Honey Top® Grafted Yellow Flesh Nectarine Plant RP-40 1L Pot Untreated

Honey Top® Yellow Flesh Nectarine Variety Data Sheet

• Fruit flesh color: Yellow
• Skin color: Dark red/garnet, very colorful and attractive
• Size and shape: Large caliber (2A), round
• Tree size: Semi-erect habit, good vigor
• Fruit Maturity: Approximately 12 days before Big Top®
• Fruit taste: Very sweet, good taste quality, soft.
• Earliness of the variety: Early.
• Fruiting period Start of season (linked to its precocity).
• Disease resistance and conservation: Good agronomic potential suggesting good characteristics.
• Variety yield: Good agronomic and production potential.
• Commercial use: Mainly for fresh consumption (due to its taste quality and attractive appearance).
• Is this a COV variety? Yes.
• Comments: Part of the Honey Zee® range developed by Zaiger Genetics. Well adapted to the regions of southern France. Good agronomic and production potential.

Quick read / the essentials on Nectarinier Honey Top®

Honey Top® is a yellow-fleshed nectarine variety from the Zaiger Genetics breeding program, belonging to the famous "Honey" selection line. This variety is distinguished by its firm, juicy, very sweet and aromatic flesh, perfectly meeting the requirements of fresh consumption. The fruit, size 2A, has a beautiful, bright, uniform garnet-red skin, free of marked lenticels, which gives it a very attractive commercial presentation. Its early harvest takes place around mid-July in temperate zones, or even at the end of June in southern zones, allowing it to capture high-end markets from the start of the season.

At Arboriverse , a specialist wholesale supplier of nectarine plants , we offer this VOC-protected variety in an offer dedicated to arborists looking for productivity, precocity and taste quality. Honey Top® is self-fertile, limiting pollination constraints, and displays good natural resistance to peach leaf curl. The tree, vigorous with a semi-erect habit, adapts to various training systems, intensive or semi-intensive, while offering notable ease of maintenance.

Buying Honey Top® nectarine plants from Arboriverse means ensuring a solid start to your orchard with certified plants from an approved network. Thanks to our expertise, we advise you on the best rootstock for your soil (GF 677, Rubira, Saint Julien GF655/2, etc.) and support you until full production. As a specialist wholesale supplier of nectarine plants , we provide you with our know-how to optimize your yields and secure your position on early markets. Buying Honey Top® nectarine plants means choosing performance, simplicity, and profitability.

Introducing the Honey Top® yellow-fleshed nectarine variety

Honey Top® is a yellow-fleshed nectarine variety developed by the renowned American breeder Zaiger Genetics in California. It is protected by a Plant Variety Certificate (PVC), and its commercial distribution in Europe is ensured by the publisher International Plant Selection (IPS). This protection means that any propagation or commercialization of plants requires official authorization.

Description of the fruit

The fruit of the Honey Top® variety is distinguished by its superior taste and attractive appearance. Its yellow flesh is firm, juicy, and particularly sweet. It is a typical fruit of the "Honey" selections: a sweet, very aromatic flavor that appeals to both fresh market professionals and consumers.

The size is high, classified as 2A, and often described as very large under favorable growing conditions. Its shape is round and regular, contributing to a uniformity appreciated during packaging. The bright garnet red epidermis covers a large part of the fruit, without excessive lenticels, which gives Honey Top® a beautiful commercial presentation.

Although the sources do not provide quantitative data on post-harvest storage, the firmness of the flesh and the absence of cracking or split pits indicate that the fruits will keep well until they are marketed.

Maturity and harvest schedule

Honey Top® is an early-maturing variety. It ripens about 12 days before Big Top®, making it ripe around mid-July in temperate zones. In southern regions, this early maturity can even allow harvesting as early as late June or early July. This early positioning is strategic for producers looking to access early-season markets, which often offer added value.

Tree behavior

The tree has good vigor, with a semi-erect habit that facilitates cultivation operations such as pruning or harvesting. At maturity, it generally reaches a height of between 3 and 5 meters. This moderate development makes it compatible with different training systems, in intensive or semi-intensive orchards.

Although staking is not specifically mentioned, it is recommended in the first few years to ensure good anchoring, particularly if the site is exposed to wind or if the fruit load becomes heavy quickly.

Self-fertility and pollination

Honey Top® is a self-fertile variety, meaning it can fruit on its own without the need for a pollinator. This simplifies management in a single-variety orchard. However, as is often the case, the presence of other compatible varieties nearby can contribute to more dynamic cross-pollination, sometimes improving yield.

Resistances and sensitivities

Honey Top® has good overall disease resistance, particularly to leaf curl, a common fungal disease in peach and nectarine trees. It also has moderate resistance to common pests such as aphids and thrips, although the latter require monitoring and appropriate treatments under high pressure.

Regarding soil conditions, it is known for its good adaptation to various soil types. Specific information on its tolerance to limestone, root asphyxiation, or drought is not detailed in the sources, but these characteristics can be effectively modulated by the choice of rootstock.

Recommended rootstocks for France

Depending on the soil and climate of the region, several rootstocks are compatible with Honey Top®, including:

• GF 677 : suitable for dry and calcareous soils, it provides vigor and resistance to drought.

• Prunier Saint Julien GF655/2 : efficient on heavy or asphyxiating soils.

• Rubira peach tree : quick fruiting, ideal for poor and dry soils.

It is recommended to conduct a thorough soil diagnosis before planting in order to choose the most suitable rootstock. A local nurseryman or technical advisor can assist you in this process.

Productivity and business potential

Honey Top® is described as a very productive variety, with high and consistent yield potential. Although no specific figures are provided, yields can reasonably be estimated at the upper end of the typical range for nectarines, i.e., 30 to 60 kg per mature tree, depending on growing conditions and tree age.

Thanks to its precocity, attractive visual appearance and excellent taste qualities, the fruit is perfectly suited to the fresh consumption market. It meets the expectations of demanding distribution channels, particularly for supermarkets, local markets and early exports.

Climate adaptation

The Honey Top® variety is well adapted to the southern regions of France and other areas with low cold requirements. It can therefore be planted in a wide range of terroirs in the south of France, but also in some more central regions benefiting from good summer sunshine.

Conclusion

Honey Top® is positioned as a strategic variety for apple growers wishing to promote early production of yellow-fleshed nectarines, both qualitative and productive. Its commercial appeal, firmness, sweet flavor, and beautiful presentation make it a premium product for fresh consumption. Its relative hardiness and self-fertility reinforce its appeal for simplified and profitable management.

To summarize: Honey Top® Nectarine

Honey Top® is a high-quality, early yellow-fleshed nectarine variety that combines all the criteria of a premium fruit: large size (2A), bright garnet-red skin, sweet and firm flesh, and very good post-harvest shelf life. It perfectly meets the requirements of modern distribution channels and consumers looking for tasty and visually attractive fruit. Its early maturity, reached from late June to mid-July depending on the area, allows it to gain competitiveness from the start of the season.

Arboriverse , a specialist wholesale supplier of nectarine plants , recommends this variety to producers wishing to strengthen their range of yellow nectarines with a reliable, hardy and profitable solution. The tree, vigorous and with a semi-erect habit, lends itself to flexible training, with good agronomic behavior. Its self-fertility reduces pollination constraints, while its natural tolerance to peach leaf curl secures production. The choice of rootstock (GF 677 for dry soils, Rubira for poor soils or Saint Julien for heavy soils) allows the variety to be adapted to a wide variety of French terroirs.

Buying Honey Top® nectarine plants from a specialist nectarine plant wholesaler like Arboriverse means benefiting from professional support, certified VOC-compliant equipment, and technical expertise to serve your orchard. With high yield potential and maximum commercial value, buying Honey Top® nectarine plants is a strategic choice to meet the expectations of a demanding and constantly evolving market.