Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Peaches (Prunus persica) are generally considered self-fruitful (self-fertile), meaning they do not require pollen from another cultivar to set fruit.
However, a few cultivars have defective or sterile pollen grains, making them self-unfruitful (self-sterile).
These male-sterile cultivars require interplanting with compatible, pollen-producing pollinizer cultivars to ensure successful fertilization and commercial fruit set.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The cultivar 'J.H. Hale' is a classic, globally famous example of a self-unfruitful peach.
It produces non-viable, sterile pollen (pollen sterility), making it completely dependent on cross-pollination from other cultivars.
To obtain a commercial crop from 'J.H. Hale', growers must plant it alongside compatible pollen-producing cultivars such as 'Elberta', 'Redhaven', or 'Georgia Belle'.
Let us review the other options:
- 'Maygold': It is a self-fruitful cultivar developed for low-chill regions, setting fruit easily with its own pollen.
- 'Sharbati': A highly popular, low-chill cultivar grown in subtropical regions of India, which is fully self-fruitful.
- 'Candor': It is an early-season, self-fruitful peach cultivar.
Therefore, 'J.H. Hale' is the correct self-unfruitful cultivar of peach.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The self-unfruitful cultivar of peach is J.H. Hale.