Apricot Black Prince

Apricot Black Prince
The main characteristics of the variety:
  • Authors: Artyomovsk research station in Donetsk region
  • Tree height, m: 3,5-4
  • Flowers: white or pale pink, small size
  • Fruit weight, g: 50-80
  • Skin : thin, slightly pubescent
  • Fruit color: maroon, almost brown
  • Pulp color : bright, red-orange
  • Pulp (consistency): juicy, firm
  • Fruit taste: sweet and sour, special, with noticeable astringency
  • Bone size: small
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Exotic intergeneric hybrids are gaining more and more popularity every year. One of the most successful such hybrids is the Black Prince apricot.

Breeding history

The black prince is a fairly young variety, although information about the time of its creation is inaccurate. Most likely, it appeared in the late 90s. It was bred by the Artemovskaya experimental nursery station in the village of Yagodnoye, Bakhmutskiy district, Donetsk region. The nursery is located in the south-east of Ukraine in the forest-steppe zone with a favorable climate and fertile soil. However, this region is characterized by recurrent frosts down to -30 ° C and spring frosts. Therefore, many Donetsk varieties of stone fruit crops perfectly take root in Central Russia.

To obtain the Black Prince, the breeders of the station crossed the common apricot and the frost-resistant late-fruited garden cherry plum by the method of cross-pollination. The variety did not pass state registration, however, like other black types of apricots. Today, the seedlings of the Black Prince are widely represented and are available for purchase in nurseries of the Donetsk Territory, Crimea, Kuban and the Central Black Earth Region of Russia, for example, in the Voronezh Region.

Description of the variety

Apricot Black Prince is the largest of the black hybrids. It is a high-yielding, self-pollinated, late-ripening, fairly winter-hardy and hardy variety with good immunity to diseases. Forms a medium-sized tree up to 4 m high with a compact crown without much density. The bark of the trunk has a dark green hue, the leaves are serrated and small. In the period from 3 to 6 years, a few thorns-thorns may appear on the skeletal branches of the tree.

Fruit characteristics

The apricots of the Black Prince are round-oval in shape, large in size and weighing 50-60 g. Under favorable climate conditions and careful agricultural technology, the weight of the fruits reaches 80-90 g. Wine-burgundy, slightly pubescent thin skin of the fruit becomes even darker when fully ripe, almost brown-black. The flesh on the cut is firm, juicy, bright orange, with red veins. The aroma is not strong, but characteristic, apricot. The stone is not large, leaves the pulp with difficulty in fruits of medium ripeness, and in the most ripe it separates well.

Taste qualities

The taste is sweet and sour, rich and unusual, with hints of apricot, cherry plum and even plum. At the ripeest fruits, it becomes dessert, very sweet, reminiscent of nectarine. Differs in tart piquant notes, which are inherent in cherry plum and unusual for ordinary apricot. The purpose is universal: apricots can be eaten fresh, used as a filling for pies, made compote from them or prepared in their own juice. True, the peel of the fruit in such blanks very often bursts. Black apricots make jam especially tasty and beautiful. Jam and marshmallows are also made from them.

Ripening and fruiting

Late ripening is characteristic of the Black Prince. The timing of the main fruiting depends on the region and falls on the period from mid-July in the southern regions to the end of August (and even before the first decade of September) in the more northern regions.

The tree often bears fruit already in the second year of life, but to increase the green mass and crown growth, you can remove the color and wait for fruiting for 3 years. This apricot bears fruit annually, without rest periods.

When planting an apricot tree on your site, you need to know about the features of its fruiting. The apricot begins fruiting at the age of two to four years after planting in a permanent place in the garden and bears fruit steadily up to 25-30 years. The tree's yield peaks at the age of five to six years.

Yield

The variety is valued for its high yield. A bountiful record harvest of 35-50 kg the Black Prince may not bring every year, but 20-30 kg per tree annually can be considered very good indicators.

The variety's transportability and keeping quality are high, but this applies only to fruits at the stage of removable maturity. Such slightly unripe fruits will be elastic, they are comfortable to collect and can be transported without problems. If you leave the harvest on the tree until it is fully ripe, then ripe apricots become too soft and tender, they will crumble, breaking on the ground, and the fruits collected in buckets and boxes will crumple, crack, flow and deteriorate.

Self-fertility and the need for pollinators

The Black Prince tree is self-fertile, it does not need forced pollination and the compulsory neighborhood of other varieties. However, many gardeners note that planting a number of cherry plum, apricot or plum trees that coincide in terms of flowering increases the number of ovaries and increases the yield.

The flowering time for this variety is late, in mid-late spring, when there is no longer a threat of recurrent frosts. The tree blooms profusely, white or white-pink.

Growing and caring

The Black Prince is an unpretentious culture that does not require excessive and constant grooming. Planting is carried out in autumn (September-October) in warm regions and in spring (April-May) in more northern regions. A distance of 3-4 m is maintained between the seedling and other trees.

The black apricot is able to survive a short-term dry period, and mulching of the trunk circle will help to preserve moisture at the roots. Excess and stagnation of moisture should also be avoided. A young tree needs more abundant watering: when planting, during flowering, when fruit sets and grows, and after harvesting.

But the fertilizers that are applied to the planting soil, the seedling will last for 2 years. Then they are added seasonally, alternating nitrogen and potassium-phosphorus supplements.

Despite the compact growth of the branches, the tree requires a sanitary, rejuvenating and formative pruning. The crown is usually shaped like a bowl.

In order for an apricot tree to take root well in a new place, it is necessary to study in advance all the subtleties of its correct planting. Depending on the climate in the region, you need to choose the optimal time for planting a seedling. Determine the location, properly prepare the landing pit.
Grafting is the main method of reproduction of the apricot tree, which allows you to preserve all the varietal qualities of the fruits, increase the yield and give the fruit crop additional properties, such as frost resistance and drought resistance. It is necessary to correctly determine the timing of vaccination and correctly choose the stock.
Annual pruning of apricot is necessary for the correct formation of the crown of a young seedling, rejuvenation of old trees and preservation of the yield and quality of the fruit. Regular pruning is carried out not only in spring and autumn, but also in summer.

Disease and pest resistance

This hybrid is distinguished by enviable immunity to the main diseases of stone fruit crops. The tree is rarely affected by such a common apricot and plum disease as perforated spot. The Black Prince is resistant to cytosporia and moniliosis, which causes wilting of leaves, drying of flowers and rot of fruits.Even in the vicinity of a diseased tree, the Black Prince sapling may not become infected with a fungal infection.

The attack of pests can be prevented by agricultural measures and preventive spraying.

Like other fruit crops, apricots often suffer from various diseases and pests. It is necessary to periodically inspect the apricot tree in order to notice a disease or the appearance of a pest in time, promptly intervene and eliminate the problem.

Winter hardiness and the need for shelter

The Black Prince tree can withstand temperatures as low as -30 ° C. In the regions of Ukraine and Russia, with the likelihood of more severe winter cold weather, the tree must be covered with agrofibre or sacking, and the near-trunk zone should be covered with spruce branches or hay.

Location and soil requirements

It is recommended to plant a seedling or plant a shoot on the stock on the sunny side of the site in a place protected from strong drafts, but with good air circulation. The tree is not too demanding on the ground, but loose fertile loam is ideal. An important point: planting should not be done in a lowland, where moisture from past rains or melted snow can stagnate. Do not plant trees in areas with high groundwater levels.

Main characteristics
Authors
Artyomovsk research station in Donetsk region
Appointment
universal
Yield
high
Average yield
23-30 kg per tree
Transportability
high
Marketability
good
Wood
Growth type
medium-sized
Tree height, m
3,5-4
Crown
small and slightly thickened
Flowers
white or pale pink, small in size
Leaves
small and oval, finely serrated serration at the edges
Fruit
Fruit size
large
Fruit weight, g
50-80
Fruit color
maroon, almost brown
Skin
thin, slightly pubescent
Pulp color
bright, red-orange
Pulp (consistency)
juicy, firm
Fruit taste
sweet and sour, special, with noticeable astringency
Bone size
small
Separability of the bone from the pulp
good
Keeping quality
high
Growing
Self-fertility
self-fertile
Winter hardiness
good
Frost resistance, ° C
-30
Drought tolerance
average
Crumbling
ripe fruits may crumble
Disease and pest resistance
high
Resistance to moniliosis
resists well
Clasterosporium resistance
resists well
Maturation
Ripening terms
late
Flowering time
late
Fruiting period
mid to late August
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