Vesnyanka

Late-winter variety, developed at the Maykop Experimental Station of VIR by breeder A. S. Tuz. Parent forms: Triumph Vienna Ch and Decanka Winter.

Introduced to State Variety Testing in 1976; suitable for cultivation in the North Caucasus and Transcaucasia.

Medium-growing tree; at 10 years old, height 3.2 m, crown diameter 2.7 m. Round, moderately dense and leafy crown. Branches short, curved, compactly arranged, depart from trunk at nearly right angles, droop under fruit weight. Bark on trunk and main branches gray, flaking. Fruit set type: ring-like.

Shoots curved, bare, brownish-green. Buds few, medium size. Leaves medium size, elliptical. Leaf blade convex, downward curved, smooth, shiny; leaf margin smooth or finely toothed. Leaf pubescence absent; color green. Petiole medium length and thickness, unpubescent, light green. Stipules small, lanceolate.

Flowers medium size, white, oval petals, flower flat. Style medium length, unpubescent, stigma aligned with anthers. Flowering occurs mid-season, 2-3 days earlier than Williams.

Fruits above average size (average fruit weight 167 g, maximum 252 g). Fruit shape short-pear or conical. Fruit skin smooth, dry, with russeting. Color green at harvest, yellow-green at consumer maturity, with no or slight russeting. Numerous small and large lenticels, clearly visible. Peduncle medium length and thickness, straight or slightly curved. Calyx tube small, medium width, with russeting. Calyx medium size, non-deciduous. Receptacle medium width and depth. Heart medium size, onion-shaped. Seed chambers closed. Absent central cavity. Subcalyx tube medium size, cup-shaped. Seeds medium size, egg-shaped, dark brown.

Fruit flesh white, medium density, tender, very juicy. Flavor sour-sweet with spice and strong aroma.

Fruits excellent in flavor and good market appearance. Sensory evaluation: flavor 4.8 points, appearance 4.0 points. Fresh fruits contain 20.1% dry matter, 13.4% sugars, 0.19% organic acids, 3.9 mg/100g ascorbic acid.

Harvesting should not be delayed until mid-October. Fruits store well in refrigerators and basement-type storage. Fresh consumption period from early January to early May. Transportability and fruit attachment strength are good. Main use: dessert.

Self-sterile; best pollinators: Bere Bosk, Williams, Pass-Crassan, Favr, Beryuzovaya. Not compatible with quince rootstocks; performs well on Caucasian and forest pear seedlings. Trees are adaptable, thrive on various soil types with different humus content.

Trees enter fruiting at 5-6 years and rapidly increase yield. Productivity during full fruiting is sufficiently high. Fruit set is moderately periodic.

Winter hardiness in foothill zones of the North Caucasus is good. In winter 1971/1972 at -30°C, 30% generative buds damaged (vs. 92% for Kure variety). Drought and heat tolerance medium. In summer 2000 at +40.5°C and prolonged drought, 27-year-old trees showed good condition.

Disease resistance medium. Maximum disease rating for major diseases — scab and brown spot — does not exceed 3.0 (vs. 4.0 for most registered varieties).

Advantages: long storage life and excellent fruit flavor, early fruiting, high yield, winter hardiness, small tree size.

Disadvantages: late harvest.