Olenka

This variety was developed at the Rossoshanskaya Zonal Experimental Station for Horticulture by A.Y. Voronchin from a cross between the varieties Leningradskaya Chernaya and Valeriy Chkalov. In 1995, it was accepted for state testing in the Central Chernozem region. Currently, its spread is limited, primarily in suburban gardens in the southern parts of Voronezh and Belgorod regions.

The tree is vigorous or very vigorous, with a broadly oval or round crown of medium density and good foliage. The bark on the trunk is dark gray with a dark cherry-like sheen, smooth or slightly rough, weakly peeling, with no or weak longitudinal cracking, and no spiraling. The lenticels are medium to very long, fairly wide, with slightly convex edges and a deep longitudinal fissure; in older trees, the convex ridges along the edges fall off, and the lenticels become depressed; they are arranged with medium density. Shoots are straight, with long internodes, greenish in shade, greenish-brown on the sunny side, with a slight silvery tint at the base, small, round, light-colored lenticels, sparsely arranged. Vegetative buds are large, 4-5 mm long, conical or elongated-ovate with a pointed apex, distinct. Flowering buds are also large, 4-5 mm long, ovate with a pointed apex, closely appressed. Leaf blade is elongated-ovate, occasionally elongated-ovate with a pointed or strongly pointed apex and rounded or arcuate, often slightly unequal base, 13-17 cm long, 6-8 cm wide on one-year shoots; upper surface dark green, glabrous, weakly glossy, slightly concave to flat, some leaves convex at the base; lower surface gray-green, weakly and rarely hairy, mainly along veins; margin medium, doubly toothed, blade somewhat leathery. Petiole very long, 40-50 mm long, medium thickness, glabrous or rarely slightly hairy on upper surface, greenish-yellow, practically without anthocyanin pigmentation. Stipules usually 2, rarely 3, large, ovate, dark-colored. Stipules absent. Inflorescence usually 2-3 flowers; flowers large, 35-40 mm in diameter, petals from inversely ovate to nearly oval, white, slightly pinkish at the end of flowering, not fused. Pistil rises above stamens, stamens 8-10 mm long, pistil with ovary 15-17 mm long. Calyx tube elongated-bell-shaped, calyx lobes reflexed and pressed against the tube, triangular, margins even, length shorter than tube or equal to it, tube 6-7 mm long, calyx lobes 5-6 mm long. Pedicel and lower part of calyx tube are uncolored, upper part of calyx tube and calyx lobes slightly pinkish, color intensifies upon flowering. Flowering occurs in mid-season, the variety is self-sterile.

Fruits are large, average weight 7.3 g, fruit height 24 mm, width 22 mm, thickness 20 mm; fruit shape obtuse-heart-shaped or heart-shaped, slightly compressed from the sides; skin color dark red, nearly black upon full ripening. Flesh dark red with lighter veins, medium density (semi-bright), moderately juicy, juice dark red. Flavor sweet with slight acidity, pleasant noble flavor of high-quality cherries, tasting score 4.7-4.9 points, but in some years fruits may be insufficiently sugary, and their tasting score drops to 4.0-4.2 points. Pedicel 25-35 mm long, 1 mm thick, dry detachment at full maturity, in slightly underripe fruits juice may exude at the pedicel attachment point. Stone is round, large, weighing 0.62 g, which constitutes 8.5% of fruit weight; fresh stone color light reddish-brown. Fruits ripen early, in southern Central Chernozem region in early second decade of June.

Trees grafted on antipka begin fruiting 4-5 years after planting in gardens, with medium fruiting speed. Average yield over the first 7 years of fruiting was 27.3 kg/tree, reaching up to 44 kg/tree in the most productive years.

Winter hardiness of trees in southern Central Chernozem is fairly good, though Olenka is inferior to Yulia and Early Pink. Trunks are resistant to sunscald, but in unfavorable winters, for example 2004-2005 with sharp temperature drops in February-March after prolonged thaws, cambium freezing occurs: average freezing score for Olenka was 1.2 points, while for Yulia and Early Pink it was 0.2 and 0.4 points respectively. Flower bud winter hardiness is satisfactory. After frost down to -34.0°C on December 17, 1997, 61.5% of flower buds died. In the unfavorable winter of 1993-1994, when in early February temperature dropped to -32.5°C after a strong and prolonged thaw in December-January, flower bud mortality reached 96.7%. Resistance to coccomyces is high, no moniliosis infections were observed throughout the study period.

Advantages: large dark-colored high-quality early-ripening fruits.

Disadvantages: overly large tree, cambium damage from frost in unfavorable winters with sharp temperature fluctuations.