Snow Calville Apple

Synonym: Belosnezhnoe, Belosnezhny Calville, snezhny kalvin

Snow Calville Apple (Malus domestica) – an ancient Ukrainian cultivar of the domestic apple with a winter ripening period, presumably from the Vinnytsia region.

It represents vigorous, fast-growing trees that are winter- and frost-hardy. The crown is wide, rounded, pendulous. Begins to bear fruit at the age of 5-6 years. Fruits are borne on thin shoots (which often split), on ring spurs of the terminal type.

Shoots have relatively short internodes, dark brown or brown, heavily pubescent, with a large number of small lenticels. Leaves are small, oblong-ovate in shape, with long, sharply extended tips, slightly curved, simple, wrinkled, silvery from pubescence. Leaf margins are even, single- and double-serrated. Petioles short. In nurseries plants are medium-sized, with knobby stems and flat leaves arranged at right angles to the stem.

Flowers large, creamy, saucer-shaped; the pistil column is short, pubescent, stigmas are positioned at varying heights relative to the anthers.

Fruits slightly pubescent or moderately flattened, conical or rounded-conical in shape. The ribs on the fruits are variably expressed: sometimes strong, sometimes weak. Fruit color is light green, later creamy-yellow. Calyx open, basin deep and narrow, pedicel thin, protruding from the basin. Basin russeted. The basin is slightly folded. Flesh snow-white, dense, tender, fine-grained, sweet-sour (taste score 4.4). Chemical composition of fruits: dry matter – 12-14%, sugars – 9-13%, titratable acids – 0.5%, ascorbic acid – 5-9 mg/100 g, R-active substances – 114-150 mg/100 g of fresh mass. Picking maturity occurs in mid-September. Fruits can be stored until mid-winter. Average yield 250 centners/ha, in steppe regions – 120 centners/ha.

Hardiness zone: zone 12 (+18+25°C).

Site: can grow in locations with limited heat during the growing season and with insufficient moisture.

Planting and care: the same as for the domestic apple.

Diseases and pests: on the Black Sea coast may be affected by powdery mildew. Resistance to scab is high.

Uses: fruits are eaten fresh, and are also used for maceration and juice production. Advantages – high winter hardiness, precocity, high productivity and good taste, fruits store well (if harvested without damage). Disadvantages – fruit drop (if harvesting is delayed), poor transportability. Often used in breeding as a donor of high productivity.