Apple Swan Song (Lyubava)

Winter variety developed at the Krasnoyarsk Experimental Station for Fruit Growing by P. A. Zhavoronkov, N. N. Tikhonov, A. S. Tolmacheva, and S. S. Vorobey from crossing Late Chinese with Chernenko's Victory.

The variety is included in the State Register for Altai Krai, Omsk, Tomsk, Tyumen, Kemerovo, and Novosibirsk regions.

It is widely grown in commercial orchards in the forest-steppe subzone of the southern part of the region, and in smaller quantities in the forest-steppe zone. In recent years, gardeners in Krasnoyarsk, Zheleznohorodsk, and Zelenogradsk have started planting it. The variety has gained popularity due to the quality of its fruits.

The tree is vigorous. The crown is round, of medium density and foliage. The bark is smooth, reddish, and on 6-8-year-old wood — gray-green. Fruit set occurs on simple and complex whorls and branches.

Fruits are located on 2-3-year-old wood, on 4-5-year-old branches and fruiting clusters.

Shoots of medium thickness, slightly curved, round, red, almost without hairs. Buds are rounded, pressed, hairy. Many buds, on 3-5-year-old wood — transverse, convex. Leaves are medium-sized, elliptical, slightly pointed, serrated edges, slightly wrinkled, convex, with delicate veins, glossy. Color green, with a bluish tint. Leaf stalk is medium length and thickness, purplish-red. Petioles are large, lance-shaped.

Flowers are large, small-cup-shaped, white, aromatic. Buds are pinkish. Petals are broadly oval, concave like lilies. Stigma is medium and short. Stigmas are higher than anthers.

Fruits for Siberia are large, 61 to 100 g, medium uniformity, without covering color, flat-round shape, rarely one-sided. Peduncle is thin, long or usually medium length. Calyx is medium, acute-conical, wide, without rust. Receptacle is half-open, sometimes closed, in a wide, medium-depth, sometimes slightly ribbed dish. Sub-receptacle tube is medium length and width, cup-shaped. Axial cavity does not close.

Fruit flesh is white, dense, tender, juicy. Taste is sour-sweet with spice, strong aroma. Chemical composition of fruits: dry matter — 15.0%, sugars — 9.0% (8.4-9.56), titratable acids — 0.55% (0.53-0.57), ascorbic acid — 18.0 mg/100g, vitamin P — 195 mg/100g, tannins — 0.12%.

Variety is winter. Harvesting from September 1 to 15, consumption until December 15, sometimes until March 15.

Fruits stay well on the tree. Transportability is good. First-class fruit yield — 60%.

Fruits are in high demand. Used fresh, for compotes, juices, jams.

Variety is self-sterile. Best pollinators: Krasnoyarsk Sweet, Zhivinka, Loyko, Foniark, Vospitannitsa.

Fruit bearing starts on the 7-8th year. Yield at 15 years — 175 centners per hectare. In gardeners' orchards, 15-year-old trees yielded 47 kg. Fruit bearing is regular until 15 years, then intermittent. Mainly suitable for favorable regions. In harsh winters of the 1980s, the variety survived without tree death and continued fruiting. Recovery ability is high.

Variety is resistant to scab and drought.

Advantages of the variety: fruit size, good quality, winter storage period, versatile use, resistance to scab and drought.

Disadvantages of the variety: insufficient winter hardiness in critical winters (damage rating 3). Late fruiting (starts on 7-8th year).