Two New Varieties of Nectarines for Virginia

Abstract

Horticulturists of the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station recently named and released two new nectarine varieties that were developed by the fruit breeding program under way at that institutions. One, a white fleshed nectarine ripening about ten days before the Elberta peach, has been named Redchiefbecause of its highly colored skin. The other, a yellow fleshed nectarine ripening about eight days before Elberta, with attractive red and yellow skin color has been named Cavalier. Their original parents were nectarines, introduced to the United States by Department of Agriculture plant explorers. These were crossed with peaches. The resulting hybrids were self pollinated to produce segregating types of peaches and nectarines in the second generation. The original crosses were made at Blacksburg by R.C. Moore, Assistant Horticulturist of the Experiment Station in 1936.