The development of high quality peach and nectarine (Prunus) cultivars with the low chilling needs of a mild climate has greatly expanded the potential for commercial peach and nectarine production in north and north-central Florida. Deciduous fruits, such as peach and nectarine, require accumulated exposure to cool temperatures during winter dormancy for budbreak and the resumption of normal growth the following spring. The minimum amount of accumulated cool temperature exposure needed for normal growth, which varies by cultivar, is referred to as the chilling requirement.

Because temperate-zone cultivars have higher chilling requirements than can be satisfied in Florida’s mild climate, the University of Florida initiated a Prunus breeding program in 1953 to develop low-chill, early ripening, peach and nectarine cultivars with quality characteristics equal to temperate-zone cultivars.

Fact sheet: Nectarine

Planted in Nassau County Extension Demonstration Garden

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