Young Naturalist

Autumn variety, obtained at the VNIIS named after I. V. Michurin by crossing the varieties 'Korichnoe Ploskatoye' and 'Welsh'. Author: S. I. Isaev. Included in the State Register for the Volga-Vyatka region since 1993.

Strong-growing tree with a round, dense crown. Fruiting, mainly on spurs.

Medium-thick shoots, dark brown color, slightly knobby, weakly hairy. Few, small stipules. Leaves of medium size, elliptical, bluntly pointed. Leaf surface matte. Leaf blade slightly concave, hairy on the underside. Leaf margin finely toothed or coarsely toothed. Petiole of medium length and thickness. Stipules small, lanceolate.

Fruits of medium size (mass 130 g), flat-round shape, smooth. Main skin color greenish-yellow; covering — as blurred bright red stripes, covering more than half of the fruit surface. Subdermal dots barely noticeable, few. Peduncle of medium length, thin. Calyx tube of medium depth or shallow, weakly rusty. Calyx closed or half-open. Dish of medium depth and width, ridged. Subcalyx tube short, funnel-shaped. Heart-shaped core. Seed chambers half-open. Seeds of medium size, dark brown.

Flesh creamy, juicy, tender, slightly sweet-tart, medium density. In fruits: dry matter — 14.3%, sugars — 9.6%, titratable acids — 0.55%, ascorbic acid — 4.9 mg/100g, sugar-to-acid ratio — 17.5.

Harvesting maturity occurs in the second decade of September; consumer maturity — two weeks after harvesting. Fresh fruit consumption ends in mid-December.

Fruits are transportable and suitable for technical processing: dried fruits, juices, jams, etc.

Begins fruiting in the 5th-6th year after planting in the orchard. Yield in early fruiting years is average, but higher than that of 'Korichnoe Ploskatoye'. With age, fruit load noticeably increases, but becomes periodic.

Trees have high winter hardiness; frost damage was noted only after severe winters to a slight extent (1 point).

Fruits and leaves show high resistance to scab.

Advantages of the variety: restrained tree growth, high yield, high resistance of fruits and leaves to scab, high cold resistance, attractive appearance, and dessert-like fruit flavor.

Disadvantage of the variety: periodic fruiting.