Moscow Anniversary

Winter, immune to scab variety from the All-Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Selection, obtained by sowing seeds in 1982 (814 — open pollination). Seeds selected from fruits of the 1981 harvest. Seedling selected into elite stock in 1996. First fruiting of the selected seedling noted in 1991. Breeders: E. N. Sedov, Z. M. Serova, V. V. Zhdanov, E. A. Dolmatov.

The variety was accepted for State Testing in the Central, Central Chernozem, and Lower Volga regions of Russia in 1998, and was officially registered in 2002.

Trees are fast-growing, medium-sized, with round, moderately dense crowns. Branches emerge from the trunk at an angle close to straight. Bark on the trunk and main branches is smooth and gray. Predominant type of fruiting structures: simple and complex rings.

Shoots are curved, brown, hairy. Buds are sparse. Buds are pressed, conical, hairy. Leaves are egg-shaped, medium-sized, slightly pointed, wrinkled, shiny, with coarse venation. Leaf blade is curved, weakly hairy. Leaf margin is finely toothed, rolled. Petiole is long, medium thickness, hairy.

Inflorescences are shield-shaped, consisting of 4-6 flowers; buds are white-pink; flowers are dish-shaped, medium-sized; petals are pinkish, round, slightly closed; stigmas are above the anthers; pedicel is medium length. Stigma column is hairy.

Fruits are medium-sized, one-dimensional, elongated-conical in shape, broad-ribbed, slightly flattened. Fruit skin is smooth, oily, shiny. Main color at harvest is greenish-yellow, and at consumer ripeness — golden-yellow. Skin color on most of the fruit is a bright pink blush. Numerous, gray, clearly visible lenticels. Peduncle is short, medium or thick, straight, oblique. Deep funnel-shaped, pointed, narrow. Receptacle is closed. Calyx is small, wide, ribbed. Seed cavity is medium-sized, onion-shaped. Seed chambers are closed. Subcalyx tube is wide, short, bowl-shaped. Seeds are medium-sized, conical, light brown.

Flesh is white, greenish, firm, juicy, granular. Appearance and taste of fruits are rated at 4.3 points. Chemical composition of the fruits: total sugar — 8.5%, titratable acids — 0.63%, ascorbic acid — 6.7 mg/100g, P-active substances — 387 mg/100g.

Harvest maturity of fruits occurs from September 15 to 20. Fruit consumption period lasts from October 15 until the end of February.

The variety is high-yielding. Young 8-11-year-old grafted trees averaged 83 centners per hectare from 1994 to 1997, whereas the control variety Antonovka ordinary yielded only 67 centners per hectare during the same period.

The variety has moderate winter hardiness. Under artificial freezing in January in chambers (S. V. Rezvyakova) at -40ºC, buds froze at 3.5 points, bark at 2.6, cambium at 2.0, and wood at 1.1 points.

Advantages of the variety: immunity to scab (gene Vf), attractive, marketable winter-ripening fruits.