Melitopolskiy Black Apricot

Apricot Melitopolskiy chernuy (Prunus armeniaca Melitopolskiy chernuy) – a hybrid of cherry plum and apricot from the genus Plum and the family Rosaceae. It was bred in 1933 at the Melitopol experimental horticultural station from the seeds of the natural black-fruited hybrid Тлор-Циран.

It is a weak-growing tree with a rounded or flat-rounded crown. One-year shoots are thin, long, and dark brown in color. It has increased frost resistance of the fruit buds. Blooms 4-6 days later than Vengersky Luchshiy.

Fruits are large; average weight with proper agronomy is 65 g, maximum — 99 g (in Aleksandriysky cherny the average fruit weight is 20 g, in Amerikansky cherny — 23-25 g). They are broadly ovoid in shape with a shallow but clearly visible ventral suture. The skin is thin, matte, heavily pubescent, and in ripe fruits peels off easily. The flesh is greenish-red, juicy, of medium firmness, with elevated acidity. It contains 15.1% dry matter, 8% sugars, 2.17% acids, 374.4 mg% of tannin and coloring substances, 9.7 mg% vitamin C, 1.042% pectin, 0.69 mg% carotenoids. The stone is elongated-ovoid, large, making up 7% of the fruit weight, and does not separate from the flesh. The kernel is sweet. Fruits ripen in mid-July. Yield is high but irregular.

Hardiness zone: 5a-7b (-28.9°C).

Location: prefers sunny sites protected from cold winds. Undemanding to soils, requires moist soils.

Planting: seedlings should be planted at a spacing of 7x5 m. Planting can be carried out in spring or autumn, preferably in the second half of April.

Diseases and pests: susceptible to leaf spot and moniliosis, especially due to rainy or foggy weather and an overly dense crown.

Care: the most optimal crown forms for apricot are the reduced-leader and vase-shaped forms. After entering the fruiting period, one-year shoots are shortened by half or by a quarter depending on their length. Summer pruning can be applied, during which wounds on pruned shoots heal better. When terminal growth decreases to 30 cm a light rejuvenation pruning is carried out, and when growth decreases to 10-15 cm, rejuvenation pruning to five-year-old wood is performed.

Propagation: propagated by grafting. Rootstocks can be seedlings of domestic plum, cherry plum, or apricot. It can also be propagated by seeds, which should be sown in autumn or stratified. Some seedlings incline toward cherry plum characteristics, others toward apricot. Therefore, seedlings should be selected based on a combination of useful biological and economic traits.

Use: The fruits can be consumed fresh, but they are mainly intended for processing. They can be used to make juices, dried fruits, and high-quality compotes.