The Yantar apple tree was bred by breeders from the Sverdlovsk experimental station. The variety has spread to many regions of the country, with different climatic conditions, due to its ability to adapt to any conditions. The Red Yantar variety was created by Krasnodar, together with Oryol, breeders in the mid-2000s. It is zoned for a dry and hot climate with possibly cold winters; Red Amber has practically no disadvantages.
Description of the variety
Red Yantar belongs to the early summer varieties of apple trees.
Description of the fruit: large apples weigh up to 200 grams or more, the fruits are even. Ripe apples have a red color and transparent amber juicy pulp. The main use of apples is fresh consumption. Apples produce aromatic apple juice without pulp with a bright sweet taste.
Amber is an autumn variety, with cross-pollination, it must be planted in an area with pollinators: Renet Simirenko, Super Chief, Fuji, Empire. This variety is happily grown by gardeners in risky farming conditions: in the Urals, in Bashkiria, where there are frosty winters, early autumn and late spring frosts.
Description of fruits: apples are small in size, up to 50 grams, but under good weather conditions in summer and proper care, young trees produce large apples, weighing up to 80 grams. Apples have thin skin; when they ripen and fill with juice, they become transparent and glow in the sun.
When describing apples of this variety, one cannot fail to note their resemblance to large transparent drops of petrified resin - hence the name of the variety. It is not for nothing that many amber jewelry pieces reproduce this wonderful little apple. There are earrings, pendants, apple-shaped boxes, and just the apple itself, as a talisman of family well-being and love.
The fruits of the Yantar variety practically do not fall to the ground in late autumn. When harvesting, you have to pick apples from the branches. During long-term storage, apples lose their juiciness and become soft and crumbly. From juicy, unripe apples they make very tasty jam with transparent slices, viscous honey syrup, squeeze out the juice, and make compotes with whole apples. Baby food puree, jam, and marmalade are prepared from overripe crumbly fruits.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The main advantage of Red Amber is its fruiting in the second year after planting, early ripening of apples. And also a beautiful presentation of apples. The fruits are completely painted bright red when ripe, do not lose their presentation during transportation, and are stored in cool rooms for up to 2 months.
Apple trees tolerate dry summers well, withstand average frosts, and are not infected by scab and powdery mildew spores.
A disadvantage can be considered zoning for warm climates and intolerance to severe frosts.
The main advantage of Amber is its ability to adapt to various climatic conditions, from hot to sharply continental climates, in a short time. The variety is widely used to create new elite varieties of apples with unique properties.
Long shelf life of the crop – up to 5 months. Preservation of presentation during storage and transportation. Use as a raw material for the production of juices, jams, confiture, purees for baby food, dried fruits and other types of products with high taste.
Disadvantages are the possibility of trees becoming infected (in rainy summers) with scab and powdery mildew spores, a long period of non-fruiting when planting seedlings (they bear fruit for 6-7 years), late ripening of apples.
Tree dimensions
Mature Yantar apple trees are medium in size, their height reaches 4 meters with good care, suitable soil, and a mild climate. The tree spreads its main branches almost at right angles, hence the spreading crown, which occupies a large space. The branches do not grow densely.
Red Amber in adulthood does not exceed average size. The branches form a spherical crown with medium density.
Productivity and taste of fruits
In terms of yield and taste of ripening fruits, these varieties have common advantages - high yield, wonderful taste. Apples have a delicate aroma and sweet and sour taste, which are appreciated by tasters, gardeners, and consumers.
The Yantar variety produces regular, abundant harvests over long periods (up to 20 years). Good weather conditions and proper care allow you to harvest up to 170 kilograms from 1 tree.
Ripe fruits have juicy, dense, cream-colored pulp; graininess appears during harvest storage. The tasting assessment of the taste of apples is 4.85-4.95 points.
Red Amber produces consistently large yields. Fruit nurseries in Kuban and the North Caucasus grow crops of up to 28 tons per hectare.
The taste qualities of apples are high, rated on a five-point scale at 4.7 points. The taste of the fruit is sweet and sour. Apples have thin red skin, light amber flesh with fine grain.
Winter hardiness
The Yantar variety can withstand strong winds, severe frosts, and sudden temperature changes (from above-zero temperatures to sudden cold snaps). It is not afraid of late spring cold snaps during flowering.
Red Yantar is zoned to southern latitudes and has average frost resistance.
Disease resistance
Amber is considered a resistant variety to diseases and pests. In humid climates or rainy summers, apple trees can be affected by scab and powdery mildew. If this happens, it is necessary to collect diseased leaves from the branches, burn them, and treat the tree with special preparations for fungal diseases. If the apple tree grows in a humid climate, it is necessary to carry out preventive measures regularly - in spring and autumn.
It is necessary to plant seedlings in high, well-ventilated areas, monitor the density of the crown of mature trees, thin it out in a timely manner, and properly apply mineral fertilizers.
Red Amber is not susceptible to powdery mildew spores and has an immunity gene to scab.
Timing of flowering and fruit ripening
The timing of flowering of fruit trees depends on many factors: climatic conditions, the area of growth (city, suburban areas, the topography of the garden plot, sunny or shaded place where the trees grow), the timing of the onset of spring (early or late start of spring), the variety of apple trees (some varieties bloom earlier than others).
Mass flowering of fruit trees begins when the atmospheric air warms up in the range of 15-23 0C. The flowering period depends on the weather. In hot, dry weather, apple trees bloom for up to a week. In cloudy, rainy spring, flowering lasts up to 2 weeks.
Amber in the warm regions of the Volga region blooms in early or mid-May, in the regions of the Urals - in mid or late May, in the regions of Western Siberia - in late May or early June.
The ripening time for Yantar apples depends on weather conditions throughout the summer. Typically, apples begin to ripen at the end of August, and the harvest is fully harvested at the beginning of September. The early onset of full spring and hot summer accelerate the ripening time of fruits.
Red Amber is zoned for a southern climate and early spring; it blooms at the end of April. The ripening time for apples in hot, humid or dry climates occurs in mid-July, and at the end of July the harvest is completely harvested from the trees.
Regions of growth
The regions where these varieties are grown are different.
The Yantar variety grows in the regions of the Urals, Middle Volga region, and Western Siberia.
Red Amber apple trees grow in the regions of the Stavropol Territory and the republics of the North Caucasus.
