Effect of flowering time on occurrence of reddish pulp in the peach

Reddish pulp is one of the most serious disorders in peach production, in which originally white flesh undergoes pink to red discoloration with the development of a mealy texture. In order to clarify the relationship between the incidence of reddish pulp and flowering date, the occurrence of reddish pulp was investigated in ‘Benishimizu’ and ‘Shimizu Hakuto’ fruit with different flowering dates for three seasons. In both cultivars, the percentage of fruit with reddish pulp was higher in early flowering fruit than late flowering fruit in all three seasons. Analysis of pectin and boron contents in immature fruit sampled from June 23 to July 8, prior to observing the symptoms of reddish pulp, showed no statistically significant differences in pectin content between early and late flowering fruit. On the other hand, the boron content in flesh was significantly lower in early flowering fruit that bloomed on April 1 than in late flowering fruit that bloomed on April 11 in ‘Benishimizu’. In addition, a significantly higher total polyphenol content, which is one of the characteristics of reddish pulp, was found in early flowering fruit. The results indicate that the flowering date has a large impact on the incidence of reddish pulp, and the disorder is more prevalent in early than late flowering fruit. The possible relationships among the development of reddish pulp, boron deficiency, pectin content, and increase in total polyphenol content are discussed.