Pear Selyanka (Rossoshanskaya Large)

Late-autumn variety developed at the Rossoshanskaya Regional Fruit Research Station. Parent forms: Lesnaya Krasavitsa — free pollination. Breeders: A. M. Ulyanishcheva, O. V. Riazantseva. Approved in the Central Chernozem Zone.

Medium-sized tree. Medium-density, round-oval crown. Bark of the trunk is gray. Skeletal branches are gray, horizontally positioned.

Shoots are brownish-gray, straight or slightly curved, round in cross-section, glabrous. Buds are small, obconical, reddish-brown. Leaves are large and medium-sized, elliptical, green, with a short acuminate apex. Leaf margin finely toothed. Leaf blade smooth, wavy, curved downward, glabrous. Petiole medium length.

Inflorescence — umbelliform raceme. Flowers large, deep-cup-shaped, white.

Fruits are above-average size (average mass 190 g), short-pear-shaped. Main color at consumer maturity is light-yellow, with a mostly diffuse pinkish covering. Fruit surface smooth. Skin thin. Subcutaneous dots moderately visible. Peduncle medium length and thickness. Pit narrow and small. Receptacle wide, medium depth, smooth. Calyx half-open. Subcalyx tube medium. Heart medium. Seeds large, light-brown.

Fruit flesh is creamy-white, slightly tart-sweet, with a mild aroma, very juicy, medium density, tender consistency. Appearance rating 4.4 points, taste rating 4.5 points.

Fruits contain PVB — 16.70%, titratable acids — 0.10%, sugars — 9.3%, pectin substances — 0.56%, ascorbic acid — 9.3 mg/100g, catechins — 45.7 mg/100g. Sugar-acid ratio is 93.3.

According to harvest maturity, the variety is medium-early; according to consumer maturity, depending on vegetation conditions, it is late-autumn or early-winter. Transportability of fruits at harvest maturity is high. Average storage duration during the study period was 106 days, maximum 146 days. Universal use variety.

Self-incompatible. Average age at fruiting onset. Yield of 11-15-year-old trees averaged 180 centners/ha. Regular fruiting.

Exhibits relatively high cold resistance. At the lowest winter temperatures down to -38°С, average tissue damage score was 1.4, vegetative buds — 1.8. Tolerates without significant damage (up to 2.0 points) temperature drops after thaw down to -25°С and down to -33°С after thaw and subsequent hardening at negative temperatures (-5°С, -10°С).

Exhibits sufficient heat and drought tolerance. Average degree of septoria infection — 1.3 points. Highly resistant to Entomosporium. Not affected by scab in the southern regions of the Voronezh area. Severely damaged by pear scale.

Advantages of the variety: relatively high winter hardiness for the southern part of the Central Chernozem Zone.

Disadvantages of the variety: leaf infection by septoria, severe damage by pear scale.