Fayette

Fayette originates from the USA, where it was developed in 1966. at the Research Center in Fresno, California, under the USDA breeding program by John Weinberger and associates. It was created through a complex crossing of (J.H. Hale × Valiant) × Merrill Brilliant. Due to its giant fruit size, unsurpassed flesh firmness, late ripening time, and exceptional transportability, it is considered one of the most important and profitable late commercial peach varieties in the world, ideal for extending the sales season.

It is a fully self-fertile variety. It is characterized by an exceptionally high level of self-pollination and abundant flowering every year, so it reliably and stably produces maximum yields in pure single-variety orchards without the presence of other pollinator varieties. It flowers medium-late and is characterized by small, dark red, bell-shaped flowers whose buds are highly resistant to late winter cold and spring frosts.

The tree is highly vigorous, strong, and energetic in growth, with powerful scaffold branches that form a wide, well-branched, and moderately dense canopy. It enters full bearing very early, often producing its first commercial crop as early as the second or third year after planting. It bears regularly, abundantly, and extremely stably every year. Due to its strong natural vigor and tendency toward abundant fruit set, mandatory strong winter and summer pruning is required, along with rigorous hand thinning of the fruit in early summer, in order to prevent fruit size reduction.

It belongs to the group of late summer to early autumn peach varieties. In our region and under continental climatic conditions, it ripens at the end of August and in early September, usually between August 25 and September 5, around 25 to 30 days after the standard Redhaven variety.

Harvesting takes place at the end of August and during the first half of September. One of the greatest advantages of this variety is that ripe fruit tolerates remaining on the branches very well and does not drop easily even in stronger winds, allowing growers a stable and extended harvest during the late season.

It is characterized by exceptionally good long-term storage ability for a peach. In cold storage, it can be successfully kept for 3 to even 4 weeks, retaining full freshness, juiciness, and flesh firmness. Due to its very firm, fleshy fruit and resistant skin, it tolerates picking, rough mechanical sizing, packing, and long-distance transport perfectly, without any risk of crushing or juice leakage. It is primarily a premium table variety for late export, but due to its flesh characteristics it is also outstanding for industrial processing, including premium compote halves, and for deep freezing.

The fruit is large to very large, with an average weight of 180–220 g, while with excellent agricultural practice individual fruit easily reach over 260 g. It is uniform on the tree and regular in shape, symmetrical and round, with a shallow longitudinal groove. The skin is thin, smooth, and noticeably attractive, with very little fine, delicate, barely visible pubescence, giving it a finely velvety surface. The ground color is intense golden-yellow, covered over more than 70–80% of the fruit surface by a beautiful, bright, glossy red blush on the sun-exposed side. The flesh is orange-yellow, with characteristic bright redness around the stone. It is exceptionally firm, compact, fleshy, and very juicy. The taste is premium, rich, and full, characterized by a pronounced sweet note, minimal acidity, and a luxurious varietal aroma. It belongs to the group of true freestone peaches: at full maturity, the stone separates from the flesh completely easily, smoothly, and cleanly.

It is moderately resistant to diseases. It shows outstanding natural resistance of the wood and flower buds to low winter frosts. On the other hand, it is highly susceptible to peach leaf curl, Taphrina deformans, and susceptible to bacterial leaf spot, which requires mandatory, professional, and regular preventive chemical protection, including copper-based blue spraying at the bud swelling stage and targeted fungicides throughout the growing season. In humid autumns before harvest, standard protection against fruit Monilinia is required.

Our peach fruit trees are produced on highly compatible, certified rootstocks: vineyard peach seedling, an excellent standard for well-drained, light, and moderately fertile soils, and the modern vegetative rootstock St. Julien A, which successfully controls tree vigor on heavier and wetter soils, ensuring a perfect and long-lasting graft union.