Description of the immune apple variety Venyaminovskoye

History and description of the variety

Venyaminovskoye is a winter apple variety developed by the All-Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Breeding. To create it, breeders crossed F2 Malus floribunda and Golden Delicious. It was obtained through open-pollination of the elite immune form 814.

To create the variety, seeds taken from the 1981 harvest were used. They were sown a year later, and the seedlings yielded their first harvest in 1992. Venyaminovskoye was developed by a group of breeders. The group included the following scientists: E.N. Sedovoy, V.V. Zhdanov, Z.M. Serova, and E.A. Dolmatov.
The variety has the following description of trees:

• large apple tree;
• The crown is rounded. Quite sparse and moderately dense;
• The branches are strong. They extend from the trunk at almost a right angle, with their ends pointing upwards;
• the bark is smooth, grayish in color;
• The leaves are ovoid in shape. The leaf blade is dark green and has a characteristically twisted tip.
• The flowers are pale pink and saucer-shaped. They are medium in size.

Fruiting occurs on the rings. The trees produce apples characterized by the following characteristics:

• average value;
• The fruits typically weigh around 130 grams. However, there have been cases where the apples have grown large and weighed around 300 grams;
• The shape is conical. It is characterized by a moderate degree of flattening. It has wide, asymmetrical, and beveled ribs;
• The skin, when ripe for picking, takes on a green color with a yellowish tint. A rich red or crimson blush also appears, covering most of the fruit. It's worth noting that in good light, apples acquire a more intense skin color.
• The flesh is white, but has a slight greenish tint. It is quite dense, and the consistency can be described as coarse-grained. The fruit is very juicy;
• The pulp has a sweet and sour flavor. This variety has a dessert-like taste that is prized by gardeners around the world.

The Venyaminovskoye variety has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 points for taste and appearance.

Main characteristics

The Venyaminovskoye apple tree variety has received numerous positive reviews, which are based on the following characteristics of this variety:

• early fruit bearing;
• A rich harvest. Up to 150 kg of crops can be harvested from one hectare of plantings;
• Good cold tolerance. Trees of this variety can easily tolerate significant temperature drops. Only at temperatures of -40°C and below is minor bud damage observed;
• good shelf life of fruits;
• excellent taste and commercial qualities of apples;
• easy care;
• the presence of good immunity to various pathogens.

It's worth noting that the fruits ripen unevenly. As they ripen, apples tend to fall from the branches. Therefore, to prevent damage to the harvest, ripe fruits should be picked from the trees immediately. As they fall, they hit the ground, making them difficult to store over the winter (they quickly spoil).

Apples of this variety have the following chemical composition (per 100 grams):

• titratable acids – 0.71%;
• P-active substances – 222 mg;
• sugars – 8.6%;
• ascorbic acid – 4.5 mg.

The Venyaminovskoye variety's harvest season is in the fall and winter, around February. Apples typically reach maturity by mid-September and continue to ripen until the end of the month. A slight decline in harvest quality is observed toward the end of the storage period. This is due to the apples' tendency to wilt slightly in artificially low temperatures.

Pests and diseases

The Venyaminovskoye variety is characterized by a relatively high resistance to scab. This apple tree's good immunity is due to the Vf gene, which determines its high resistance to the scab pathogen. Therefore, the tree's greatest threats are parasites and rodents. Of the pests, aphids are the most damaging to this variety of apple tree. This insect is characterized by a high reproduction rate, which means they can cause significant damage to the tree in a short period of time.

To combat this parasite, you can use the following means:

• chemicals;
• Folk remedies. A fairly effective infusion in this case is made from ash, wormwood, onion peel, and hot pepper. All of these ingredients can be used together or separately. Tansy has also proven effective. Its distinctive scent repels pests from the apple tree.
• Using natural enemies of aphids—ladybugs. To attract ladybugs to an infested tree, plant dill, calendula, or coriander around it;
• ordinary whitewashing of the trunk.

In the fall, when preparing the tree for winter, the bark should be wrapped in a rigid material to protect it from being chewed by mice and hares. You can also use whitewash to whiten the trunk or nylon stockings.

Pros and cons

The main advantages of the variety are:

• good immunity to scab;
• excellent consumer qualities of apples, the fruits have an ideal commercial appearance;
• high winter hardiness;
• good fruiting.

The downside is the relatively long ripening period, which causes the apples to fall off. As we can see, the Venyaminovskoye apple variety will be an excellent addition to your garden!

Video: "Overview of Winter Apple Varieties"

This video will tell you about the different types of autumn and winter apple trees.