Zmeinogorskaya

The variety was obtained by selection among seedlings of steppe cherry from open pollination at the M.A. Lisavенко Institute of Fruit Crops. Authors: G.I. Subbotin, I.P. Kalinina.

The bush is medium-sized, 180 cm tall. The crown is broad, up to 200 cm, dense. Bark of the trunk is smooth and gray. Branches are drooping, medium thickness, with numerous lenticels, dark-red. Internodes are short. Buds are conical and flattened. Leaves are medium-sized, elongated, base rounded, apex short-pointed. Leaf blade is flat, dark-green, matte, with large, serrated margins. Absence of pubescence. Petioles are short, green, with two symmetrically located oval yellow glands. Stipules are short, deeply divided, early falling. Flowers are medium-sized, 2-5 per cluster, white, rose-shaped, 20-25 mm in diameter, petal shape ovate-egg-shaped 5-6 x 8-10 mm. Buds are light-pink, sepals are oval, 4-5 x 5-7 mm.

Fruits are dark-cherry-colored, round, slightly flattened, 14 mm high, 15 cm in diameter, average fruit weight 3.5 g. Stomach suture is fine and barely noticeable. Flesh is tender, juicy, red. Pedicel is long (40-50 mm), thin (1.5-2.0 mm). Stone is medium-sized, oval, smooth, with a sharp tip, weight 0.18 g. Fruit flavor is sour-sweet, refreshing. Fruits contain 17% dry matter, 9.2% sugars, 1.4% acids, 0.20% tannins; vitamins: C — 22.0 mg%, P — 190.0 mg%. Pedicel attachment to the fruit is weak. Transportability is good.

Fruits ripen at the end of July. Branches stop growing in the first decade of July, leaf fall ends in the second decade of October. The variety is heat-tolerant and drought-resistant. Average yield per bush 6.8 kg. The variety is moderately winter-hardy, freezes to 2.5 points in severe winters, but recovers quickly. Resistant to fruit rot. Affected by coccomycosis up to 2 points. Partially self-fertile, best pollinators: Subbotinskaya, Maksimovskaya, Zhelannaya. Selected for resistance to fruit rot.

Advantages of the variety: high yield, resistance to fruit rot.

Disadvantages: severely affected by coccomycosis, freezes to 3.0 points in severe winters.