Amber of the Volga Region

Introduced by A.N. Minin at the Samara Regional Experimental Station for Horticulture from a cross between the 'Karl' variety and the Kuibyshev Jubilee. Registered in the State Register for the Middle Volga region in 2005.

Medium-sized tree, medium-growing. Open, medium-dense crown. Fruit set primarily on cluster branches and shoots. Bark on the trunk and main branches is smooth, light-brown. Shoots are medium-thick, curved, green, bare. Many small white pods. Leaves are medium in length and thickness, oval-rounded, long-pointed, dark green, smooth, matte, with curled tips. Leaf blade is flat, apex gradually pointed, base rounded, slight pubescence. Leaf margin finely serrated. Petioles are medium in length and thickness, pigmented. Stipules are medium, yellow, oval, two in number. Inflorescence — double, solitary flowers. Flowers are rose-like, medium, white.

Fruits are medium, one-dimensional, averaging 21.5 g. Fruit shape is round. Apex is rounded, pit narrow and small. Base has a depression, pit medium. Mesocarp ridge of medium depth, distinct. Pedicel is medium in length and thickness, easy to detach from the branch, weakly attached to the pit. Pit detaches easily from the flesh, medium, round, slightly bulbous, smooth. Fruit color is yellow-green, covering skin yellow, solid. Absence of subcutaneous dots. Skin is tender, weakly pubescent, easily removed from the fruit. Flesh is yellow, juicy, single-colored cavity matching flesh. Juice is colorless. Flavor is sour-sweet. Fruit taste scored 4.1 points, appearance scored 4.1 points. Fruits contain 12.8% dry matter, 8.87% sugars, 2.44% acids, 14.8 mg vitamin C per 100 g.

Harvesting period — July 25 to August 4. High commercial and consumer quality. Good fruit attachment. Medium transportability. Main use is universal.

Self-fertility of the variety not studied. Best pollinators: Kuibyshev Jubilee, Samara, Karl. Flowering — April 30 to May 4. Medium fruit ripening period.

Enters fruiting by the 3rd-4th year and quickly increases yield. In early years yields 3-5 kg per tree; at 10-13 years — 10-44 kg. Annual fruiting. Good fruit attachment on tree, slight drop at maturity.

High winter hardiness of wood and flower buds. In spring 2002, up to 30% fruit set loss was observed. Medium drought resistance. Moniliosis infection up to 0.3%, fruit moth up to 0.2%.

Propagated by grafting onto high-stemmed 20-60 cm scions on seedling rootstocks of early-ripening varieties such as Red Speed, Kuibyshev Ternosli, and other cold-resistant plum varieties.

Grows well on elevated sites, light to medium-textured soils — sandy, loamy, light to medium clays.

In fruiting age, pruning of branches growing into rows is necessary to avoid interference with mechanized soil cultivation in orchards.

Advantages of the variety: high yield, relatively large fruits.

Disadvantages of the variety: open crown, slightly sour fruits.