on the flowers. The host tree will experience defoliation if the leaves are badly diseased. If a seedling is severely infected, it may die. Almond trees display similar symptoms.
Leucostoma canker is a fungal disease that can kill stone fruit. The disease is caused by the plant pathogens Leucostoma persoonii and Leucostoma cinctum (teleomorph) and Cytospora leucostoma and Cytospora cincta (anamorphs). The disease can have a variety of signs and symptoms depending on the part of the tree infected. One of the most lethal symptoms of the disease are the Leucostoma cankers. The severity of the Leucostoma cankers is dependent on the part of the plant infected. The fungus infects through injured, dying or dead tissues of the trees. Disease management can consist of cultural management practices such as pruning, late season fertilizers or chemical management through measures such as insect control. Leucostoma canker of stone fruit can cause significant economic losses due to reduced fruit production or disease management practices. It is one of the most important diseases of stone fruit trees all over the world.
Prunus persica × Prunus americana is the hybrid between the peach Prunus persica and the wild American plum Prunus americana.
Prunus simonii, called apricot plum and Simon plum, is a tree in the genus Prunus. It was first described by Elie-Abel Carrière in 1872 and is native to Hebei province, China. The species is not known in a truly wild state. It has been important for breeding commercial plum cultivars from crosses with other species of the genus Prunus. The species is named for Gabriel Eugène Simon (1829–1896), a French botanist and diplomat who sent pits to the Paris Museum in the early 1860s while he was representing the French government in China. Beginning about 1881, the species became commonly known in the United States; having been introduced there from France.
Peanut production in China contributes to the national economy.
In 2001, the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences organized a poll for China's 100 major archaeological discoveries in the 20th century. The participants included eight national-level institutions for archaeology and cultural relics, provincial-level archaeological institutes from 28 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions, as well as from Hong Kong, the archaeological departments of 11 major national universities, and many other scholars in Beijing. After three months and three rounds of voting, the results were announced on 29 March 2001 and were published in the journal Kaogu (Archaeology). In 2002, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Press published the book China's 100 Major Archaeological Discoveries in the 20th Century (二十世纪中国百项考古大发现), with more than 500 pages and 1,512 pictures.
Prunus kansuensis, sometimes called the Chinese bush peach, is a putative species of peach native to China. It is found in Gansu, Guizhou, Hubei, Qinghai, Shaanxi and Sichuan provinces. It is a shrub or tree 3 to 7 m tall, preferring to grow at 1,000 to 2,300 m above sea level. A genetic and morphological study has shown that it is conspecific with Prunus persica, the cultivated peach. P. kansuensis is being investigated as a source for rootstocks and for crop improvement due to its resistance to multiple diseases, to drought, and to frost. It is unaffected by peach mosaic virus, resistant to the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita, and tolerates winter temperatures down to −35 °C (−31 °F).