Apple variety Arbat (columnar)

The history of columnar apple trees began in 1964, these natural clones immediately became extremely popular. In 1984, at the All-Russian Institute of Selection and Technology of Horticulture and Nursery (VSTSiR, Moscow), the breeder V.V. Kichina has developed a new Arbat variety. The columnar shape SA 54-108 and the donor of immunity against scab TSR12T77 were taken as a basis. As a result of crossing the two donor forms, a plant with the number RD43 was selected, which received the varietal name Arbat. The breeding of this variety has been engaged in since 1985. The culture does not appear in the State Register of Breeding Achievements of the Russian Federation. This apple tree is quite famous in the forest-steppe and Polesie of Ukraine, where it is grown in amateur gardens. It is used in breeding as a donor of crown compactness and columnarity.

Description

Medium-sized tree, small and compact, from 1.5 to 2.5 meters high. The crown is not wide - 40 - 50 cm in volume, vaguely resembles a pyramidal poplar. It is formed by fruits, ringlets, fruits and sometimes a spear evenly growing along the trunk. The wood is very durable, capable of withstanding loads from 6 to 12 kg or more. The type of fruiting is spurous. The buds of the variety are wide-conical, small, grayish-brown, heavily pubescent, and are distinguished by good excitability. The annual growth of the elongation shoot is 15 - 20 cm, it is weakly geniculate, thick, covered with light brown bark with strong pubescence. Lentils are in moderation; due to their small size, they are not very noticeable. Apple tree shoots are rather densely leafy. The leaves of the Arbat are small, dark green, elongated-oval in shape with an arcuate base and a small pointed tip, medium complexity. The edge of the leaf is slightly wavy, finely serrated. The surface of the leaf plate is matt, smooth, with a moderately pronounced venation. The petiole is thick and short, with strong pubescence, grayish green in color and dark red base. Narrow ovate stipules with a dissected edge are of normal size. The flowers are small, pink in color with elongated lumpy corrugated petals, on short pedicels. The inflorescence consists of 5 to 8 flowers.

The fruits of the apple tree are not very large, weighing 85 - 100 grams. The shape is flat-rounded or flat-rounded-conical, weak ribbing is visible at the apex, one-dimensionality is moderately pronounced. The funnel is medium in width and depth, conical, sometimes with traces of grayish-yellow rustiness. The calyx is closed, the subasculum tube is conical, small. The heart is medium in size, bulbous, the seed chambers are small, almost closed. The axial cavity is small, slit-like. The seeds of the variety are dense, with a short nose, brown. The peduncle is thin, short, light green. The skin is thin, but dense, elastic, smooth, slightly oily to the touch, a slight gray waxy coating. The main color of Arbat fruits is yellowish or light green. Covering - a blurred striped blush of red on most of the surface. The subcutaneous points are light, few in number. The pulp is creamy or dim light yellow. The consistency is medium-dense, juicy, fine-grained. The palate is described as sweetish-sour, mediocre. Assessment of tasters - 3.4 - 3.8 points. 100 grams of pulp contains: dry matter 11.96 - 12.08%, sugars 8.07 - 8.33%, acids 0.40 - 0.52%, vitamin C 4.08 - 6.54 mg.

Variety characteristics

• Arbat is fast-growing. It enters the fruiting period already in the second year after planting on a dwarf rootstock. For 2 - 3 years it bears fruit on the MM-106 rootstock;
• the life span of the apple tree is short - 14 - 17 years;
• flowering is very intense, lasts up to 10 days, takes place in medium terms;
• ripening period - autumn. In warm regions, the fruits reach harvest maturity in late August - early September, in cooler regions this period shifts by a week or two. Consumer maturity occurs at the end of October;
• the variety shows abundant, sometimes excessive fruit setting, which makes it prone to crop overload. On an average rootstock of 54-118, about 3-4 kg of fruits are removed from 4-5-year-old trees, at 7-9 years it brings 6-8 kg. Up to 20 kg of apples are removed from an 8 - 10-year-old tree, but a periodicity is noticed in fruiting, although not sharply expressed;
• ripe fruits must be removed on time - the variety is prone to crumbling;
• the winter hardiness of the apple tree is very high. According to some reports, the plant is able to withstand up to -40 ° C;
• drought resistance is good;
• thanks to the Vf gene, Arbat is immune to 5 scab races. Highly resistant to powdery mildew, European crayfish and fruit rot, has medium resistance;
• if the storage standards are observed, the fruits can lie for up to 3 months;
• the transportability of the crop is at a high level;
• the way of use is universal. Good taste allows you to use the fruit as a dessert; they are also used to make jam, applesauce, and jam.

Pollinators

The viability of Arbat pollen is 40%. In order for the described variety to be able to reveal its full potential, it needs pollinators - varieties Ostankino, Bolero, Ruslan, Telamon.

Planting and leaving

Planting time is autumn or spring, even the summer period is suitable for plants with a closed root system. Annual seedlings show the best survival rate. You should choose a place that is sunny, protected from the winds; for a compact tree, it will not be difficult to find such a tree even in a small garden. Moreover, columnar apple trees perfectly withstand compacted plantings, with a distance of 40 cm from each other. But the row spacing must be at least 1.5 meters. Be sure to prepare the planting hole in advance so that the nutrients can evenly dissolve in the soil. The species practically does not need pruning, except for sanitary if necessary. At 8 - 9 years old, you can carry out anti-aging pruning to extend the life and fruiting of the variety. In case of excessive fruit setting, rationing must be carried out, otherwise the apples will become smaller.

Arbat is good for its compact size, productivity, frost resistance and immunity. An apple tree with an unusual appearance will decorate a garden or adjoining territory. The plant blooms very beautifully, and during the ripening period of the crop, it fills the air around with a delicate apple aroma. Among the shortcomings, one can note the crumbling of apples when the tree is overloaded with the harvest and the insufficiently long life of the plant.