Increasing chilling reduces heat requirement for floral budbreak in peach

Abstract

Response to chilling temperatures is a critical factor in the suitability of peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] cultivars to moderate climates such as in the southeastern United States. Time of bloom depends on the innate chilling requirement of the cultivar as well as the timing and duration of cold and warm temperatures experienced by the buds. Most current chilling models have considered dormancy break a sequential process: after appropriate chilling is received, a fixed amount of heat accumulation will produce bloom. This research shows that as chilling exposure increases, the time and heat accumulation required for peach floral budbreak decreases in an exponential relationship. When chilling is ample, a sequential, two-part dormancy model is adequate to describe budbreak, and increased chilling has little effect on heat requirement. In lower-chilling situations relative to a particular cultivar, the curvilinear relationship between chilling and heat requirement results in more heat being required for budbreak. This relationship, in conjunction with the range of chilling requirement found among the buds on a tree, results in an extended, asymmetrical budbreak.