INBREEDING IN CALIFORNIA CANNING CLINGSTONE PEACH CULTIVARS

The inbreeding coefficients of commercially important canning clingstr one peach [Prunus persica (L). Batsch] cultivars developed in Californ ia were found to be relatively low based on pedigree analysis using th e SAS INBREED procedure. However, coefficients of co-ancestry between the likely parents of future generations reveal an increasing probabil ity of inbreeding. This increased probability is primarily the consequ ence of past usage of a small number of presumably unrelated parents i n early crosses, and extensive use of their progeny as parents in subs equent crosses.