Natalie

This variety was developed at the Far Eastern Experimental Station of VNIIR in 1979 from crossing the varieties 'Leto' with a pollen mixture (Red Sweet + Ogon' + Damanka). Authors: V.P. Tsarenko, N.A. Tsarenko. Introduced into the State Register in 1997.

The bush is strong-growing, 1.8 m tall, broadly oval in shape, medium density. Multi-year branches are straight, gray, shedding, with transverse light tubercles. One-year shoots are brown, hairy. Buds are small, acute, formed in threes, the outer ones generative, the middle vegetative, hairy, deviated from the shoot. Leaf blade is elongated-oval (6.0 x 4.3 cm), green, corrugated, with a pointed apex and acute base. Leaf blade margin is doubly serrated, abaxial surface hairy with short hairs, adaxial surface woolly. Petiole 0.7 cm long, medium thickness, green, hairy, with two acute-linear, hairy stipules. Flower (1-2) saucer-shaped, medium size, 2.5 cm in diameter of the corolla, five-petaled, petals white, moderately open. Stamens 27, pistil one, hairy, stigma hairy. Stigma positioned above the anthers. Calyx is nearly cylindrical with strong anthocyanin, hairy on the outside, five sepals, finely toothed, hairy. Flowering and fruiting type continuous along the branch: on one-year and multi-year wood (bouquet branches, fruiting twigs).

Fruit is large, average weight 4.0 g, size 1.8 x 1.7 x 1.7 cm. Fruit shape is broadly oval with slightly sloped apex and medium-depth concavity, ventral suture in the form of a stripe. Fruit color dark-red, skin hairy with short, barely noticeable hairs. Flesh red, cartilaginous, dense, juicy. Juice color red. Fruit stalk length 0.4 cm, hairy. Stone 0.20 g, light-brown, broadly oval, constitutes 5.0% of fruit weight.

Fresh fruits contain dry matter — 11.6%, sugars — 8.2%, acids — 0.71%, ascorbic acid — 30.4 mg/100g. Fruit appearance is attractive. Flesh is juicy, dense, cartilaginous. Taste is sour-sweet, harmonious. Sensory evaluation 4.0 points. Semi-dry fruit detachment. Transportability weak. Not suitable for mechanized harvesting. Agricultural use is universal: consumption fresh and processing into juice, jam, jelly, pastille, marmalade, compote, wine and others.

Flowering period 10-18 May. Ripening period 13-18 July. Fruits ripen simultaneously. Grafted saplings enter fruiting in 2 years, rootstock in 3-4 years. Plant longevity 18 years. Variety is self-sterile.

High yield — 9.0 kg per bush. Bush, one-year and multi-year branches are winter-hardy, flowers are spring-hardy. Variety is drought-tolerant, does not tolerate excessive moisture. Resistant to coccomycosis, relatively resistant to clasterosporiosis. Under excessive moisture, flowers and fruits are affected by moniliosis.

High production rating: winter hardiness, early fruiting, high yield, large fruit size, semi-dry fruit detachment, longevity. Easily propagated by green cuttings. Suitable for intensive orchards with nearby processing facilities; for nurseries and hobby gardening.

Advantages: very large fruits of good flavor, high yield, semi-dry fruit detachment, winter hardiness.

Disadvantages: fruit size reduction under heavy fruit load.