Apple Health

Winter, immune to scab (with Vf gene) apple variety from the All-Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Selection (Ordinary Antonovka x OR48T47). Developed through hybridization in 1977. Breeders: E. N. Sedov, V. V. Zhданov, Z. M. Serova, N. G. Krasova.

Accepted for State Testing in 1999 for the Central Chernozem region. Registered in the State Register since 2002.

Medium-sized trees with dense, round crowns. Main branches are straight, emerging from the trunk at nearly a right angle, with tips pointing upward. Bark on the trunk and main branches is smooth and gray. The predominant type of fruiting structures are simple and complex rings.

Medium-thick shoots, straight, angular in cross-section, with long internodes, well-hairy. Buds are small, pressed, conical, hairy. Leaves are medium-sized, elongated, egg-shaped, short-pointed, with spirally twisted tips, dark green, matte, with delicate venation. Leaf blade is concave. Leaf margin is finely toothed and wavy. Petiole is medium-length and thickness, hairy, with anthocyanin coloring.

Flowers are large, flat, buds are white-pink, petals are pale-pink, loosely clustered, stigma longer than stamens, or at the same level.

Fruits (see image) are medium-sized (140 g), one-dimensional, flattened, regular in shape, with smooth surface. Fruit skin is smooth, dry, dull, with a slight waxy coating. Main color is greenish-yellow, covering color consists of speckles and broad, blurred red stripes with beetroot tone, covering approximately half the fruit surface at harvest and most of it during consumer ripeness. Under-skin dots are faint, grayish-green. Fruit stem is usually short, medium-thickness, straight. Calyx is medium-depth, acute-conical, narrow with medium rusting. Calyx tube is small, usually closed, with short calyx lobes. Receptacle is smooth, medium-depth and width. Fruit core is small, bulbous. Seed chambers are medium-sized, open into the central cavity. Sub-calyx tube is long, conical or funnel-shaped.

Fruit flesh is greenish, medium density, tender, finely textured, juicy, tart-sweet flavor. Fruits are rated 4.3 out of 5 for appearance and taste. Chemical composition of fruits: total sugars — 8.9%, titratable acids — 0.88%, ascorbic acid — 8.2 mg/100g, P-active substances — 293 mg/100g.

Harvesting maturity in the Oryol region occurs at the beginning of September, consumer period lasts until mid-February.

Average yield over 1996-1999 was 230 centners per hectare. During the same period, the control variety Ordinary Antonovka yielded only 64 centners per hectare. The variety is sufficiently winter-hardy in the Oryol region. During the study period, no significant frost damage was recorded (not more than 0.4 points).

Advantages of the variety: resistance to scab, early fruiting, high yield and fruit quality.

Disadvantages of the variety: not sufficiently bright fruit color.