Apple tree Bogatyr - characteristics of the variety and cultivation characteristics

History of the appearance of the variety

The Bogatyr apple variety is a hybrid that appeared by crossing the Renet Landsbergsky variety with the Antonovka Ordinary variety. The new species was created in 1926 by Sergei Fedorovich Chernenko, who worked under the leadership of Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin in the nursery of the Research Institute of Genetics and Selection of Fruit Plants in Russia.

The Bogatyr variety inherited cold resistance and unpretentiousness from the Russian Antonovka, and excellent taste and solid apple size from the Western European Reneta. The successful qualities of the variety were used by the daughter of S. F. Chernenko, Ekaterina Semyonovna, by crossing the Bogatyr apple tree with the Chinese Red one. This is how the winter variety Pamyati Budagovsky appeared, even more resistant to low air temperatures, as well as drought and diseases.

Self-fertility, fruiting and productivity

“Bogatyr” requires a company of pollinating assistants. Several varieties of apple trees are planted next to it:

• Zhigulevskoe;
• Melba;
• Sinap Northern;
• Strefling.

An overview of these and other best varieties of apples with photos and descriptions is here.

The first fruits appear in the fourth year after planting a two-year-old seedling. If you have been vaccinated with an eye (budding), apples can only be tasted at 6-7 years of age.

Yield indicators depend on the age of the apple tree - the older it is, the more kilograms of fruit can be harvested. Thus, up to 60 kg are removed from a 9-year-old tree, and 80 kg or more from a 16-year-old tree. Fruiting is annual, but the yield periodically decreases.

Apples are eaten fresh; they are excellent for soaking and compotes; when making jam, they remain whole and do not become overcooked.

Description of the variety and characteristics of the apple tree

Apple tree Bogatyr is a pre-winter variety of apple trees. This is a tall tree, more than four meters in height. Its foundation is solid. The crown of the apple tree is sparse, spreading, 5-6 meters in diameter, rounded or cone-shaped. The lower branches forming the skeleton are red-brown, powerful, located at a right angle to the trunk. At the upper branches, the angle of exit from the trunk decreases to 45 degrees. Their thickness is much less than skeletal ones. The sparse crown allows the sun to reach each fruit, saturate it with its warmth and light.

Young shoots of the tree retain a red-brown tint. Oval-shaped buds are close to the branches. Thick, rich green, elongated leaves of the apple tree have jagged edges, and the center of the plate is slightly curved. The bottom of the leaf is covered with villi.

The Bogatyr apple tree blooms late. Small flat flowers of white-pink color are slightly dissected at the edges. The anthers of a flower are located below its stigma.

Most of the fruits of the variety are formed on branches that are three to four years old. The main part of the harvest comes from short shoots - ringlets. Last year's growth on the apple tree sometimes also bears fruit. Three fruits are collected into a bouquet: the central fruit is connected to the branch with the help of a long stalk, the side apples with short, thick ones.

The variety's flat, round fruits are wide at the base, ribbed at the top, and have a smooth surface. The rustiness covers the funnel and goes beyond it. Light green fruits taken from the tree, after lying for two to three months, acquire a yellow tint. Some of the apples are endowed with a striped blush. Under the dense skin there is white elastic pulp, medium juicy, aromatic and crispy. Apple grains are small.

The Bogatyr size of the fruit corresponds to the name of the Bogatyr variety. For most, the weight ranges from 150 to 250 grams; there are specimens weighing 350-400 grams.

The taste of Bogatyr apples is sweet and sour. Acid and sugar complement each other and create harmony of taste. Bogatyr is sweeter than Antonovka, but its high vitamin C content is not inferior to this variety. Malt Bagaevsky, Nastenka, Molodezhny, Orlovsky Polesye, Yantar have a similar taste.

The Bogatyr apple tree is harvested in the second half of September - early October. It is better not to rush into picking, otherwise the fruit will lose its juiciness, wrinkle, and lose its crunch.

Consumer ripeness of the fruits of the Bogatyr variety occurs by mid-December and is noticeable by its yellow color. By this time the taste becomes rich and harmonious.

The dense peel facilitates long-term storage of apples and transportation over long distances. The Bogatyr variety is universal in terms of consumption. The fruits are eaten as they ripen and processed. Bogatyr apples make delicious juice, jam, preserves, and compote. They retain their taste and aroma when soaked.

Advantages of Bogatyr apples

• fruiting 3-5 years after rooting of the seedling;
• annual fruiting;
• good and increasing productivity - from a fruit tree they harvest from 30 kg by five to seven years to 130 kg by twenty years;
• ripe fruits of this variety do not fall off;
• cold resistance;
• storage duration;
• transportability;
• solid appearance of Bogatyr apples;
• excellent taste, rich aroma;
• Apple tree resistance to fungus - scab;
• universal use of fruits.

Flaws

• due to the green color of the fruits, it is difficult to determine the exact time of ripening;
• rustiness of apples.

The Bogatyr variety has subspecies

1. Semi-dwarf Bogatyr.
2. Dwarf Bogatyr.
3. Columnar Bogatyr.

The tree is not self-fertile. For pollination, you need to plant an apple tree nearby that will help with this: Melbu, Sinap Severny, Strefling, Zhigulevskoye.

Positive and negative sides

The undoubted advantages of the Bogatyr variety include:

• uniform marketability and excellent taste of fruits;
• resistance to scab - medium in foliage, high in fruit (damages at 1.4 points out of 5);
• high annual yield;
• excellent transportability and long shelf life of fresh apples.

In addition, the trees do not require complex care and adapt well to various soil and climatic conditions, showing frost resistance at the level of standard varieties (withstand temperatures down to −25 ℃ and their sudden changes). Proper preparation for wintering and timely sanitary pruning help the apple tree to quickly recover after harsh winters.

The record harvest was recorded at 130 kilograms from one mature tree

Disadvantages include:

• self-sterility and, accordingly, dependence on other pollinating varieties;
• a rather faded color of the fruit, which some apple lovers find not very attractive.

In order to annually obtain “heroic” harvests, it is necessary to care for the tree using conventional agrotechnical techniques: timely watering, application of root and foliar fertilizers, pruning, preventive treatments against pests and diseases.

Composition of apples

The low calorie content of Bogatyr apples - 43 kcal per 100 grams - makes them attractive to those who are watching their figure or want to lose weight.

The fruits of the variety are rich in ascorbic acid - almost 13 mg per 100 grams. Ascorbic acid is a natural antioxidant: it enhances metabolic processes, improves the functioning of the heart and blood vessels, helps avoid atherosclerosis, and promotes protein absorption.

Apples are rich in pectin. Pectin improves the functioning of the stomach and intestines.

The fruit contains potassium and manganese. Potassium normalizes protein synthesis, converts glucose into cellular energy, helps supply the brain with oxygen, and has a beneficial effect on kidney function. Manganese strengthens the nervous system, regulates metabolic processes, improves the functioning of the thyroid gland, maintains hemoglobin at the proper level, has a positive effect on the growth and development of bones and connective tissues, and strengthens the immune system.

In addition to vitamin C, apples contain vitamin A, which helps fight infections and improves vision. And B vitamins (B1, B2, B4, B5, B6, B7, B9) have a positive effect on brain function.

Ursolic acid, contained in the peel of Bogatyr apples, improves the growth of muscle tissue, prevents the spread of cancer cells, and reduces fat deposits.

Thanks to ursolic acid, visceral fat deposits disappear, which helps you lose weight.

Fiber, which is abundant in apples, removes toxins and excess fluid from the body.

The catechins contained in the fruit strengthen capillaries, remove cholesterol, speed up metabolism, fight infections and tumor cells, and inhibit the aging of the body.

Apples are best digested when eaten with the peel. Mashed fruits lose some of their ascorbic acid. Apple juice is devoid of pectin and fiber.

Choosing a location, timing and planting an apple tree

Before landing the Bogatyr, you need to choose a place. The crown of a grown apple tree reaches 5-6 meters, so there cannot be buildings or other trees nearby. While the tree is growing, you can plant vegetables around it.

Groundwater located close to the surface will not allow the apple tree to grow, and the tree will die.

A tree of this variety should be planted in a well-lit place.

Planting dates: early spring, late autumn. In the northern regions, due to the possibility of early autumn frosts, the spring period is better suited for planting the Bogatyr apple tree. This should be done before sap flow begins.

Regardless of when the tree is planted, the pit is prepared in the fall. Its depth should be 70-80 cm, and its width should be 100-120 cm. Drainage is first laid in the recess: pebbles, crushed stone, crushed brick, sand in a layer of 25-30 cm, which protects the root system from rotting. The planting hole is dug ten days before planting the apple tree. This is necessary to compact the soil and release excess air from the soil.

The soil is improved due to humus, due to peat, due to fertilizers. It is better to prepare it in advance so that the fertilizers have time to dissolve.

Dried and damaged roots and branches are cut off on apple tree seedlings.

Before planting, it is recommended to dip the roots of the tree in a mixture of clay and mullein, made in a ratio of three parts to one and diluted with water to the consistency of thick sour cream.

Landing. Improved soil is poured onto the drainage layer, on which the tree is installed. Then a bucket of water is poured out and the roots are covered with the same soil. A small saucer-like depression is formed around the seedling, into which 8-10 liters of water are poured.

After planting, a shallow ditch with a diameter of 1-1.5 meters is dug around the apple tree.

Apple tree care

1. Trimming. In early spring, in April, dry, damaged branches and branches growing inside the crown are pruned from the tree, healthy ones are shortened - this promotes intensive bud growth.
2. Feeding. In autumn, young Bogatyr apple trees are fed with potassium fertilizers. Nitrogen fertilizers are needed for trees older than three years.
3. Watering. Immediately after planting the tree, watering should be regular. The frequency of watering rooted seedlings depends on the weather. During a drought period, three buckets of water are enough for apple trees up to three years old; then the need for moisture increases in proportion to age: the number of buckets corresponds to the number of years of the apple tree. The productivity of watering depends on the condition of the tree trunk space; it needs to be loosened and weeds removed from under the tree.
4. Wintering. The preparation of Bogatyr apple trees for winter begins with whitewashing the trunk. Large branches also need to be whitened. In addition, this will protect the tree from pests, diseases, and sun burns. Next, fertilizers are added to the soil around the tree trunk: ash, compost mixture, superphosphate. The trunks of young trees are tied with spruce paws or roofing felt. In winter, apple trees are insulated with snow, which should be removed from the tree at the beginning of the spring melting.
5. Prevention. Primary treatment of trees against pests is carried out in the spring, before the buds open. The second time - during the appearance of buds. Both times the drugs Inta-Vir, Strobi, Fury are used. At the beginning of flowering, it is useful to spray the apple trees with a solution of boric acid, then repeat the treatment after 10 days. This measure has a positive effect on the preservation of ovaries and shoot growth.

Apple ripening time and storage

Bogatyr apples ripen by mid-September - early October. The fruits must gain juice, so they should not be picked early. Otherwise, the fruits will wrinkle, lose their taste, and will not be stored.

It is also not worth exposing apples to sub-zero temperatures.

Consumer ripeness of fruits does not occur during the harvesting period. Apples need to sit, ripen, and turn yellow. This lasts until the end of December. Then apples will be able to please with their aroma, taste, and become a decoration for the New Year's table.

The fruits of the Bogatyr variety have good keeping quality. In a cool, ventilated room, apples can retain their taste until June.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages:

• precociousness;
• keeping quality of fruits;
• annual fruiting;
• good yield;
• immunity to scab;
• conveniently transported;
• good marketability;
• pleasant sour-sweet taste.

Flaws:

• average winter hardiness;
• insufficiently saturated color of fruit.