Souvenir of the East

Obtained by crossing two East Asian varieties selected by A.N. Venyaminov — Zarya and Giant (second-generation hybridization of first-generation varieties). Authors: A.N. Venyaminov; A.T. Turovtseva. Originating institution — Voronezh State Agricultural University.

Medium-growth tree (height 2–2.5 m), with a spreading crown. Bark is heavily flaking, dark brown with a purplish tint. Branches of medium length and thickness, reddish-brown, bare. Leaves are thin, leathery, inversely egg-shaped, long-pointed, green with a matte tint, smooth. Leaf blade is mostly flat, sometimes slightly concave, sharply transitioning to the tip. Leaf margin is finely serrated, smooth. Petiole is very short — 1 cm, medium thickness, pigmented, often twisted. Flowers are small. The variety fruits predominantly on bouquet branches, as well as on mixed fruit branches and at the base of one-year shoots.

Fruits are very attractive: large (up to 40 g), round, bright orange in technical maturity, dark burgundy in consumer maturity, very beautiful, with a strongly pronounced lateral seam. Flesh is yellow-orange, firm, juicy, crisp, sweet-spicy flavor with a pleasant mild acidity, very aromatic. In appearance and taste, the fruits resemble peach. Pit is small, round, partially detached from the flesh. Chemical composition of the fruit is quite rich: dry matter content is 19.3%, sugars — 13.4%, organic acids — 0.99%; sugar-to-acid ratio — 13.24, pH value at consumer maturity — 3.6. Fruit ripening is medium — in mid-August. The variety is intended for table use, fresh consumption. Unsuitable for compotes and jams, as the fruits tend to break down easily due to relatively low pH. In the food industry, the fruits may be used for making aromatic jam and juice with pulp.

Cold resistance is significantly higher than that of the original forms; flower buds are retained at 90%. Flowering is very early (end of April — beginning of May) and abundant. Pollen is completely non-viable. Suitable pollinators include the plum variety Giant and diploid apricot. There are indications that this variety may set fruit parthenocarpically (as in citrus).

Fruit set of the variety is high under normal conditions during flowering. In fully mature trees, yields range from 26 to 45 kg per tree. On bouquet branches, fruits form in large clusters. On summer shoots, fruits develop singly.

Distinctive features and advantages of the variety: large, bright fruits of excellent quality, hanging in large clusters, high cold resistance of flower buds, good productivity.

Disadvantages: Due to rapid exit from the deep dormancy period of all tree tissues after winter thaws, trunk bark and base of scaffold branches may suffer sunscald and delayed development. It would be advisable to use the most cold-resistant forms within the genus Prunus as rootstock and scaffold-forming varieties for Souvenir of the East. Also, sometimes leaves of this variety are affected by clasterosporiosis (spotting disease).

Recommended for individual and collective gardens, for farmsteads. Represents considerable value as a base material for further breeding work.