Kutuzovets

A winter variety developed at the Samara Experimental Station for Horticulture from a cross between common Skryzhapely and Renet Simirenko in 1935. Author: S. P. Kedrin. The variety is included in the State Register of Samara Oblast.

Trees are medium-sized, forming a flat-round, gradually spreading crown with moderate density, requiring minimal pruning and care. Main branches diverge from the trunk at a wide angle with strong attachment. Two-year-old saplings are moderately developed, with upper shoots diverging at a right angle. The color of multi-year branches is greenish-brown. Fruit forms primarily on spurs, spurs, and rings, with young trees producing mainly on the first two types of fruiting structures.

Shoots are straight, medium-thick, grayish-brown, and hairy. Leaves are medium-sized, dark green, glossy, elongated-oval or elongated-oval in shape, with curled tips. Leaf margin serration is single or double-toothed. Leaf blade folding along the central vein is weak. Leaf underside has strong hairs, making leaf edges appear fringed. Leaf blade plane forms nearly a right angle with the shoot axis.

Fruit are medium-sized (120-130 g), with the largest fruits reaching 150 g. Fruit shape is flat-round with weakly pronounced wide ribbing.

Fruit in the harvest are uniform. Skin is greenish when picked, turns yellowish with slight mottled, dull blush upon full ripening, resembling marble, smooth, medium-thick. Skin spots are dark, large, scattered over the entire fruit. Peduncle is medium-length and thickness, emerging from a deep, smooth-walled golden-orange calyx. Calyx is closed or half-open, situated in a small shallow dish with weakly ribbed walls. Subcalyx tube is funnel-shaped, small, not connected to the seed cavity. Seed cavity is medium-sized, clove-shaped, seed chambers closed.

Flesh is whitish, firm, juicy, finely-grained. Flavor is tart-sweet, good, with slight spice and characteristic flavor of Skryzhapely.

Harvest maturity occurs at the end of September. By November–December, fruits attain optimal flavor and market quality for the variety, and they retain well until May.

Good rootstocks for Kutuzovets are Anise seedlings. Among dwarf rootstocks, semi-dwarfs are preferred; grafting onto dwarf rootstocks results in trees with weakly developed, low crowns, inconvenient for soil cultivation.

Trees begin fruiting on the 5th–7th year after grafting. Fruit-bearing periodicity is weakly expressed, average multi-year yield is 113 centners per hectare. Variety has moderate winter hardiness. Resistance of fruit and leaves to scab is above average.

Advantages of the variety: under favorable conditions, it is one of the best commercial typical winter apple varieties.

Disadvantages of the variety: low winter hardiness.