Peach and Nectarine

Nut fruit, botanical name Prunes persica, coming from China and northern Persia, belonging to the Rosaceae family.
The trees grow to a height of 4.5 to 7.0 m with a diameter of 3 to 4 m. The leaves have a serrated edge. Pink flowers appear in spring before the leaves begin to sprout. The flowering season is relatively long with beautiful flowers, often with many small flowers. Flowering starts early in the spring – February – March in the Northern Hemisphere and in the corresponding months in the Southern Hemisphere.

Trees produce a commercial yield from their third year and continue production for about 15 to 20 years. Major productions are reached between the sixth and the twelfth year. The flowers of most varieties are hermaphrodites, which means they are self-pollinating. Some varieties need bees for pollination. Peaches prefer a dry climate for flowering. The flowers grow on one year old branches with two flowers surrounding the growing sprouts. The fruits ripen 3 to 5 months after flowering. The fruit sprouts formed on the branch will produce the fruit the following season.

The leading producers of peach and nectarines (tons) are China, Italy, the United States and Spain, while in terms of production the United States, Spain, Italy and Greece.