Minusinskoe Dessertnoe (Nadezhda)

A summer variety developed at the Minusinsk Experimental Station for Horticulture and Vegetable Growing by crossing the varieties 'Belfler-Chinese' and 'Ranetka Purple' in 1954. Authors — V. A. Shevchenko, V. I. Shevchenko. Included in the State Register of Selection Achievements approved for use in the East Siberian region since 1988. Widely cultivated in Krasnoyarsk Krai and Khakasia.

Medium-sized tree, height 2.8-3.3 m, fast-growing, dense, round crown. Branches straight, emerge from the trunk at nearly a right angle, compactly arranged, tips pointing upward. Bark on the trunk and main branches flaking, gray. Predominant type of fruiting structures — simple rings, spear-like formations, fruiting twigs.

Medium-length shoots, straight, round in cross-section, brown, hairy. Buds small, few. Buds pressed, large, hairy. Leaves small, egg-shaped, short-pointed, green with a bluish tint, smooth, matte, with delicate venation. Leaf blade concave, curved upward, moderate hairiness. Leaf margin finely serrated. Petiole medium length and thickness, hairy. Stipules medium, elongated.

Flowers medium-sized, deep cup-shaped, creamy, aromatic. Petals oval, stamens short. Style medium length, stigma above anthers.

Fruits (see illustration) one-dimensional, average weight — 20 g, maximum — 28 g, round. Fruit surface smooth. Skin delicate, smooth, glossy, with bloom. Color at harvest and consumer ripeness identical: base — golden-yellow, covering — mostly over the fruit, blurred, moderately expressed, orange. Few subcutaneous spots, small, gray, barely noticeable. Pedicel medium length and thickness, straight. Calyx small, blunt-conical, medium, no rust. Receptacle non-detachable, open, no saucer. External appearance attractiveness — 4.5 points. Heart medium, heart-shaped. Chambers open, medium. Subcalyx tube short, medium, shallow. Seeds medium size and width, egg-shaped, light-brown.

Flesh creamy, medium density, fine-grained, very juicy. Taste slightly sour-sweet, with strong aroma, tasting score 4.7 points. Fruits contain: dry matter — 17.1%, ascorbic acid — 21.28 mg/100g, sugars — 14.4%, titratable acids — 0.74%.

Summer-ripening variety — mid-August. Fruit drop — 10-20%. Fruit quality high, transportability medium. Shelf life no more than three weeks. Universal-purpose variety, suitable for making compotes, jams, preserves, and natural juices.

Self-sterile, best pollinators — 'Ranetka Yermolaeva', 'Zaprotchennaya', 'Tubinskaya'. Early fruiting, begins fruiting on the 3-4th year after planting (4-5 years after grafting in nurseries). Yield increases slowly but steadily. Average yield of 10-year-old trees — 111 centners/ha, or 16.7 kg/tree, maximum — 178.1 centners/ha. Fruit-bearing periodicity is moderately expressed.

Propagation methods — budding and grafting with cuttings, rootstock — 'Ranetka Purple' seedlings. Recommended planting scheme — 5 x 3 m. Responds well to fertilization and watering. Crown forms freely, stem-like, with two tiers of main structural branches. As the tree ages, crown reduction is required with removal of the central leader and transfer to lateral branches.

Winter hardiness high (in 1980, at air temperature -42.8°C, overall degree of freezing — 1.1 points, slight wood freezing observed and minor dieback of one-year shoots). Drought and heat resistance high. Resistant to scab, during epiphytotic years, leaf disease severity not exceeding 0.5 points, fruits unaffected. Flowers withstand light spring frosts.

Advantages of the variety: high winter hardiness, early fruiting, resistance to scab, dessert fruit flavor.

Disadvantages of the variety: fruit-bearing periodicity, fruits become smaller at high yields, short harvest period.