Abstract
A freeze with temperatures of about -3C (26.6F) during bloom provided an opportunity to assess frost tolerance of 17 peach and nectarine cultivars (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch), and 8 Japanese plum cultivars (interspecific hybrids of P. salicina). Ovary survival of recently opened flowers varied significantly among peach cultivars, with 'Junegold' and 'Coronet' among the most tolerant, and 'Loring' and 'Fantasia' among the least tolerant. 'Bruce' and 'Santa Rosa' were by far the hardiest, and 'Ozark Premier' among the least tolerant of the plums, which were all in the post-bloom stage of development during the freeze.