Key Points of Breeding and Cultivation Techniques of Wushan Crisp Plum: a New Cultivar of Green Crisp Plum

Wushan crisp plum is a new cultivar of green crisp plum with dignified fruit shape, crisp and tender flesh, pit separability and sweet taste. It is bred from natural bud mutant of Jiang’an Dabaili, a local green crisp plum cultivar by Wushan County Fruit Industry Development Center, Southwest University and Chongqing Agricultural Technology Extension Station. Wushan crisp plum has won the gold award in the National High-quality Plum and Apricot Appraise and Elect and the tile of “the king of fruit” in the “Three-Gorge Cup” High-quality Crisp Plum Appraise and Elect. In the southwestern region of China, the planting area of Wushan crisp plum has been extended to 33 000 ha. The cultivar has strong robust and fast growth. In the area along the Yangtze River in the Three Gorges Reservoir area of ​​Chongqing, it ripens from early to middle July. The fruit is ovoid and of medium size, with average longitudinal diameter of 3.3 cm, average horizontal diameter of 4.0 cm, average single fruit mass of 37.2g, carpopodium length of 1.5 cm, and carpopodium diameter of 0.1 cm. The top of the fruit is slightly concave. The peel is green to green-yellow in background color and medium in thickness, with obvious fruit dots and thick white fruit wax. The flesh is light yellow, compact, short in fiber length, juicy, crisp, tender, pure and sweet, with soluble solids content of 12%-15%, titratable acid content of 0.43%-0.72% and vitamin C content of 6.12-8.99 mg/100 g. The pit is small, separable, and oblate. The percentage of edible flesh is up to 94.80% - 96.88%. There is no obvious pre-harvest cracking and intra-fruit pectin. The cultivar is mid-ripening and high in yield. In the firm ripe stage, the flesh is crunchy; and after entering the soft ripe stage, the flesh becomes powdery, and the hardness decreases. At room temperature, the fruit is not resistant to storage and transportation. Wushan crisp plum is tolerant to the climate with high temperature, high humidity and less sunshine, with good adaptability. It is suitable for promoting in the upper reaches of Yangtze River within 180-1 000 m elevation.