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AU-Cherry

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Methley

F1

P. angustifolia (Starcher No. 1)

Methley

I

P. salicina

P. cerasifera

Pedigree of AU-Cherry
FIRST PRINTING 4M, DECEMBER 1990

Information contained herein is availableto all persons without regardto race, colotr,sex, or nationalorigin.

Cover photos by Roy Roberson, Department of Research Information

AU-CHERRY PLUM CULTIVAR DEVELOPED FOR HOME GARDEN PRODUCTION
J. D.
Norton, G. E. Boyhan, D. A. Smith, and B. R. Abrahams' INTRODUCTION

AU-CHERRY is a new plum cultivar developed by the Alabama Ag-

ricultural Experiment Station, Auburn University, for growing in areas receiving at least 700 hours of chilling temperature below 45°E The new cultivar was selected from a cross of Methley and Starcher No. 1 (Prunus angustifolia)followed by backcrossing and sibbing of selected seedlings, as shown by the pedigree on page 2. It was developed to meet the need for disease-resistant cultivars. Such resistance is particularly important in the Southeast where prevalance of certain diseases and susceptibility of commercial varieties has discouraged plum production. CULTIVAR DESCRIPTION Trees of AU-Cherry are upright with dark green leaves. In test orchards in Alabama, the trees were vigorous, disease resistant, and long lived. The plant is self-fruitful, flowers profusely, and sets a heavy crop. The cultivar has proven its ability to produce high yields of excellent quality fruit where certain fruit and tree disease problems occur. It is a mid season cultivar that matures fruit 2 weeks after Methley, table 1. DISEASE RESISTANCE AU-Cherry is highly resistant to bacterial canker (Pseudomona syringae, Van hall), bacterial fruit spot [Xanthomonas pruni (E. E Smith), Dows], bacterial leaf spot (X. pruni), black knot [Apisporina morbosa (Schw) Ark.], and plum leaf scald (Xylellafastidiosa,Wells et al.), table 2.
'Respectively, Professor, Research Associate, former Associate Professor, and Technician of Horticulture.

TABLE 1. BLOOM AND HARVEST DATES AND YIELD OF PLUM CULTIVARS

VarietyAuburn AU-Cherry ................................... ....... AU-Rosa ..................... ................ AU-Rubrum ................................. AU-Amber ............. ................ AU-Producer ................................. AU-Roadside ............................... Bruce 2 ................. ................... Crimson ............................. ..... Homeside ...... ............................. Methley 3 ................... ............... Morris ................................ ... Ozark Premier ............. ................... Purple ................ .... Santa Rosa 4 ............ ...................
2

Bloom date 3-24 3-24 3-22 3-17 3-20 3-22 3-20 3-22 3-20 3-22 3-22 3-20 3-24 3-24

Harvest date 6-24 6-22 6-19 5-30 6-27 7-4 6-29 7-14 7-5 6-10 6-17 7-10 7-20 7-5

Yield' 5 5 5 5 5 5 2 5 5 3 5 4 5 3

'Yield index: 0 = 10, 1 = very low, 2 = low, 3 = fair, 4 = good, and 5 = excellent.
3 Trees 4

Trees short lived due to ring spot virus. short lived due to black knot and bacterial canker. Trees short lived due to bacterial canker.
TABLE 2. DISEASE RESISTANCE OF PLUM CULTIVARS IN EXPERIMENTAL PLANTINGS AT AUBURN, SHORTER, AND CLANTON, ALABAMA

Cultivar

Bacterial
fruit spot

Bacterial
leaf spot

Disease index' Bacterial Black
canker knot

Brown
rot

Plum leaf
scald

AU-Cherry ..... 0 AU-Rosa ........ 0 AU-Rubrum .... 0 AU-Amber ...... 0 AU-Producer ... 0 AU-Roadside ... 0 Bruce ........... 0 Crimson ........ 0 Homeside ...... 0 Methley ......... 3 Morris .......... 1 Ozark Premier .. 0 Purple .......... 0 Santa Rosa ...... 5

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 2 1 0 5

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 2 1 0 5

0 0 5 1 0 0 0 0 1 5 5 1 0 0

0 0 2 2 2 2 4 1 3 3 2 3 3 3

0 0 1 0 1 1 4 3 1 4 2 4 5 5

'Disease index: 0 = 0, 1 = 1-10, 2 = 21-40, 3 = 41-60, 4 = 61-80, and 5 = 91-100 percent of fruit, leaves, and trees infected. Ratings were taken in years when injury from diseases was severe on susceptible cultivars.

FRUIT QUALITY Fruits of AU-Cherry have dark red skin (scarlet red, HCC 44A) 2 and dark red flesh (scarlet red HCC 44B) 2. Fruit quality is excellent for fresh market, which makes AU-Cherry adaptable for home use. How2Horticulture Color Chart; Royal Horticulture Society, London. [4]

TABLE 3. FRUIT CHARACTERISTICS OF PLUM CULTIVARS

CultivarFri

Set 51 5 5 5 5

Flesh color

Skin color

Size In. 1-1 4 13/s-214 2'/4-21/2 1 -2 1 42 2-21/2 13/4-2
11/2-1 /4 2 /42'/2

Shape

Flavor Firmness

Stn freeness cling cling
cling cling

TextureSoul solids 5' 5 5 5 5 5
3

AU-Cherry ................. AU-Rosa .................... AU-Rubrum ................ AU-Amber .................. AU-Producer ...............
r---, GZ
u

dark yellow dark red yellow dark red dark red orange to red
crimson red cream

5 AU-Roadside ............... 5 Bruce ....................... Crimson..................S5 5 Homeside ................. Methley................... Morris ......................
Ozark Premier .......

dark red dark red dark red dark red dark red to purple dark red orange to red
crimson red orange to

5' I 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

S1 5 5 5 5

4'

5 5 4 5
4 2

free
semi-cling cling

Pct. 18.0 17.6 15.6 19.2 16.5 17.2
9.4

5 4 5 3 S 4 S 5 5

cling cling cling cling semi-cling semi-cling cling

5 5 5 5 5 4 5

16.3 18.8 18.5 13.4 15.7 14.8 16.7

5 5 5 5 4

dark red light red
cream cream

light red dark red
to purple

1-1/4
1/-2
/4

light red
red to purple dark red to purple

Purple....................
Santa Rosa ..................

2-2'/4 2 /-2

4 S
5

red good, 3

dark red to purple

11/4-1 2

5

'Rating index: 5 = excellent; 4

fair, 2 = poor, and 1= very poor.

ever, it lacks size and firmness for handling, packing, and shipping to commercial markets, table 3. Fruits were rated acceptable in canned fruit tests, table 4.

TABLE 4. MEAN QUALITY EVALUATIONS' OF 12 CANNED PLUM CULTIVARS

Cultivar AU-Cherry .................... AU-Rosa ...................... AU-Rubrum ................... AU-Amber .................... AU-Producer .................. AU-Roadside .................. Crimson ...................... Giant Cherry ................... Methley ....................... Morris .......................... Ozark Premier .................. Red June ...................... Sapa ........................... Starking Delicious ..............

Color 9 8 8 8 8 8 8 5 8 8 7 6 10 8

Texture 8 8 8 9 8 8 8 6 8 8 76 8 8 7

Flavor 9 8 8 9 8 8 8 7 8 7 8 8 5

Overall quality2 8.7 8.0 8.0 8.7 8.0 8.0 8.0 6.0 8.0 7.7 6.7 7.4 8.6 6.7

'Numerical scores as follows: 9 or 10 = highly acceptable, 7 or 8 = acceptable, 5 or6 = barely acceptable, and below 5 = unacceptable. Mean scores of an expert panel (3-4 panelists) were obtained on the canned plums after at least 6 weeks warm-storage. 2 Overall ratings are the means of all the panelists' three quality ratings.

YIELDS The cultivar has been in trials as Methley C-50 at five locations in the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station and in grower trials. AUCherry compares favorably with other cultivars in yield, table 1. It has produced high yields at two locations in central and southeast Alabama and at Byron, Ga. Average yields of marketable fruit per tree in Alabama were 40 pounds, 70 pounds, 90 pounds, and 100 pounds, respectively, from 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-year-old trees.

[6]

STORAGE Fruits of AU-Cherry store as well as AU-Amber, AU-Roadside, and Methley and better than Bruce, Ozark Premier, and Homeside, table 5.

TABLE 5. PERCENT MARKETABLE PLUM FRUIT AFTER STORAGE AT 320 F

Cultivar

3 Pct. 95 100 100 95 100 95 20 100 95 95 100 90 100

Marketable, by weeks of storage 6 9 12 Pct. 70 85 85 70 90 70 5 90 65 70 90 65 85 80 Pd. 20 65 65 20 65 20 0 65 15 20 65 15 55 45 Pd. 0 10 10 0 30 0 0 30 0 0 30 0 25 20

14 Pd. 0 5 5 0 15 0 0 15 0 0 15 0 8 5

AU-Cherry ................................. AU-Rosa .................................... AU-Rubrum ................................ AU-Amber .................................. AU-Producer ............................ AU-Roadside ............................... Bruce ....................................... Crimson .................................... Homeside .................................. Methley .................................... Morris ...................................... Ozark Premier ............................ Purple........ ...................... Santa Rosa...........................100

OUTSTANDING

CHARACTERISTICS

AU-Cherry is an excellent plum for the home garden. Tree vigor and tolerance to plum leaf scald are the primary improvements of AUCherry. Trees of AU-Cherry are vigorous and show no evidence of plum leaf scald, whereas trees of susceptible varieties grow much more slowly
and show obvious symptoms of plum leaf

selection criterion in the Southeast, and the relationship of plum leaf scald to phony peach disease makes resistance important.. Another improvement of AU-Cherry is the increased tree longevity of AU-Cherry. In test orchards in Alabama, 10 years after planting, trees of AU-Cherry were in vigorous condition.

scald. Tree vigor is a primary

[7]

Alabama's Agricultural Experiment Station System AUBURN UNIVERSITY

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® Main Agricultural Experiment Station, Auburn. E. V. Smith Research Center, Shorter.
Tennessee Valley Substation. Belle Mina. Sand Mountain Substation, Crossville. North Aiabama Horticulture Substation, Cullman. Upper Coastal Plain Substation. Winfield. Forestry Unit, Fayette County Chilton Area Horticulture Substation, Clanton. Forestry Unit. Coosa County. Piedmont Substation. Camp Hill. Plant Breeding Unit Tallassee. Forestry Unit. Autauga County. Prattville Fsperiment Field, Prattville. Blc Belt Substion, Maruon Junctuon. The Turnipseed-lkenberry Place. Union Springs. Lower Coastal Plain Substation. Camden. Forestry Unit. Barbour County. Monroeville Esperiment Field, Monroeville, Wiregrass Substation, Headland. Brewton Esperiment Field, Brewton. Solon Dixon Forestry Fducation Center. Covington and Escambia counties. 20 Ornamental Horticulture Substation, Spring Hill. 21 Gult Coast Substation, Fairhope. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15. 16. 17. 18 19