Plum Cantata

The 'Cantata' plum variety belongs to medium-ripening plums, ripening at the beginning of the second to the middle of the third decade of August depending on weather conditions. The tree has medium growth vigor and forms a wide-pyramidal, slightly raised crown of medium density. Fruit-bearing begins on the 3rd-4th year after planting one-year-old seedlings, and by the 6th-7th year the variety enters full fruiting with an annual yield of 13-19 tons per hectare at a planting density of 416 trees per hectare.

The fruits are large, medium-sized, oval in shape, with an average weight of about 43 grams and a maximum of 52 grams. The main fruit color is green, the covering color is purplish-brown with a strong waxy coating. The skin is elastic and of medium density. The flesh is orange, juicy, slightly fibrous, with a sour-sweet taste, confirmed by a tasting score of about 8.4 points. The fruits contain approximately 15.6% dry matter, 9% sugars, 0.65% organic acids, and 4.8 mg of vitamin C per 100 grams of fresh weight.

The 'Cantata' variety was obtained through artificial cross-pollination of the 'Ispolin' variety with 'Vasilek' pollen in 1972 and was officially registered in the Plant Varieties Register of Ukraine with a patent issued in 2008. The fruits are of universal use and attain their best flavor qualities when fully ripe on the tree, making them attractive for both fresh consumption and processing.