Low chill peaches and nectarines

A fruit crop is influenced by the climate change. The winter chilling requirements vary with each cultivar. The trees begin to bloom once their chilling requirement is met. Temperate fruits do require winter chilling to break dormancy. For enhancing the production of fruits low chill cultivars of different fruit crops have been bred throughout the world. These can be introduced for cultivation in low hill regions. The low chill peaches and nectarine clones developed in the past 20 years are promising for commercial production. A number of low chill peaches and nectarines developed through breeding at different research stations all over the world have been tested and released for commercial production. These accessions have adapted to low chill areas in subtropical and tropical areas. Important pomological traits along with their chill units are briefly outlined so as to provide ready information to the orchardists about the suitability of the cultivars to be grown in areas with low chill requirements.