KR-20260065431-A - Method of growing apricot trees

Abstract

The present invention relates to a new apricot variety 'Golden Apricot' having the characteristics that the fruit skin coloration is full coloration, the color tone of the skin coloration is yellowish-orange, the sugar content of the fruit flesh is 18 to 20 Brix, the weight of the fruit is 80g to 100g, and the fruit ripening period is mid-June. The invention relates to a new apricot variety Golden Apricot that can be mass-produced through asexual reproduction by grafting a variant onto a wild peach seedling (or rootstock) so that the genetic characteristics of the parent plant are inherited identically.

Inventors

• 한치석

Assignees

• 한치석

Dates

Publication Date

20260508

Application Date

20241101

Claims (1)

1. A method of cultivating apricot trees by first top-grafting a harcot onto a 4-year-old or 5-year-old early summer apricot tree, taking the first scion from the apricot tree plant grown through the first top-graft, then second-grafting the first scion onto a 4-year-old or 5-year-old B3-60 apricot tree, taking the second scion from the apricot tree plant grown through the second top-graft, then bottom-grafting the second scion onto a roughly 1-year-old wild peach rootstock, and then applying inorganic colloidal selenium fertilizer to the rootstock.

Description

Method of growing apricot trees The present invention relates to a method for cultivating a new variety of apricot tree, and more specifically, to a method for cultivating a new variety of apricot tree having the characteristics that the fruit peel coloration is full coloration, the peel coloration tone is yellowish-orange, the fruit flesh sugar content is 18 to 20 Brix, the fruit weight is 80g to 100g, and the fruit ripening period is mid-June. The apricot tree (scientific name: Prunus armeniaca) is a plant belonging to the genus Prunus in the family Rosaceae, and its origin is believed to be northwestern China. It is currently widely cultivated in the Korean Peninsula and Japan as well. It generally grows to a height of 8 to 12 meters, with trunks reaching a diameter of about 40 cm. The leaves grow to a length of 5 to 9 cm and a width of 4 to 8 cm, and the flowers range from white to pinkish. The flowers bloom before the leaves appear, and it is a drupe similar to a peach. Apricots are broadly classified into East Asian varieties, which are cultivated in the East Asian region, and European varieties, which are cultivated in the United States and Europe. There are about 10 varieties of apricots, including Harcot, Heiwa, Choha, B3-60, Kabushidaishi, Sanhyeong 3-ho, and Kwangodaishi. There is also a similar variety called the plumcot, which is a hybrid of an apricot and a plum. The Harcourt variety is a representative apricot cultivar; it is characterized by strong tree vigor and a semi-spreading growth habit. Furthermore, it has excellent fruit set, resulting in no alternate bearing, and exhibits minimal fruit cracking even during rainfall at harvest time. The fruit weighs approximately 52g even without thinning, and is a large variety with an average weight of around 80g. The skin is colored red over a yellow base, while the flesh is orange. It is sweet and fragrant, making it suitable for fresh consumption. The ripening period is mid-July. However, since the Harcourt variety is difficult to self-pollinate, it experiences a long period of alternate bearing, requiring the interplanting of a specific proportion of pollinators, and is prone to fruit cracking during the rainy season harvest. In order to resolve these issues through breeding and simultaneously enhance the international competitiveness of apricots, there is an urgent need to develop new high-quality apricot varieties that are superior in taste to existing varieties and can satisfy consumer preferences regarding size and color. In particular, since the sugar content of apricots is a major factor determining their taste, serves as an internal quality standard, and is a very important element in determining consumer demand, we aim to develop a variety with a higher sugar content than other apricot varieties as a way to reduce the cultivation burden on farmers. Figure 1 is a photograph showing the fruiting state of the new apricot variety of the present invention, the golden apricot, where (a) is a photograph before harvest and (b) is a photograph comparing the golden apricot harvested from the tree in (a) with the harcot. FIG. 2 is a photograph showing the fruit size of the new apricot variety, Golden Apricot, of the present invention for comparative judgment. (The photograph in FIG. 4b is shown in the order of egg, Golden Apricot, and golf ball from left to right.) The new apricot variety of the present invention, the Golden Apricot, has a fruit ripening period in mid-June (around June 18 based on the Gyeongbuk region, with variations depending on the year), is a large fruit with an average weight of 80g to 100g, has an average sugar content of 18 Brix or higher (maximum sugar content of 20 Brix), the skin of the spherical fruit is colored as a yellowish-orange with full-surface coloring, the pit (seed) separates easily when the fruit is split by hand without juice flowing out, does not crack even when exposed to rain, and especially has very dense growth nodes on the branches so winter pruning is not required, it is self-pollinating so no pollinator is needed, and since it thins out the fruit uniformly on its own according to the nutritional status of the tree during the fruit growth process, there is absolutely no need for thinning work. The new variety of apricot according to the present invention is unrivaled in taste and size, and the fruit ripens by the end of June before the rainy season begins. Since there is no need for winter pruning or thinning of the fruit, labor is also reduced, making it truly the best variety of apricot. Therefore, the applicant has named the new variety of apricot according to the present invention "Golden Apricot." According to one embodiment of the present invention, the new apricot variety Golden Apricot is cultivated by first top-grafting a Harcot onto a 4-year-old or 5-year-old early-summer apricot tree, taking a first scion from the apricot tree plant grown through the first top-grafting, then second-grafting