Gashenchenko Pear

A summer variety developed in Blagoveshchensk, Amur Oblast, by sowing seeds from open pollination of the flower of a branch of the 'Tema' variety, cultivated in the crown of a selected form of Ussuri pear in 1950 by gardener G. I. Gashenchenko. Approved for the Far Eastern region, widely used in commercial and amateur orchards of Amur Oblast.

Medium-sized tree, with an open crown; in fruiting age, broadly round, medium density, and foliage. Bark color of the trunk is dark gray; skeletal branches are dark gray, arranged at an oblique-vertical angle. Nodes alternate — fruit bags, fruit buds, and fruit clusters.

Shoots are light brown, curved, medium length and thickness, slightly angular in cross-section, with short internodes, hairless, with rare, small, convex stipules. Buds on shoots are slightly deviated, conical, with dark brown outer scales.

Leaves are upward-pointing, small, egg-shaped, light green, shiny, with serrated edges, leaf blade wavy, loose texture, medium thickness, hairless on upper and lower surfaces, petiole of medium length.

Inflorescence — umbelliform cluster, with a large number of flowers. Bud and petal color is white, corolla shape is saucer-shaped, double-flowered absent, flower size is medium, petal margin is entire (or slightly notched). Petals are not crowded, stigmas at the same level as stamens or higher.

Fruits are below average size, weighing 86 g, one-dimensional, elongated-conical shape, equal-sided with unequal cross diameters, even, slightly ribbed. Fruit surface is smooth, orange-yellow color. Skin coloration absent, some fruits have orange sunburn. Skin pores are barely noticeable, skin is smooth, thick, dry, dull, without rust. Peduncle is long, medium thickness. Buds are small and narrow. Dish is medium in width, ribbed. Core is large. Calyx is half-closed, calyx tube small, funnel-shaped, axial cavity small. Seeds are dark brown, medium-sized.

Flesh is creamy, soft, coarse-grained, medium aromatic, medium juicy. Fruit taste is sour-sweet, moderate (3.6 points). Appearance is attractive, rating 4 points. Chemical composition of fruits: dry matter content — 17.5%, titratable acids — 0.95%, total sugars — 9%.

Early maturing variety (from end of flowering to harvest, 91 days). Fruit ripening period is summer (16 days). Fruit drop is medium, transportability is low, marketability is medium. Maximum fruit storage life — less than 20 days.

Begins fruiting on the 5th year after grafting in nursery, partially self-fertile. Pollinating varieties: Rusakovskaya, Lada Amurskaya, Early Amur.

Fruit production is regular. Average yield per tree is 85 kg (47 t/ha).

Resistant to extreme environmental conditions (low temperatures, spring frosts). Heat tolerance is medium, drought tolerance is medium. Moderately resistant to bacterial blight, codling moth, fruit-eating insects, highly resistant to scab.