Apple variety Long (Kitayka)

Long - an apple variety of American selection with the fruits of the autumn ripening period. The variety is small-fruited, according to the American classification it belongs to the group of crabs (crabapple), which is equivalent to ranetki. It got its name due to the elongated (elongated) shape of the fruit. Often among the people you can hear other names of this variety - Dolgoe, Kitayka, Slivolistnaya (the leaves on the tree are similar to the leaves of the plum tree). It is known that the Dolgo apple tree is a seedling of Russian small-fruited winter-hardy varieties (Sibirka, or berry apple tree x unknown cultivar). The seeds of the latter were exported from Russia in 1897-1899 by the American Hansen. In 1917, a new variety was obtained.

Photo: Makarova Tatiana, Kostroma

In our country, this apple tree has been zoned for the regions of the West Siberian, East Siberian, Northern and Northwest regions. In the 1950s - 1970s, the variety was often found in the plantings of collective gardens growing in the vicinity of Ufa.

The trees are medium-sized, medium-sized, in rare cases they grow in the form of a bush. Usually the height of the trees is about 4 meters, the maximum is no more than 5 meters. The shape of the crown is broadly round. The branches are straight and point upward. There are a lot of ringlets, it is on them that the main fruiting is concentrated. Trees also bear fruit on annual wood.

It is also worth noting that apple trees for a long time perform a decorative function almost all year round. Bright apples densely cover the branches (literally stick to them along their entire length from all sides). Trees are especially beautiful at the time of abundant flowering - in May. The flowers are white, large (up to 4 cm in diameter).

Shoots are dark purple in color, with slight pubescence. The leaves are green, with a gloss, have an oblong shape, many of them are twisted into a boat, there is no pubescence, along the edge of the leaf blade is weakly wavy, with serrate-crenate serration. Petioles are short, not pubescent. Stipules are large, oblong.

Photo: Makarova Tatiana, Kostroma

For the fruits of the Dolgo variety, an exceptionally small size is characteristic: usually the weight of an apple ranges from 11 to 16 grams, rarely fruits reach 20 - 25 g. The surface of the skin is smooth. The main color of apples is yellow, the integumentary color is rich, solid, red, with a thick bloom of a bluish tint. The shape of the fruit is ovoid or oval-conical. From a distance, the apples resemble a large red plum. Peduncles are reddish, thin, of medium length, not pubescent. The calyx is rather large, closed; at its base, small intergrown pearls form a ridge. The sub-cup tube is of medium size, no axial cavity is observed. Sepals are rather long, narrow, pointed in shape, at first they are closed, then they diverge to the sides. The saucer is not pronounced.

The pulp is cream-colored, but during storage the fruit turns yellow; red streaks are often found along the line of the seed nest. The structure of the pulp is dense, the taste is sweet-sour (wine-sweet), juicy, with a pronounced plum aroma. In general, the taste of the fruit is assessed as satisfactory. But many experienced gardeners note that the taste of apples is quite good, even very pleasant (which is not typical for ornamental apple trees). In terms of chemical composition, the fruits contain: sugars (average value 12.9%, but depending on the area of ​​growth, the spread can be from 9.7 to 18%), titratable acids (2.42%, range - from 2.02 to 2 , 99%), tannins (214 mg / 100 g, range - from 145 to 291 mg / 100 g), ascorbic acid (30.8 mg / 100 g, range - from 10.6 to 62.4 mg / 100 d), P-active compounds (281 mg / 100 g, range - from 177 to 385 mg / 100 g).

Photo: Makarova Tatiana, Kostroma

Depending on the region, the fruits ripen in the second half of August - early September. The keeping quality of apples is low, the shelf life of fruits does not exceed 25 - 30 days. During storage, the pulp becomes friable and liquefied.Apples are quite suitable for fresh consumption, but still the main purpose of the variety is technical processing (compotes, jam, wine, etc.).

The apple tree is fast-growing, fruiting begins at 3-4 years. The variety is high-yielding, only trees bear fruit irregularly. The average yield is 174 kg from one apple tree, and in some years the harvest from a tree can reach more than 200 kg. Scab resistance is average. The variety is highly winter-hardy and even recommended for cultivation in areas with limited gardening opportunities.

The main advantages of the Long apple tree are: high frost resistance, abundant harvests and unpretentious care of trees.

The main disadvantages are: extremely small size of fruits, periodicity in fruiting, only satisfactory taste of apples.