Apple Cottage

Autumn variety selected at the South-Ural Research Institute of Fruit and Vegetable Growing and Potato Growing. Obtained from seedlings of free pollination of Yudubetsky weeping. Authors: M. A. Mazunin, N. F. Mazunina, V. I. Putyatin. Widely distributed and approved for cultivation in the Ural and West Siberian regions of Russia.

Tree is a natural dwarf with a flat-horizontally spreading crown. Height of trees on seedling rootstocks up to 1.5–2.0 m, on vegetatively propagated clone rootstocks up to 1.2–1.5 m. Bark on trunk and main branches brown. Fruit-bearing on all types of fruiting wood, occasionally fruits on last year’s growths.

Shoots are brownish, thin. Leaves are large, elongated-oval, dark green, hairy, with fine-toothed edges.

Fruits (see photo) are medium-sized, flat-round. Fruit skin is delicate, smooth, slightly oily, greenish-yellow with bright dark-red blush on most of the fruit. Peduncle is medium-length and thickness, obliquely positioned. Flesh is creamy, slightly juicy, coarse-grained, sour-sweet, excellent taste.

Fruits contain 16.0% soluble dry matter, 11.9% sugars, 0.6% titratable acids, 14.8 mg/100g ascorbic acid, and 2.1% pectin substances (on fresh weight). Storage life is 60 days.

Fruits are used for fresh consumption and industrial processing. Best pollinators for this variety are Podsneg, Sokolovskoe, Prijemlennoe.

Trees begin fruiting on the 3–4th year after grafting. Fruiting is regular in the first years, then becomes irregular. Yield up to 60 kg per tree. Cold hardiness of the variety 'Cottage' is high. In years of epiphytotic scab infection, damage does not exceed 1 point.

Advantages of the variety: natural dwarf, high yield, excellent taste and commercial quality of fruits.

Disadvantages of the variety: under prolonged high summer temperatures and dry air, fruit quality decreases.