Kuban

Early-maturing variety selected at the North Caucasus Regional Institute of Horticulture and Viticulture. Documentation on the origin of the variety was lost during wartime; it is presumed to be related to Wagner Prize and Antonovka Ordinaria varieties. Breeder L. M. Sergeev. The variety is widely grown in the North Caucasus and in pomological collections in Ukraine, Central Asia, and the Volga region. It has been officially tested and recommended.

Trees are slightly taller than average, narrowly pyramidal in youth, broadly round and spreading in fruiting age, well-branched. Mixed fruiting, up to 20% on last year's growth. Bark on trunk and branches is dark gray.

Shoots are thick, curved, with shortened internodes in the upper half, brownish-green, hairy. Leaves are fairly large, broadly oval, with a small rounded base, distinctly pointed tip, almost smooth, slightly curved, strongly folded and spirally twisted, with doubly toothed margins, forming an acute angle with the stem. Medium pubescence. Color is dark green, slightly shiny. Petioles are thick and long; stipules are short and thread-like. In the nursery, stems are greenish-yellow with frequent, large (especially at the base), light-colored stipules.

Flowers are saucer-shaped, light pink, with pink veins on the underside of petals. Very aromatic. Style of stigmas is medium, hairy, with stigmas aligned at the same level as the anthers of stamens. Flowering period is medium.

Fruits (see illustration) are large and very large, medium- to weakly flattened, round-conical, sometimes broad-ribbed. Ribbing is absent on smaller fruits. Surface is smooth or slightly rusted (often due to copper-containing preparations). Main color at harvest is greenish, with streaked and solid bright red blush on the sun-exposed side of the fruit; as it ripens, the main color turns to light yellow. Pedicel is medium thickness, short; side fruits have medium-length pedicels. Calyx is wide and deep, rusted. Calyx cup is closed, seed chambers are wide and open into a central axial cavity. Seeds are small, often underdeveloped, one or two, due to different (3x and 4x) ploidy levels of tissues.

Flesh is creamy, excellent dessert taste with a slightly tart-sweet flavor, dense, very juicy, tender in storage, and oily later. Chemical composition: dry matter — 14.0%, total sugars — 10.6%, titratable acids — 0.4–0.7%, sugar-to-acid ratio 10–16, ascorbic acid — 16–20 mg/100g, total P-active substances — 98–110 mg/100g. With increasing total active temperature, observed in the last decade, vitamin content in fruits decreases.

Harvesting period — early September, fruits store until February. The variety is especially prized for its dessert qualities and high vitamin content; thus, its fruit material can be used as an enhancer for other varieties in processing industries.

The variety is very early-bearing, intensive type. Yields are abundant, and depending on the agro-climatic conditions, may be irregular. Winter hardiness is high; drought resistance is medium. The variety is susceptible to fungal diseases: scab and powdery mildew.

Advantages of the variety: early bearing, high yield, high vitamin content, high commercial and dessert qualities of fruits.

Disadvantages of the variety: uneven fruit size, fruit drop before harvest due to wind, strong susceptibility to diseases and pests.

In breeding, the variety passed on early bearing, high yield, fruiting on last year's growth, and high vitamin content to varieties such as Kuban' Spur, Lyuch, Vadimovka, and others.