Pesticide and Environmental Update
"Skinny"
Crimson Rocket Peach Making Its Way to Market
Crimson Rocket peach trees look like tall, thin cousins of the more
classically-shaped peach trees. These "skinny" trees provide an
attractive, space-saving tree that produces full-size peaches that could
make their way to consumers in 2008.
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) horticulturist Ralph Scorza and his
colleagues in the Appalachian Fruit Research Station at Kearneysville,
W.Va., developed the "columnar" variety. The tree was patented
and released in 2001 for experimental evaluation in orchards across the
United States.
Crimson Rocket has been licensed by several commercial nurseries in
Missouri, Pennsylvania and California. The trees have been in commercial
orchards for the last three years and Crimson Rocket fruit may begin to
appear in local marketplaces next spring.
A fully grown Crimson Rocket tree has a diameter of about five feet and
fits neatly into a small yard. In commercial settings, the compact trees
can be planted much closer together than conventional trees that spread
out to a width of 16 feet. Crimson Rocket's columnar shape translates into
more peaches per acre, while land and production costs are similar.
According to Scorza, Crimson Rocket was bred for high-density
production systems, allowing for a new concept in peach production. Its
shape also makes it a novel and useful fruit tree for home gardens.
Crimson Rocket has two copies of a naturally occurring gene that sends
the branches skyward. It produces yellow-fleshed, dessert-type peaches
that are firm, sweet and aromatic. The medium-sized fruit stores well and
softens when completely ripe.
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