Apple Skrizhapel

An old variety of folk selection with late-winter ripening fruit. One of the first to describe this variety was the Russian pomologist A. T. Bolotov. Currently, the variety has been excluded from the State Register but can still be found in old gardens.

Trees are vigorous, with spreading crowns composed of strong branches. Branches emerge from the trunk at nearly right angles. Fruit set is concentrated, typically on short spurs.

Shoots are greenish-brown and glabrous. Leaves are light green, elongated or lance-shaped, sparingly hairy, strongly curved and folded (rolled), with serrated edges. Petioles are long, slender, and intensely colored.

Fruits are medium to above-medium size, pungent, ribbed, on short pedicels. Main color is greenish, with a covering of dirty-red longitudinal stripes and speckles on the background or slight blush.

Fruits look unattractive when harvested.

Flesh is greenish, coarse-grained, juicy, slightly sweet, without a perceptible acidity. Overall, fruit taste is mediocre. Chemical composition of fruits: total sugars — 9.1%, titratable acids — 0.39%, ascorbic acid — 14.2 mg/100g, P-active substances (catechins) — 81.7 mg/100g, pectin substances — 14.8%.

In the Oryol region, harvest maturity occurs at the end of September. Fruit attachment to the tree is strong. Consumer maturity is reached in November and fruits remain edible until March, characterized by high transportability.

Fruits are good raw material for compotes and jams.

Although individual fruits ripen early, young trees in the first few years of fruiting yield moderate yields. Young trees fruit annually, while mature trees alternate years of good yield with poor ones. The variety is highly winter-hardy but poorly resistant to fruit and leaf scab.

Advantages of the variety: high winter hardiness, fruit longevity and good transportability.

Disadvantages of the variety: susceptibility of fruit to scab, unattractive appearance of fruit and mediocre taste quality.

More than 10 new varieties have been created using Skrizhapel, including Bessemyanka Michurin's (Skrizhapel x Bessemyanka Komsin's) selection by I. V. Michurin, the variety Kutuzovets (Skrizhapel x Renet Simirenko) selection by Samara Experimental Station of Horticulture, and Nizkorosloe (Skrizhapel x Pepin Shafranny) selection by VNIISPK.