Quince Golden Ball

Introduced at the North Caucasus Regional Institute of Horticulture and Viticulture (Krasnodar) from open pollination of the Kubanskaya variety. Breeders: S. F. Rusak, N. V. Mozhar. Undergoing State Variety Testing in the Krasnodar region.

Medium-sized tree, round crown of moderate density. Angle of skeletal branch departure about 45°, branches straight, brown. Medium-thick trunk, dark gray, rough surface, weak spiralness. Fruit-bearing mainly on strong-growing shoots — one-year-old growths, on short and long fruiting spur branches.

Medium-thick shoots, straight, brownish-brown, slightly hairy at tips; stipules small, reddish. Buds pressed, small, brown, smooth. Leaf medium-sized, egg-shaped, dark green. Leaf blade slightly wrinkled, matte. Hairy covering on lower leaf surface weak, woolly. Leaf apex short-pointed, leaf blade margins smooth. Petiole medium length and thickness. Stipules small, lanceolate.

Flowers large, pinkish, deep-cupped, flower stalk heavily hairy. Petals 5, medium-sized, oval, stamens 18-20, filament purple-pink, anthers yellow, pistils 5, pink, positioned at the level of the anthers.

Fruits above average size, weighing 300 g, one-dimensional, apple-shaped, surface slightly ribbed, weakly hairy, easily rubbed off upon ripening. Main color greenish-yellow, turning golden upon ripening. Calyx closed. Receptacle medium-sized, narrow. Heart medium-sized, egg-shaped, seed chambers closed, walls wrinkled. Seeds medium-sized, dark brown, with dark margin.

Flesh creamy, juicy, fine-grained, medium density, tart-sweet taste, aromatic. Fruits contain 13.2% dry extract, 9.8% sugars, 0.81% titratable acids, 35.4 mg/100g ascorbic acid, 175.8 mg/100g raw mass of P-active catechins.

Harvesting maturity occurs in the third decade of September to the first decade of October; consumption period — November–December; fruits stored until January. High transportability.

Fruits suitable for processing (compotes, jams), sensory rating 4.3–4.5 points.

Trees enter fruiting from the fourth year after planting as one-year-old saplings. Yield 250 centners per hectare. Cold-resistant and drought-tolerant, high resistance to fungal diseases.

Fruits resistant to brown spot and moniliosis.

Advantages of the variety: enhanced resistance to moniliosis, drought tolerance, high quality of processed products.