What are the differences between a peach and a nectarine?
A peach and a nectarine are very similar. Genetically, there is not much difference between the two. The main difference is that a peach has fuzz on its skin while a nectarine does not. Nectarines are a bit more likely to be affected by diseases such as brown rot and bacterial spot. Many nectarine varieties have a spicy “zing” to their taste. The nectarine is thought to have originated as a mutant of the peach. For the more advanced reader: The nectarine characteristic is controlled by a single recessive gene. In order for a tree to be a nectarine type, it has to receive the nectarine gene “g” from both parents. The cross between two nectarines will always result in nectarine offspring. Most peaches are homozygous for “G”, the peach characteristic. Two peach varieties that have a single nectarine gene are Autumnglo and Encore.
