Golden Large

Origin: seedling of southern cultivated plum varieties. Breeder — Saratov Experimental Orchard Station. Authors: A.P. Kruglova, G.I. Dymnova. Included in the State Register in 1995 for the Lower Volga region.

Medium-growing tree, medium-sized, pyramidal crown, sparse, raised-arching, medium foliage, thick, straight, brown, bare branches; buds large, slightly protruding relative to branches; leaf blade concave (boat-shaped), curved downward, 28 x 18 mm, dark green, thick, wrinkled, matte, no pubescence, leaf margin finely toothed; petiole thick, medium, pigmented; glands white, round, medium. Flowers triple, large, white; six stamens, stigma positioned below stamens; ovary pubescent. Pedicel medium, thick, without pubescence. Flowering and fruiting type — on cluster branches.

Fruits very large, weighing 43 g, yellow, with pinkish-yellow mottled skin, delicate, heavily pubescent skin with strong waxy coating, easily removable; fruit apex rounded, indented; shallow wide depression, fruit base with depression, deep medium cavity, weakly visible ventral suture; flesh yellow, tender, melting, sour-sweet taste. Peduncle thick, medium, stone free, small, oval, 3.4% of total fruit weight. Fruits uniform, attractiveness 4.5 points; flesh sour-sweet, taste rating 4.8 points. Fruit detachment from stem — weak, easy separation from branch; fruit transportability good; culinary use — table; production rating — 5 points; usage — compotes, dried fruits. Chemical composition of skin and flesh: dry matter content — 14%, ascorbic acid — 18.5 mg/100g, sugars — 9.1%, free acids — 1.5%.

Flowering period 12–19 May; fruit ripening late — 2 September. Enters fruiting after budding in nursery at 4 years; plant longevity medium. Partially self-fertile, best pollinators — Mirnaya, Volzhskaya Krasavitsa. Yield 26.8 kg per tree, 126–146 centners/ha, annual fruiting. Branch damage from winter frosts — 1.6 points at -30°C, branch (wood) damage from winter frosts — 1.2 points at -32°C; flower bud damage from winter and spring frosts — 12%. High drought resistance, moderate heat tolerance; no disease symptoms noted. Suitable for intensive orchards.

Advantages of the variety: regular yield, flower bud resistance to spring frosts, high fruit flavor quality, withstands prolonged storage in refrigerator — 1.5 months, ripens in storage and acquires attractive appearance, color, flavor.

Disadvantages of the variety: in harsh winters, 2–3-year-old wood freezes to 1.6 points (on 5-point scale).

Economic effect — fruit yield of plum plantations will increase by 20%.