Golden Kurish Renet (Winter Golden Renet, Zolotarevka, Zolotorovsky Renet, Rogulevka)

An old Russian winter variety originating from the Kursk region. Found in small quantities in other chernozem regions, the Volga area, and the northeastern part of Ukraine.

Large orchards in the Volgograd region, once dedicated to cultivating Golden Kurish Renet, have started to shrink as newer varieties with superior taste and market competitiveness have replaced it.

Trees are large, whip-like when young, and become rounder with age. The crown is formed by sparsely distributed skeletal branches, clearly showing tiered structure: thick main branches spread out at wide angles in distinct tiers, almost in whorls. Fruit set occurs on thick, branched, ringed branches.

Shoots are thick, dark brown, with short internodes and numerous large stipules.

Leaves are large, fairly long, oval-shaped, with rounded bases. Leaf blades are slightly curved, folded, with a smooth central surface, shiny, dark green, densely hairy. Edges are wavy, finely toothed. Petioles are relatively long and thick. Stipules are large, broadly lanceolate.

Fruits are moderately flattened, conical, convex towards the apex, slightly ribbed, often slightly asymmetrical. Surface is smooth. Main color is light green or yellowish-green, turning yellow as it ripens. On sunny sides, some fruits develop a faint, diffuse pink blush with indistinct stripes. During storage, fruits acquire a golden hue and attractive appearance. Pedicels are relatively long, protruding beyond the calyx rim. Calyx is fairly deep, medium width, sometimes with rough, rust-colored skin. Receptacle is large but often medium-sized, closed or half-open, with a funnel-shaped nectar cup of medium depth and width. Disk is small, narrow, and folded. Heart and seed cavity are large, sometimes close to the receptacle. Seed chambers are slightly open, axial cavity narrow.

Flesh is white, medium density, fine-grained, fairly juicy, slightly bland, with noticeable aroma, relatively low quality. Chemical composition of fruits: dry matter — 15.1% (max 16.8%), total sugars — 9.4% (11.2%), titratable acids — 0.37% (0.67%) on fresh weight, ascorbic acid — 5.4 mg/100g (9.9), sugar-to-acid ratio — 29.5 (56.9), polyphenols (catechins) — 55 (35-87) mg/100g, flavonols — 15 (10-26) mg/100g, total phenolic compounds — 422 (190-752) mg/100g, pectin substances — 0.47% (0.37-0.57%) on fresh weight.

Fruits ripen in late September to early October, and can be stored until March inclusive, losing all acidity during storage and becoming completely bland.

Fruits are consumed fresh.

Trees begin fruiting at 6-7 years. Yield exceeds 200 kg per tree, with periodic fruiting. Cold hardiness is relatively weak for Central Russia and moderate for the Lower Volga region. Drought resistance is medium, heat tolerance is weak. The variety is moderately affected by powdery mildew, relatively resistant to scab, and weakly resistant to black canker.

Advantages of the variety: high yield, large, attractive fruits, long storage life, good commercial quality and transportability.

Disadvantages of the variety: large trees, insufficient cold hardiness, low taste quality.

Despite high yield and good fruit commercial quality, the variety is gradually losing its place in gardens. People in Volgograd and Astrakhan regions continue to cultivate this variety.