Early Pink

This variety was developed at the Rossohskaya Zonal Experimental Station for Horticulture by A.Y. Voronchikhina through sowing pits of yellow peach 'Denissen' seeds from open pollination. Since 1987, it has been officially approved for the Central Chernozem and Lower Volga regions. It enjoys moderate popularity among amateur gardeners in the southern part of the Central Chernozem zone.

The tree is medium-sized, reaching 4-5 m in height at 10 years of age, with a rounded, spreading crown of moderate density and good foliage. The bark on the trunk is gray with a plum-like sheen, slightly flaking, weakly or moderately rough, with weak or moderate longitudinal cracking; no ridges. Buds are convex, elongated-oval, ranging from short to very long, broad, densely arranged.

Shoots are straight, fairly thick, with long internodes, initially greenish-brown, then acquiring a silvery-gray hue with age; buds are small, rounded to oval, whitish, densely arranged. Vegetative buds are very large, 6-7 mm long, conical with a gradually tapering apex, isolated. Flowering buds are smaller, 4-5 mm long, ovate or elongated-ovate, with a pointed apex, isolated or protruding. Leaf blade is oval, elongated-oval or elongated-ovate with a gradually tapering apex and rounded or arcuate base, 15-18 cm long, 6-7 cm wide on one-year shoots; dark green above, nearly smooth, hairless, slightly concave along the midrib and occasionally slightly spirally twisted around it, matte; light green below, weakly and rarely hairy, with hairy margins along the veins; large, doubly-toothed serrations on edges, blade elastic. Petiole is very long, 30-50 mm long, medium thickness or thin, hairless, slightly warty, with weak yellowish-brown anthocyanic coloration. Stipules are 1-2, medium-sized, light-colored. Stipules absent. Inflorescence usually contains 2-3 flowers, 30-35 mm in diameter, broad-cup-shaped; petals are rounded or rounded-oval, closely appressed or nearly so, white; stigma level with stamens, stamen length 7-13 mm, stigma with ovary 15-17 mm. Calyx tube is elongated-bell-shaped, smooth; calyx lobes are rounded-lanceolate, entire, bent backward and pressed against the calyx tube, half the length of the tube, tube length 7-8 mm, lobes 3-4 mm; tube and lobes are light green, uncolored. Flowering occurs early; self-sterile.

Fruits average 5.0 g in weight, 21 mm high, 23 mm wide, 19 mm thick; shape ranges from obtuse-heart-shaped to round-oval, slightly flattened on sides, shallow and narrow depression; fruit apex rounded, stigma remnant as a dot lying in a very small and narrow pit. Main fruit color is creamy-yellow, covering color is fiery-red blush over entire surface, fruit attractiveness high, especially for sun-exposed fruits. Flesh is creamy, tender or medium-firm, closer to yellow than to bicolored, very juicy, juice colorless. Flavor sweet with slight acidity, simple; large, well-developed fruits have dessert-like flavor with sensory rating 4.5 points; small, poorly sun-exposed fruits in the inner crown are much worse — low-sugar, bland. Fruits contain 13.4-19.3% soluble solids, 10.7-13.3% sugars, 0.44-0.62% titratable acids, 5.5-11.5 mg/100g ascorbic acid. Peduncle 35-45 mm long, about 1 mm thick, nearly dry at full ripeness, moist in underripe fruits. Stone average 0.46 g, 9.2% of fruit mass, oval, apex rounded, base rounded, fresh stone color brownish-yellow, separates from flesh moderately.

Fruits ripen early; in the southern part of the Central Chernozem region, mid-June, unevenly — small, poorly sun-exposed fruits in the inner crown ripen significantly later. Fruits are resistant to cracking during heavy rains in ripening period, well retain on tree and, when overripe, improve flavor, becoming more sugary; but due to tender flesh and light color, poorly transportable — easily bruised, oozing, and covered with dark spots. Thus, this variety is better suited for home gardens.

Trees grafted onto Antipka enter fruiting at 4-5 years and quickly increase yield. Average yield over first 8 fruiting years was 27.0 kg/tree, reaching 40.0 kg/tree in most productive years. In 2003, individual 15-year-old trees yielded up to 70 kg/tree.

Trees of 'Early Pink' are highly winter-hardy: overall frost damage over the last 50 years did not exceed 2.0 points. Tree survival after 16 years since planting was 100%. Flower bud winter hardiness is good, though less than in 'Julia'. After frost down to -34.0°C on December 17, 1997, 88.3% of flower buds died. In the unfavorable winter of 1993-94, when temperatures dropped to -32.5°C in early February after prolonged thaw in December-January, flower bud mortality was 78.6%. Resistance to coccomyces is good, moniliosis infections not observed.

Advantages of the variety: high tree winter hardiness and good flower bud winter hardiness, high yield, good fruit flavor.

Disadvantages of the variety: small fruits with poor transportability, uneven ripening.