A novel trait to reduce the mechanical damage of peach fruits at harvest: The first genetic dissection study for peduncle length.

Summary: Do you hate buying peaches only to find them bruised and mushy? Farmers struggle with this too. When peaches are picked and shipped, they often get bumped and damaged. A new scientific study has found a natural solution: longer stems.

Researchers discovered that peaches with longer stems (called peduncles) hang better and don't get squashed as easily during harvest and transport. To help grow better fruit in the future, these scientists performed a genetic study to find the exact parts of the peach DNA that control stem length. This is the first step toward breeding tougher, higher-quality peaches that arrive at the grocery store in perfect condition.