The juicy fruits of the early autumn Prima apple tree do not leave indifferent those people who ate them. They have a beautiful appearance and excellent taste. The variety is undemanding to agricultural technology and bears fruit well. It is zoned and grown in gardens in southern Russia. Also, the Prima variety exhibits increased resistance to scab.
Description of the plant
The tree is characterized by an active growth rate - on seed rootstocks it grows up to 6 meters in height, and on dwarf rootstocks - up to 4 meters.Over time, the branches of the variety become denser and require sanitary pruning. Their color is brown.
By the description of the leaves, gardeners distinguish the Prima apple tree from other similar varieties. Appearance of leaf blades:
- size medium;
- you can feel the corrugated surface under your fingers;
- oval shape;
- the back side is slightly pubescent;
- the base and top of the small leaves are pointed;
- large leaves have a rounded base;
- the petioles are short and medium in thickness, and are deflected from the shoots at an acute angle.
Apple tree flowers are soft pink in color and medium in size. Scarlet buds. The fruits of the tree are large and medium-sized, their weight ranges from 120 to 190 grams, round in shape. They are often without symmetry, with a smooth shiny skin. The color of the fruit ranges from yellow to green-yellow. Maybe with blush. Those apples that are located in the center of the crown have a short stalk, and those that grow on the outskirts of the tree have a longer stalk.
When the fruit is cut, you can see the cream-colored pulp, very juicy and with a pleasant sweet and sour taste. This apple variety contains 13.2% dry matter, 9.8% sugar, 0.91% titratable acids. Vitamin C is present in more than 9 mg for every 100 g of fruit, and P-active substances up to 150 mg.
Advantages and disadvantages
The indisputable advantage of the Prima variety is its immunity to scab, early fruiting, large fruit size, excellent taste, rich apple aroma. In addition, good transportability of fruits. The disadvantages include high fruit shedding, insufficient resistance to powdery mildew, and frequency of fruiting.
Ripening and fruiting
Fruiting of the Prima apple tree begins in the 3-4th year. The productivity of the tree is high, on average 250 c/ha.Apples begin to ripen on August 10, and before that they often fall off. This situation occurs in windy weather when the plant lacks moisture both in the soil and in the air.
The Prima apple tree is known for its frequency of fruiting.
The fruits are characterized by good transportability and keeping quality. The storage period is up to 2 months, if the place for this is a dark, cool room.
Disease resistance and winter hardiness
This apple tree has different resistance to various diseases - it is practically not affected by scab, but suffers from powdery mildew. The source of this disease is a fungus; it chooses a convenient place on any part of the tree. In appearance, the affected area is covered with a gray film. The disease is controlled using fungicides. To get rid of the disease, treatment is carried out up to 5 times a year, and the plant is also fed with nitrogen and potassium fertilizers.
Since the variety was bred for the southern regions, the Prima apple tree has average winter hardiness.
Subspecies of the Prima apple tree
Breeders are always in search of noteworthy varieties. They also conducted experiments with this apple tree. As a result of crossing in the fourth generation, the Prima variety was obtained.
After breeding, this variety became the basis for the creation of new plants. These are varieties such as Kuban Kazachka, Pamyat Sergeevu. Breeders use the Prima apple tree as a donor of scab resistance. There is also a subspecies Rouge. It differs from the mother tree in having more even fruits and ripens 10-20 days earlier - in early August. There is also a dwarf subspecies called Rouge. To form this plant, take a dwarf rootstock M9. Such a tree suffers less from powdery mildew.
Growing regions
The Prima apple tree is an early autumn ripening plant that has gained wide popularity in the Krasnodar region and the southern part of the Russian Federation. The variety is not suitable for the Moscow region.
The advantages of the Prima apple tree are enough for many gardeners to want to plant it. And when the tree receives care and basic agrotechnical practices are followed, it will generously reward those who grow it with beautiful and tasty fruits.
