David’s peach [Prunus davidiana (Carrière) Franch], a member of the Rosaceae family, is a tree with strong environmental adaptability that prefers high light; tolerates cold, drought, and low nutrient conditions; and exhibits sensitivity to waterlogging (Zhang et al., 2019). It is distributed mainly in Shandong, Hebei, Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, and Yunnan provinces in China (Zheng et al., 2014). It grows between 800 and 3200 m above sea level (Guan et al., 2014; Li et al., 2014). It is used primarily in North China as an ornamental plant and rootstock for P. persica (L.) Batsch, P. mume Sieb., P. salicina Lindl., and other stone fruit tree species (Zhang et al., 2019).
Prunus davidiana ‘Qingtian’ is a new cultivar with a unique growth habit that was bred by Shandong Agricultural University. This cultivar has garnered significant attention for its tall, fastigiate, and undulating growth habit (Fig. 1). This unique cultivar represents a novel addition to the growth forms available for landscape planting and for P. davidiana germplasm resources.
Growth habit of 5-year-old P. davidiana ‘Qingtian’.
Citation: HortScience 57, 3; 10.21273/HORTSCI16357-21
Origins
More than 1000 seeds of P. davidiana were collected in western China during Fall 2013 and were stratified in moist sand at 1 to 10 °C. The seeds were then sowed in a field at the Fruit Tree Root Laboratory of the College of Horticulture Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University. Approximately one-third of the seeds emerged in Spring 2014 (Tai’an, Shandong Province, China: lat. 36°05′N, long. 117°03′E; 153 m above sea level), a region with a temperate monsoon climate. In 2015, after the seedlings had flowered and borne fruit, an individual plant with a tall, fastigiate, and undulating growth habit was selected for further evaluation and designated ‘Qingtian’. From 2016 to 2021, this selection was grafted onto P. persica (L.) Batsch rootstock seedlings, and a series of studies on its biological characteristics were performed. The morphology of ‘Qingtian’ was compared with that of typical P. davidiana as the control. The propagated plants grew well, and every individual retained the unique growth habit features. No serious diseases or pests, such as crown gall disease, Cnidocampa flavescens (Walker), or Hyalopterus arundimis fabricius, were observed, which enhanced its ornamental potential.
Description
Prunus davidiana ‘Qingtian’ has dark-brown mature shoots with lenticels, a broadly lanceolate leaf shape, and light pink [Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)-65B] flowers with broad, ovate petals. This new cultivar, Qingtian, was compared with P. davidiana (Table 1). P. davidiana is characterized by dark-purple (RHS-72B) 1-year-old shoots, a circular petal shape, and a light-yellow (RHS-20A) fruit color. The new cultivar has brown (RHS-N199C) 1-year-old shoots with gray (RHS-N200C) stripes, a broad ovate petal shape, and a light-green (RHS-142D) fruit color. The two cultivars have distinct growth habits, with P. davidiana exhibiting spreading growth, whereas ‘Qingtian’ is fastigiate and undulating.
Comparison of the main physiological characteristics of P. davidiana and P. davidiana ‘Qingtian’.
Habit and branching.
‘Qingtian’ is tall and vigorous, fastigiate in shape, with an undulating growth habit (Fig. 2). The internode length of 1-year-old shoots is 2.1 to 5.9 cm. The branches of 1-year-old plants are brown (RHS-N199C) with a wavy gray (RHS-N200C) epidermis (Fig. 3), and the mature branches are dark brown (RHS-200C) with lenticels. The trees grew to an average of 12.2 m in height over the course of 3 years.
Growth habit of 2-year-old P. davidiana ‘Qingtian’.
Citation: HortScience 57, 3; 10.21273/HORTSCI16357-21
Comparison of 1-year-old shoots and flowers of (left) P. davidiana and (right) P. davidiana ‘Qingtian’.
Citation: HortScience 57, 3; 10.21273/HORTSCI16357-21
Leaves.
The leaves (Fig. 4) are wavy, green (RHS-139C), 8.9 to 14.6 cm long, and 2.1 to 4.1 cm wide. The petioles are 2.2 to 2.7 cm long and hairless, with nonobvious glands. The leaf shape is broadly lanceolate, and the aspect ratio of the leaf blade is 2.7 to 3.4.
Comparison of leaves of (top) P. davidiana and (bottom) P. davidiana ‘Qingtian’.
Citation: HortScience 57, 3; 10.21273/HORTSCI16357-21
Flowers.
The bloom time (10% open flowers) of ‘Qingtian’ occurs in late March in Tai’an, Shandong, and flowering lasts until late April. The buds are a single pink color (RHS-68C) and are long and ovate. The flowers (Fig. 5) are single with a shallow cup and are 2.1 to 3.0 cm in diameter. Each flower has five petals, which are 1.1 to 1.5 cm long and 0.7 to 1.2 cm wide, with a single light-pink color (RHS-65B) and a broad, ovate shape. The stamens are shorter than the petals, there is one pistil per flower, the stigma is almost the same length as the anthers, and the anther is orange-red (RHS-39B).
Fruit.
‘Qingtian’ sets a small number of fruit (Supplemental Fig. 1) that are a single light-green color (RHS-142D) with a pubescent exocarp. The fruit are small and circular. Their vertical diameter is ≈2.2 to 2.5 cm, and their transverse diameter is ≈2.3 to 2.6 cm. The pits (Fig. 6) are circular with many nuclear lines.
Comparison of pits of (left) P. davidiana and (right) and P. davidiana ‘Qingtian’.
Citation: HortScience 57, 3; 10.21273/HORTSCI16357-21
Cultivation and Pest Management
‘Qingtian’ is suitable for cultivation in Shandong, Hebei, Henan, Shanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, and Yunnan provinces in China. For ornamental planting, it is recommended that this new cultivar be cultivated in thick, moist loam soil with good drainage and a soil pH of 6 to 7.5. The plant is propagated primarily by grafting onto peach seedling rootstocks. Healthy and plump buds (scions) are collected in the autumn (August–September) from mature branches of the current year. Plastic wrappers should be removed and the rootstock pruned during the following spring. After germination, the rootstock sprouts should be removed three to four times to ensure the growth of the grafted buds. Regular pruning to keep the branches short is critical to ensure flowering the next year. Observations have indicated that this cultivar has a low incidence of pests and diseases. Other management techniques are those used for ordinary ornamental trees (Yin et al., 2021; Zhang et al., 2020).
Availability
P. davidiana ‘Qingtian’ is available from Zhendong Nursery (Tai’an, Shandong, China). Please direct all inquiries to Duojiao Zhang (e-mail: 1170345630@qq.com).
Literature Cited
Guan, F.C., Wang, S.P., Li, R.Q., Peng, M. & Meng, F.J. 2014 Genetic diversity of wild peach (Prunus mira Koehne kov et. Kpst) from different altitudes in the Tibetan plateau by pollen morphous and RAPD markers HortScience 49 1017 1022 https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI.49.8.1017
Li, T.F., Liu, J.R., Xie, Y.N., Wang, Q.Y. & Meng, F.J. 2014 Analysis of genetic diversity in Prunus mira Koehne ex Sargent populations using AFLP markers Plant Syst. Evol. 300 475 482 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-013- 0896-5
Yin, Y.J., Cui, X.L., Zhang, L.L., Mao, Y.F., Su, X.F., Liu, Y.P., Pang, H.L. & Shen, X. 2021 ‘Dai Long’ crabapple HortScience 56 982 984 https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI15993-21
Zhang, C.L., Liu, F.X., Wang, Z.X., Liu, Z.Z. & Jiang, L. 2019 Study on ‘Xiacui’ grafting on different seedling peach rootstocks Northern Fruits 4 9 12 (In Chinese), https://doi.org/10.16376/j.cnki.bfgs.2019.04.003
Zhang, L.L., Mao, Y.F., Wang, Y.Y., Yang, L., Yin, Y.J. & Shen, X. 2020 Malus spectabilis ‘Duojiao’: A new yellow-leaf cultivar HortScience 55 1155 1158 https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI14865-20
Zheng, Y., Crawford, G.W. & Chen, X. 2014 Archaeological evidence for peach (Prunus persica) cultivation and domestication in China PLoS One 9 e106595 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0106595
The original photo of fruit in P. davidiana ‘Qingtian’.
Citation: HortScience 57, 3; 10.21273/HORTSCI16357-21
