Pear Dwarf (Thumbelina)

A late-ripening variety developed at the Krasnoyarsk Experimental Station for Fruit Growing by N. N. Tikhonov and A. S. Tolmacheva from a cross between Ussuri pear No. 212 and Seedling of 'Lesnaya Krasavitsa' No. 13-67-8.

Included in the State Register for the North-Western, West Siberian, and East Siberian regions. Primarily cultivated in collective orchards of the Krasnoyarsk region. In recent years, interest in this variety has emerged in various areas of Western Siberia.

Medium-sized tree with a pyramidal crown of medium density and foliage. Branches are straight and compactly arranged. Bark is smooth, gray-green, silvery, with a metallic sheen. Fruit set occurs on simple and complex buds, rarely on 2-4-year-old wood.

Shoots are medium-sized, round in cross-section, slightly curved, dark red with a purplish tint, bare, with a coating on one side. Buds are pressed, small, bare. Stipules are numerous, small, convex, transverse. Leaves are medium-sized, round, slightly pointed, green with a bluish tint. Leaf margin finely toothed, wavy, with larger hairs than those of 'Veselinka'. Leaf blade has delicate venation. Petiole is medium in length and thickness, bare.

Flowers are small, white, small-cup-shaped, fragrant. Petals are oval. Stigma is very short, almost hairless. Stigmas equal in length to stamens.

Fruits are small, short-pear-shaped, almost apple-shaped. Skin is smooth, oily, shiny. Color at harvest is greenish, with a covering on 1/2-2/3 of the fruit, brownish-red, becoming brighter with storage. Peduncle is medium length, thin, straight, thickening toward the calyx. No rust. Calyx is small, half-open, rarely fully open, medium depth, with a narrow, smooth plate. Subcalyx tube is short, cup-shaped. Central cavity is small, with no communication to seed chambers.

Flesh is white, medium density, fine-grained, tender, very juicy, with granulation around seed chambers in dry years. Flavor is tart-sweet with a strong aroma characteristic of southern pears. Chemical composition: dry matter — 13.1%, sugars — 8.3%, titratable acids — 0.59%, sugar-to-acid ratio 14.4, ascorbic acid — 5.10 mg/100g, vitamin P — 202.2 mg/100g.

Late-ripening variety. Harvest from September 1–10. Storage life 15–25 days, maximum 1 month (in ground storage).

Fruits are transportable. If left on the tree too long, they drop off.

Fruits are consumed fresh, make excellent compotes, juices, and purées.

Self-sterile variety. Pollinators: Veselinka, Olenek, Sibirchka, Krasnoyarskaya Krupnaya.

Fruit-bearing begins in the 6th year, yielding marketable crops by the 8th year.

Cold-hardiness is comparable to the best semi-cultivated varieties. Resistant to scab and drought.

Advantages: good fruit flavor, versatile usage, resistance to scab, ability to be planted densely (2.5–3 m x 4 m).

Disadvantages: small fruits, insufficient storage life.