Apple Celandine: variety description and history of creation, benefits and yield

Apple varieties Celandine - high-yielding and cold-resistant. Their main advantage is the high resistance to scab, due to the presence of an immune gene. Celandine was bred by breeding, and is considered an improved version of the famous Antonovka. A detailed description of the variety, all about its advantages and disadvantages in the material below.

About variety

Apple Celandine has gained popularity due to its high frost resistance and immunity to certain diseases. This variety tolerates air temperatures down to -40 C well, giving a plentiful harvest by the end of summer.The ripening period is described as winter. However, the first fruits are removed at the end of August. They will not have a rich taste, so the early harvest is mainly used for processing.

History of Creation

The variety was bred by Russian breeders in 1977. Celandine - an improved hybrid of Antonovka Ordinary, adapted for growth in the climatic conditions of the northern regions of Russia. A few years later, the variety passed the necessary tests and was included in the State Register of fruit trees recommended for the Central Black Earth region.

Description

The apple tree is medium-sized and reaches a height of 3-4 meters. The fruits are large (average 120 grams), covered with a glossy yellow peel. On the sides there may be a blush of blurry vertical stripes of reddish hues.

Apples do not taste like dessert, but they are quite highly rated on a tasting scale (from 4 to 4.5 points according to various sources). When fully ripe, the juicy, fine-grained flesh is creamy in color, has a pleasant sweet and sour taste, and is high in vitamin C (23 milligrams per 100 grams of pulp). The fruits are harvested at the end of August or September.

At this time, the pulp may not yet be juicy and sweet enough. Usually it is used for the manufacture of dried fruits and various types of processing: jams, compotes, juices, cider. For taste saturation, apples should rest for at least 3-4 weeks and ripen.

Characteristic

Apple tree is a tree of the Rosaceae family. It blooms simultaneously with the blooming of young leaves - in late spring. The fruits begin to appear in July and finally ripen in September. Apples are rich in elements such as carbohydrates, protein, fiber, vitamin C and minerals.

They have long been considered a useful dietary product that increases bile secretion, improves digestion and treats kidney disease.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

The main benefits of the considered apple trees and their fruits are:

1. Resistance of a varietal crop to frost - up to -40 C.
2. High content of ascorbic acid in fruits.
3. High pectin content, which makes it possible to make jam, jelly or mousse.
4. Immunity to certain diseases (due to the Vm gene).
5. High and stable yield.
6. Unpretentious care.

The main disadvantages of Celandine are:

1. Insufficient taste of fruits.
2. Medium marketable.

Yields

Apple celandine bears fruit early - as early as 3-4 years after planting. The yield is consistently high; with proper care, 100 kilograms of apples can be harvested from 1 tree. The celandine is prone to crop overload and, with abundant fruiting, the branches need support.

The main problem is that sometimes the fruits do not have time to acquire the necessary taste. But it is temporary, since apples can be stored in a well-ventilated dark room for six months, during which the pulp ripens and becomes saturated.

As a rule, apples are stored in wooden boxes. To increase their preservation, they are sprinkled with hardwood sawdust.

Region of natural growth

Apple trees are zoned by regions of Central Russia and the Volga region.

Diseases and pests

The main varietal feature is resistance to 4 types of scab. The disease is typical for apple trees growing in Central Russia, which are affected in large numbers by this fungus. With the arrival of early spring, it begins to attack the shoots and bark, gradually moving to the emerging fruits.

Immunity of Celandine to the disease is due to the presence of the Vm gene. It was grafted during breeding, by crossing two types of apples, one of which has this gene. However, the development of a fungal pest also does not stand still.

Recently, its mutation has been noticed, giving rise to the fifth type of scab, which is not protected by the gene.

For this reason, do not neglect the preventive methods of processing apple trees from pests. In addition, celandine can be attacked by ants, aphids, caterpillars, mites, fruit rot, black cancer and rodents.

Pollination and care

Apple tree is an unpretentious tree. It does not require energy-intensive care, but preventive measures should not be neglected. For normal development, it is enough to pay special attention to the tree three times a year:

1. In the spring (during the flowering period). Use top dressing with urea, potassium sulfate or manure. Shoots are pruned to form a crown.
2. Beginning of July (fruit ripening time). The tree needs fertilizer containing phosphorus or potassium.
3. October (before waiting for frosts and hibernation). Autumn pruning is carried out, which prepares the apple tree for the winter period. At this time, the trees must be freed from infertile shoots, too large branches, as well as dried shoots. Sprouted weeds, fallen fruits and leaves are carefully removed, as rot attracts pests.

Pollination is an important process in which pollen from flowers is carried by bees, butterflies and the force of the wind. Varieties bred on the basis of Ordinary Antonovka do not know how to self-pollinate.

They need proximity to pollinating apple trees that bloom at the same time as Celandine. The best of them are:

• Anise;
• Borovinka;
• Pepin saffron;
• Welsey.

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