Which peach varieties are resistant to leaf curl?

Peaches (Prunus persica) have graceful, lance-shaped leaves. The blossoms appear early in the year (usually around April). Although the peach trees themselves are quite hardy, the blossoms can be damaged by frost. This, of course, also affects the harvest.

Although you can grow peaches just fine in our climate, there is one major challenge: peaches are often prone to leaf curl.

This is a disease that causes the leaves to discolor and become misshapen. The leaves curl up, dry out, and may fall off. Although the peach tree may grow over the affected areas later in the season, the disease significantly weakens the tree. Young fruits may also be affected.

Curly top disease can become very harmful to the tree over the long term. Without treatment, the fungus will remain present in subsequent years. Chemical treatment is not recommended and often does not provide an effective solution at all.

Peach varieties that are (partially) resistant to leaf curl

Many (hobby) growers treat their peaches as a preventive measure against leaf curl.

However, there are also varieties available that are (more) resistant. These are peach varieties that are slightly susceptible or (almost) not susceptible to leaf curl, or varieties that easily grow past the condition without being significantly affected by it.

• Amsden
• Avalon Pride
• Benedicte
• Fertile in September
• Poysdorfer Vineyard
• Redhaven
• Revita
• Red Vineyard Peach

* Unfortunately, we were unable to test all of these varieties ourselves due to a lack of space. Nevertheless, these peach varieties are most often cited as being less susceptible to leaf curl. For now, it appears that Avalon Pride, Benedicte, and Revita are the most resistant.

What has been your experience with peach leaf curl?

(What type do you have, and how much does it bother you?)