Flower and Vegetative Bud Set of Four Low-chill Peach Cultivars at Three Locations in Florida

Vegetative and floral bud set of four low-chill peach cultivars ('Flordaprince', 'Flordaglo', 'UFGold', and 'TropicBeauty') were evaluated at three locations ranging from north-central to southwestern Florida. Nodes were categorized as either blind (no buds), mixed (vegetative and floral buds), or vegetative (vegetative buds only). The percentages of each node type were determined from representative shoots of each tree at each location. Generally, higher proportions of blind nodes occurred in central and southwestern Florida and more mixed nodes were observed at the north-central Florida site. 'TropicBeauty' had a larger percentage of blind nodes than the other cultivars. Higher temperatures during bud formation probably contributed to high percentages of blind nodes and the relatively low percentages of mixed nodes observed at the central and southwest locations when compared to the north-central location. Certain genotypes appear to have a predisposition for the formation of blind nodes. Advanced selections that have potential adaptation to a wide diversity of tropical or subtropical climates need to be tested in multiple locations to evaluate blind node formation.