Fig Peach

Synonyms: Chinese repka, Chinese peach, flat peach, Chinese dish peach, white peach, Fergana peach.

Fig Peach (Persica ferganensis Riab. et Kost.) – a plant of the Rosaceae family, subgenus Almond. Some researchers separate these plants into a distinct subspecies or species called Fergana peach. This type is cultigen – developed by breeders. Its origin is considered to be China. It was first described in 1820.

It is a weak-growing tree with a broadly spreading crown. One-year shoots are rather thick, red on the sun-exposed side and yellowish-green on the shaded side, with short internodes and predominantly solitary floral bud arrangement. Buds are large, densely pubescent. Leaves are medium-sized, lanceolate, green above and grayish-green below; petioles with 2—4 large, oval, sessile glands.

Flowers large, with strongly concave, corrugated, pale pink petals; sepals with rounded apices, glabrous inside and moderately pubescent outside; calyx tube cup-shaped, brownish-red outside, yellow inside; ovary and part of the style densely pubescent. Blooms late, in mid-April.

Fruits medium, measuring 35 х 66 х 66 mm, weighing 94 g, flattened (disk-shaped) in form, apex flat, depressed, pit up to 5 mm deep; base flat, ventral suture deep. Skin slightly pubescent, of medium thickness, firm, does not separate from the fruit, greenish-cream in color with a diffuse dotted and streaked blush from bright raspberry to carmine, covering up to ¾ of the fruit surface. Flesh pale cream, fibrous, juicy, high in sugars (on average 12.63%), almost acid-free (on average 0.18%), slightly aromatic, with a spicy taste.

Stone small, weighing 3.8 g, strongly flattened, with a flat base and apex. The ventral suture is level with the edges of the bordering grooves and consists of 3 ribs; the middle rib is sharp and projects as a keel at the base, while the lateral ribs are wide. The bordering grooves are clearly defined, of medium width and depth; the dorsal suture appears as a deep fissure. Sides strongly convex with a pitted structure; surface of the ribs rough, raspberry-colored when fresh and raspberry-brown when dry.

Fruits ripen in late August, transportable.

Varieties: Saturn, Chinese dish-shaped red, Chinese dish-shaped white, Vladimir, White Fig, Steppe Repka, Solo

Hardiness zone: zone 5a (-28 °C).

Site: heat-loving, requires sunny and wind-protected locations. Requires moderate watering, especially during fruit set and ripening. Prefers light, loamy and sandy-loam calcareous soils with moderate moisture.

Planting: planting is recommended in spring, but can also be done in autumn (in which case mulching the trunk circle and backfilling to a height of 20-30 cm is necessary). The planting hole should be at least 0.7х0.7 m, with a spacing of 4х4 m. Mix 10 kg of overripe manure and 150 g of superphosphate with soil and backfill the seedling with the root system spread out. The trunk circle must be compacted to the edges, well watered (4-5 buckets) and mulched with a layer of compost to a height of 8-10 cm.

Diseases and pests: diseases – powdery mildew, leaf curl, clasterosporiosis, fruit rot, moniliosis, Cytospora dieback of shoots and branches. Pests – plum and oriental codling moths, fruit striped moth, large and green peach aphids, fruit and spider mites.

Care: requires moderate watering and formative pruning. To improve yield, the improved open-centre (enhanced bowl) pruning method is used. After planting the seedling, all lateral branches should be removed. Leave 3-4 scaffold branches spaced 10-20 cm apart. The leader should be cut at the base of the upper lateral branch. In the second year shorten first-order branches if they are longer than 50 cm or change their growth direction. In subsequent years pruning should be aimed at fruiting. Rejuvenation pruning is carried out from bud swell to the beginning of flowering. If winter damage occurs, pruning is done after water sprouts appear on trunks and branches.

Propagation: seedlings are grafted onto various rootstocks. For dry, sandy, chernozem soils, seedlings on apricot rootstocks have proven best; for wet acidic soils – on cherry plum (alycha), sloe (blackthorn) and plum.

Uses: fruits are consumed fresh, used for canning, making liqueur, marmalade, juice. Peach oil is made from the seeds.