Leaf Measurements as a Means of Identification of Peach Varieties in Nursery Trees1

Ten different measurements or counts were made on leaf samples of five peach varieties in six locations over 3 years with the object of testing the possibility of identifying varieties in the nursery. Of the ten leaf-measurements, length of blade, width of blade, base angle, apex angle, and length of petiole, showed higher discriminative values than the other measurements under test. Measurements assisted considerably the visual method of identification However, none of these measurements alone made it possible to distinguish between certain varieties that were very similar in their leaf characteristics Large leaves from the middle portion of the central shoot of the nursery tree gave the most reliable samples.