Pear variety Just Maria

It's just that Maria is a new variety of Belarusian pears with the fruits of the autumn ripening period. Bred in RUE "Institute of Fruit Growing" (former Belarusian Research Institute of Fruit Growing) through crossing the hybrid form 6 / 89-100 and the variety Maslyanaya Ro. The authorship is assigned to a group of breeders: M.G. Myalik, O.A. Yakimovich and G.A. Alekseeva. Originally the variety was called “Maria”, later it was renamed “Just Maria”. The variety has been assigned the breeding number 90-39 / 101. In the conditions of the selection garden, the new hybrid seedling began to bear fruit in the 5th year. In 1996, the seedling was selected for winter hardiness, yield and fruit quality, propagated on a wild forest pear seed stock and planted in the garden of primary variety study. In 2003, the seedling was allocated to the elite, and in 2005 it was transferred to the State Variety Testing.

The trees are medium-sized, the crown has a wide-pyramidal shape, the thickening is medium. At the age of 10 years, the trees on the wild forest pear rootstock are characterized by a 3-meter height, the crown diameter is 2.5 meters in both directions. The branches extend from the trunk at an angle close to a straight line, their ends are directed upward. Fruiting is of a mixed type, fruit formations are tied most often on spears, simple and complex ringlets.

The fruits of the pear Just Maria are quite large (the average weight is 180 g, the maximum weight usually does not exceed 200 g, but sometimes it reaches 230 g), pear-shaped in shape. The surface of the fruit is clean, smooth, without roughness and rustiness. The stalks are of medium length and thickness, slightly curved in shape. The skin is very delicate, thin, smooth, dry, with a glossy sheen, oily. Subcutaneous points are numerous, pronounced, green in color. At the moment of ripening, the main color of the fruit is greenish-yellow, the integumentary color is expressed by a dotted pinkish blush. In the period of consumer maturity, the main color of the fruit acquires a light golden yellow color, the integumentary color occupies an insignificant part on the surface of the fruit in the form of a blurred tan with a slight pinkish tinge. Seeds are medium, wide, dark brown in color, conical in shape.

The pulp is yellowish-white, fine-grained in structure, medium density, oily, with high taste - tender, very juicy, with a light pleasant aroma, sour-sweet (sweetness prevails in the taste, sourness is weak, pleasant). According to the Belarusian experts, the taste assessment on a 5-point tasting scale is 4.8 points. Although, according to amateur gardeners cultivating this pear, this estimate is even underestimated.

The sugar to acid ratio is very high at 81.5. It allows you to provide fruits with excellent taste even under adverse weather conditions (for example, in a cold summer), as well as with far from ideal cultivation techniques. According to some authoritative experts, Prosto Maria is one of the best pear varieties not only in domestic but also in foreign selection. Many admit that the taste characteristics of the fruits of this pear are superior to such industrial standard varieties from European countries as Williams, Conference, Bere Bosc, Deccan du Comis.

By the time of ripening Just Maria belongs to the autumn varieties. The consumer period lasts from October to November. In the refrigerator, the fruits remain fresh until January.

At the time of fruiting, trees enter the 3 - 4 year after planting in the garden. Fruiting is regular. The yield is good (up to 40 kg of fruits per tree). Average yield for 2001 - 2005 amounted to 14.2 t / ha, the yield of marketable fruits is 90%, the level of profitability is 89.8%.

The variety is frost-resistant (up to minus 38 ° C), after freezing the trees quickly recover and give good yields. In the winter periods 1996 - 1997. and 1997 - 1998 with sharp temperature changes from positive to negative (from +7 to -33 ° C) freezing of bark, 2-year-old wood and 1-year growth of mother tree did not exceed 2 points. In the conditions of the garden of primary variety study in the winter period of 2002 - 2003. (the air temperature dropped to minus 29.6 ° C) freezing of fruit wood, bark, trunk and 1-year growth was assessed below the control - 1.5 points.

In the conditions of the Nizhny Novgorod region in late November - early December 2009, the snow cover almost completely melted, and the process of active sap flow began in the fruit trees (juice almost dripped from the cuttings). By mid-December (14-15), in the absence of snow, the air temperature dropped to minus 31 ° C. Upon further inspection, it was found that in most varieties of pears, the level of damage to the core of the wood ranged from 1 to 5 points. Famous varieties such as Chizhovskaya, Nika, In memory of Yakovlev, Fairytale were damaged up to 2 - 3 points. Winter varieties Gera and February souvenir, as well as some southern varieties, are completely frozen. In the Prosto Maria pear, slight damage to the core of one-year growth (up to 1 point) was observed in the form of darkening of the wood, which disappeared by the middle of the summer period. In the spring of 2010, the tree blossomed, and in the fall it brought a full harvest.

It's just that Maria is resistant to scab, bacterial cancer and septoria.

The main advantages of this pear are early maturity, high fruit quality, yield, winter hardiness, and disease resistance.

The variety is recommended for cultivation in the conditions of Moscow and the Moscow region. The most favorable place for planting is the southern, windless side of the garden plot (house walls, fence), southern slopes. Under unfavorable growing conditions, it is desirable to inoculate with stem and skeleton formers.