Apricot (Prunus sp.) is an important fruit crop worldwide. Despite recent advances in apricot research, much is still to be done to improve its productivity and environmental adaptability. The availability of wild apricot germplasms with economically interesting traits is a strong incentive to increase research panels toward improving its economic, environmental and nutritional characteristics. New technologies and genomic studies have generated a large amount of raw data that the mining and exploitation can help decrypt the biology of apricot and enhance its agronomic values. Here, we outline recent findings in relation to apricot production, pomological and nutraceutical properties. In particular, we retrace its origin from central Asia and the path it took to attain Europe and other production areas around the Mediterranean basin while locating it in the rosaceae family and referring to its genetic diversities and new attempts of classification. The production, nutritional, and nutraceutical importance of apricot are recapped in an easy readable and comparable way. We also highlight and discuss the effects of late frost damages on apricot production over different growth stages, from swollen buds to green fruits formation. Issues related to the length of production season and biotic and abiotic environmental challenges are also discussed with future perspective on how to lengthen the production season without compromising the fruit quality and productivity.

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The harvest season of apricots is short and fruit cannot be protected in cold stores for a long time. For those reasons, apricot production and consumption are lower than in other fruit species. This study was conducted for the purpose of breeding new late ripening apricot varieties. To this aim, a total of 3718 hybrid genotypes of apricots were obtained from 42 crosses. Phenological, pomological and yield analyses were performed and variations of fruit development period, fruit size, polarimetric dry matter (Brix), total acidity, yield and other traits were determined. Two years of results for important traits are given for 12 promising genotypes. Fruit development period varied between 148 and 167 days, fruit weight 25.2 and 41.2 g, Brix 16.3 and 22.6% and total acidity 0.56 and 1.25%.