Apple variety Berkutovskoe

Berkutovskoe - an apple tree with the fruits of the winter ripening period, bred in the 1970s at the Saratov experimental gardening station through pollination of the American variety Cortland (Cortland) with a pollen mixture of 2 varieties: Pink-striped anise + Antonovka ordinary. The authorship is assigned to O.D. Berkut and G.V. Kondratyeva. Since 1988, the variety has been zoned in the Saratov and Volgograd regions. In 1991 he was awarded the gold medal of the All-Russian Exhibition Center.

The trees have an average vigor of growth and reach an average of 3 meters in height; the crown is characterized by medium thickening and a compact rounded shape. Bark on a trunk with a smooth surface, grayish color. The branches are straight.

Shoots of medium thickness, straight, fleecy, colored red-brown. Lentils are medium in size, cream in color, rarely found on the shoot. The buds are of medium size, rounded, fleecy, pressed. Leaves are large, green in color, elliptical, long-pointed, with serrated edges. The surface of the leaf blade is matt, wrinkled, with strong veins. Petioles are medium in length and thickness, hairy, with stipules. The flower buds are medium in size, fleecy. The flowers are saucer-shaped, pinkish-white in color, oval-shaped petals, medium claws. Medium-sized, cream-colored buds.

The fruits of the Berkutovskoe apple tree are of higher average size (the weight of one apple averages 150 g, the largest specimens reach 250 g), 75 mm high, 70 mm in diameter, aligned, rounded (like Antonovka ordinary apples). The surface of the fruit is not smooth, but covered with small tubercles. The skin is smooth, even, with a glossy sheen, without wax bloom. By the main color, the fruits are greenish-yellow and yellow. The cover color is bright, elegant: over the entire surface of the fruit or most of it, dark red stripes turn into a blurred pure red blush. There are few subcutaneous points, but they can be easily seen: they are of medium size, white. Peduncles are straight, of medium length and thickness, set at an angle. The funnel is of medium width, deep, conical, slightly rusty. The calyx is non-falling, often closed, in rare cases - half-open. A saucer with fine ribs, medium in width and depth. The heart is large, onion-shaped. The seed chambers are large and open. The sub-cup tube is short in length and medium in width. The seeds are large, conical in shape, brown in color.

The pulp is white, dense structure, fine-grained consistency, very juicy, with a light aroma, excellent sweetish-sour taste (according to the tasting scale - 4.5 - 4.8 points out of five). The purpose of the variety is universal.

In terms of fruit ripening, the variety is winter. Its keeping capacity is very high (up to 200 days), depending on the locality of growth, apples are stored until March - May.

The early maturity of the Berkutovskoe apple tree is good, the trees usually bring the first harvest in the 3rd - 4th year after planting in the garden. Fruiting is annual, regular, abundant. The variety is high-yielding (up to 70 kg / village). Winter hardiness is quite high: in the conditions of the Lower Volga region it is quite high, in the conditions of the Central region (in particular for the Moscow region) it is slightly lower, closer to the average level. Drought resistance is high. The variety is resistant to major diseases, but in epiphytotic years it can be affected by powdery mildew.

The main advantages of this apple tree include: high palatability of fruits, high storage capacity, abundant annual yields, low compact trees, high rates of winter hardiness and drought resistance.

A significant drawback is the susceptibility to powdery mildew in rainy years.