Apple variety Topaz

Many modern Czech apple varieties are well known to Russian gardeners. Among the winter varieties, the Topaz apple tree (Topaz) is perhaps one of the leaders in popularity. Its harvest is stored for a very long time and does not lose its presentation. This highly acclaimed culture was born at the Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences. It was created in 1984 by academician Yaroslav Tupi, using Wanda and Rubin for crossing, whose parent is a world famous Golden Delicious... Our hero is one of the main varieties grown on an industrial scale in the Czech Republic, and not only there. For example, in Ukraine, a lot of garden areas are also allocated for this culture. The variety is not included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements of Russia. But gardeners of central Russia know it well, where the apple tree shows good results.

Description

The tree is of medium size, generally its height reaches 3 m, and rarely exceeds 5 m. The main branches are attached to the trunk at an angle close to a straight line. The bark is gray-brown. Shoots are not thick, light brown. Lentils are light, oblong. Due to the high shoot-forming ability, excessive thickening is formed. The crown shape is often rounded, but can also take the shape of an inverted pyramid. The foliage is good. The leaves are dark emerald, ovate-elongated, the apex is sharp, the base is rounded-wedge-shaped, the edges are serrate jagged. The surface of the leaf blade is slightly shiny, the underside is pubescent. The petiole is of normal length and thickness, slightly pubescent. Excitability of the kidneys is weak. Fruit formations are formed in large numbers. The bulk of the crop is concentrated on annelids, the rest on spears and fruit twigs. In the south, apples are also formed on the growths of the previous year. Flowers are saucer-shaped, white, of medium size. The culture blooms in medium terms.

The shape of the fruit of this apple tree is flattened-rounded, the size is from medium to large, the usual weight is 120 - 160 g. The funnel is conical, medium-sized, may have traces of rustiness. The peduncle is not very long, of medium thickness, strong. The saucer is wide, of moderate depth. Calyx half-open or open. The seed chambers are small, closed. The skin is smooth, firm, slightly oily. The main color is greenish-yellow, integumentary in the form of a dull brownish-red spotted-striped blurred blush, occupying from 30 to 60% of the fruit surface. Subcutaneous points are light, large, noticeable. The pulp is creamy-creamy, fine-grained, quite dense, crispy, very juicy. The aroma is pronounced, with a hint of spices, somewhat softened during storage. The taste is excellent, sweet and sour, with a characteristic light astringency. Czech, Polish and Dutch tasters point to the high palatability of the fruit, assessing the taste at 4.5 points. Some gardeners compare the taste of our hero with the variety Champion.

Characteristics

• The topaz apple tree has a high rate of maturation. On rootstock 62−396, fruiting begins in the 4th year after planting a one-year seedling;
• young trees bear fruit consistently and annually. The old have a tendency towards periodicity;
• in terms of ripening, the variety belongs to the winter. Harvest time is late September - early October, about a week earlier than Golden Delicious. Consumer ripeness occurs in November;
• many sources mention high productivity that increases over the years. But there is little specific information. There is a mention that 12-17 kg of fruits are removed from 4-5-year-old apple trees on 54-118 rootstock;
• our hero is famous for strong immunity. It has a high resistance to many major diseases of the culture, it is especially resistant to scab. But it is moderately sensitive to powdery mildew;
• frost resistance is declared to be high. In winter, the culture is able to withstand frosts down to minus 26.1 ° C.But planting the variety in lowlands or on waterlogged soils reduces the ability to resist low temperatures;

• drought resistance is good, in addition, the variety is able to tolerate high air temperatures well during hot periods. She is not afraid of strong winds;
• apples tolerate transportation over long distances well;
• keeping quality is recognized as one of the highest among the late varieties. The fruits are perfectly stored until April, the pulp does not become cottony, but remains the same juicy and dense;
• the main purpose of the crop is to use it in its natural form during the entire winter season. Apples with excellent taste are a great dessert, they are added to fruit salads. Fruit is an ingredient in many dishes, and not only sweet, they can, for example, be used as a side dish for poultry, or as an addition to sausage or cheese slices.

Pollinators

Topaz is one of the self-fertile varieties of apple trees, therefore, pollinators blooming with it at the same time will be required to form a crop. And there are quite a few of them for our hero. The choice can be made from the following varieties: Idared, Florina, Raika, Golden Delicious, Discovery, Breburn, Angold, Goldstar, Resista, Ruby step, Retina, Ruby Duki, Gloucester, Rubinola, Revena, Saturn.

Agrotechnics

Our hero prefers well-lit areas, an adult tree easily tolerates scattered partial shade. It is unpretentious to soils, but preference should still be given to loose and nutritious loams. He does not like stagnation of water in the roots, therefore, the groundwater level on the site should not be located above 1.5 - 2.0 m from the soil surface. It works well on the M9 rootstock, much worse on the M26 and MM106. In the spring, thinning pruning is required, freeing the crown from excessive thickening. Thanks to this, resistance to diseases and pests increases, the fruits become larger and sweeter.

Apple Topaz can be confidently called an outstanding achievement of Czech breeding. The main advantage of the culture is its high scab resistance, thanks to this quality it is used as a donor of resistance to create new varieties. Also, the variety is valued for the high commercial qualities of the fruit, taste characteristics, transportability and keeping quality. With proper agricultural technology, the plant is able to show good frost resistance and high productivity. A small disadvantage is self-infertility, but it can also be easily eliminated by planting a reliable pollinator or grafting it into the crown to Topaz. Currently, there are 2 varieties of this plant - they are Crimson Topaz and Red Topaz.