Apple variety Ostankino (columnar)
Ostankino is one of the first domestic varieties of columnar apple with fruits of the autumn ripening period. Bred in 1974 at the Institute of Horticulture (now VSTISP) through crossing of 2 varieties - Vazhak x Abundant. The authorship is assigned to V.V. Kichina. Since 2002, the variety has been included in the State Register. This apple tree is most widespread in personal plots and in summer cottages in the Moscow region, Samara, Perm and other regions. First of all, Ostankino is promising for the regions of the Black Earth Center and Non-Black Earth Region.
By the strength of growth, trees are natural semi-dwarfs. In height, annual seedlings do not exceed 1 meter, adult apple trees reach a maximum of just over 2 meters. The annual growth of the trunk at the time of full fruiting is from 5 to 10 cm. The trunk itself has the form of a column, during the vegetative period it is densely covered with fruit formations in the form of ringlets and spears. In this case, the ringlets remain active for 12-14 years. The wood is stiff, hard and does not bend with abundant harvests and relatively strong gusts of wind. Despite the significant foliage, the crown is characterized by compact size and small dimensions. Fruits are placed along the trunk rather densely, but evenly, starting already from 30 - 40 cm from the ground level.
Shoots are very thick, internodes are shortened in length. The leaves are long, large in size, with crenate edges, obovate, dark green in color. The lamina is flat, with a glossy surface. Petioles are of medium length.
Fruits grow to medium and large sizes (the mass of apples often ranges from 100 to 150 g, but can reach 220 - 250 g, individual specimens weigh up to 300 g). The apples are round, slightly flattened, symmetrical, one-dimensional in shape. The main color of the fruit is greenish-yellow, the integumentary color is expressed through a beautiful violet-red blush, which occupies 2/3 of the surface or the entire fruit. The skin of the apples is firm and smooth. The stalks are short enough. Seed chambers are closed. There is no axial cavity.
The pulp is white, fine-grained, very juicy, good dessert sweet and sour taste (with a predominance of sweetness). The variety is universal according to its purpose: apples are suitable both for fresh consumption and for all kinds of home processing and preservation (juices, cider, jams, etc.).
According to the ripening period, Ostankino belongs to the autumn varieties, the time for the removable ripeness of the fruits falls on early-mid September (depending on the growing area). According to the shelf life of the fruits, this apple tree can also be ranked among the winter varieties, since apples, under favorable conditions, are suitable for long-term storage (until December). Under normal conditions, fruits remain fresh for about one month.
The early fruiting rate of the Ostankino apple tree is quite high: the trees bring the first harvest already in the 2nd year (on average 4 fruits), the maximum fruiting of the apple trees comes out in the 5th year after planting in the garden. When planting one-year-olds in the spring, the first harvest can be obtained by the fall of the first year. The variety is high-yielding: in the first years of fruiting, the tree gives up to 5 kg of fruits, from 5 to 6 years the average productivity of an apple tree is 6 to 8 kg. With proper regular tree care, the yield can double, reaching an average of 10 - 12 kg, and sometimes 16 kg of fruits per tree (does not depend on the growing area). With the usual planting scheme for columnar apple trees with 20 thousand pcs./ha, from 120 to 160 t / ha are harvested. In general, harvests are regular, but volumes can fluctuate from year to year.The usual yield level of 700 - 800 c / ha with an improved agricultural background rapidly rises to 1200 - 1600 c / ha, and in areas where a high agricultural background is maintained for a long time, yields consistently reach 3000 c / ha from year to year. The trees have an effective lifespan of 15 years, after which the garden needs to be renovated. It is also important to note that on Ostankino apple trees (like one of the parents, the Abundant variety), the fruits set well during the flowering period, even in unfavorable weather and in years when the bees practically do not fly.
Winter hardiness of the variety is quite high (at the level Melba) and sufficient for Central Russia. Resistance to diseases and pests is not inferior to the level of the best standard varieties.
The obvious advantages of this apple tree include: high consumer and commercial qualities of fruits, early maturity, productivity, disease resistance, compactness of trees.
There were no significant shortcomings in the variety. Only with the mass planting of seedlings (20 thousand pieces per 1 hectare) does an expensive planting of a garden come out, but this will be the case with any variety of columnar apple trees. Also, some problems may arise when caring for trees: for example, when the apical bud at the column dies, it is necessary to choose one of 3 - 4 apical shoots almost every year to continue the shoot.
In terms of the quality of apples, Ostankino is approximately on par with Melba and Lobo.
