Quince Golden

This variety was selected by the Fruit Growing Department of Kuban Agricultural Institute from local quince forms. The breeder is A. A. Ilyin. It has been regionalized in the North Caucasus region and is widely grown in Moldova and Ukraine.

Medium-sized tree. The crown is flat-round, dense, well-leafed, with hanging thin branches. The angle of main branches from the trunk is about 90°. Main branches are slightly curved, thick. The trunk is dark brown, densely covered with large lenticels, rough, slightly hairy. Bears fruit on both one-year and multi-year wood.

Shoots of medium thickness, straight, with hairs at the tips, densely covered with small reddish-brown lenticels, main shoot color is green with a bright brown tint on the sunny side, internodes short. Leaves medium-sized, egg-shaped, green with a slight yellowish tint. Leaf blade slightly wrinkled, leaf curled like a boat, venation pronounced with medium anthocyanin coloration. Leaf hairs on the underside are yellow, woolly; leaf apex slightly pointed, smoothly narrowing, base round, margin smooth. Petiole short, with slight hairs and strong anthocyanin coloration. Stipules small, lanceolate.

Flowers solitary, large, pale-pink; pedicels moderately hairy; sepals large, lanceolate, green, heavily hairy. Petals large, oval, stamens 18-20, stamen filaments with lavender-pink tint, anthers yellow, large. Pistils 5, located at the same level as stamens.

Fruits above average size, weighing 300 g, apple-shaped, slightly ribbed, slightly warty, covered with a thin woolly pubescence, pubescence gray, easily rubbed off during ripening. Main color is light yellow, golden. Calyx closed, medium. Sepals semi-closed, medium size, sharp with serrations. Receptacle wide, medium depth, wrinkled. Fruit stalk long (up to 7 cm), thin, straight, with 3-4 dark green leaves. Depressions wide, small, slightly wrinkled.

Flesh is light cream-colored, finely grained, medium density, juicy, sweet-tart, with a very pleasant strong aroma, no bitterness, stone cells almost absent. Under Kuban conditions, fruits contain: dry matter — 12.8%, sugars — 7.7%, titratable acids — 0.82%, ascorbic acid — 28.5 mg/100g, P-active catechins — 188 mg/100g fresh weight.

Fruits ripen in the third decade of September and are stored for 35-50 days. Transportability is good. The variety is suitable for both technical and table purposes.

Enters fruiting stage from 3-4 years. High yield. Winter-hardy and frost-resistant, drought resistance is medium, susceptible to skin spot disease during storage.

Advantages of the variety: rapid fruiting and high tree yield, high quality of processed products.

Disadvantages of the variety: medium drought resistance, susceptibility to skin spot disease.