What is a donut peach? Can you tell me something about it?
Answer: A donut peach is a natural genetic mutation where the shape of the fruit is naturally flat (donut shaped) rather than globose (spherical or round). They may have yellow flesh or white flesh. The flesh texture may be melting or nonmelting. The pit inside the donut peach also has a different shape than a traditional peach pit. In the donut peach, the pit is nearly spherical. In China, where the donut peach originates, the name is pan tao where pan means flat and tao means peach. Some people also refer to them as peento.
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This is Galaxy, a white-fleshed donut peach on the tree just before harvest. |
This is a clingstone, melting, subacid, white-fleshed donut peach (USDA-ARS, Parlier, CA). It has a sweet, mild flavor. |
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This is a semiclingstone, melting, yellow-fleshed donut peach (Plant Patent #19273, Rutgers Univ., NJ). It has a sweet, mild flavor. |
This is a clingstone, nonmelting, yellow-fleshed and yellow-skinned donut peach (Plant Patent #18997, Rutgers Univ., NJ). It is marketed with the name "TangOs" because of its supposed sweet, spicy flavor. |
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Donut peaches often have a very short peduncle (stem) and if you are not careful in picking them, the skin may tear at the point where the fruit attaches to the stem. Also, some cultivars have a tendency to crack on the tip end of the fruit. This provides entry for brown rot spores and subsequent infection/rot. Both of these traits are undesirable. |
Notice that you can see entirely through this donut peach with a split pit. This trait is undesirable and would make the fruit unmarketable. |
Learn more:
- Watch the video: Different Kinds of Peaches
- Watch the video: Clemson Peach Evaluation Program
- Watch the video: The Perfect Peach
- Read the column: Diversifying Your Fruit Portfolio
- Read the column: Numerous Factors Affect Peach Quality
- Visit the Peach Entry at Wikipedia (The Free Encycolpedia) or refer to Ch. 1 “Botany and Taxonomy” by D. Bassi and R. Monet in “The Peach: Botany, Production and Uses” (Layne, D.R. And D. Bassi, 2008, CAB International Press)
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