Pear Nika

The Nika pear variety is a very young variety, characterized by frost resistance and disease resistance. Begins to bear the first fruits as early as 5 years after planting, regularly gives a bountiful harvest. Pears are consumed fresh, used for fruit salads and desserts, they make juice, wine, make jams, confitures, and use them as a filling for baked goods.

The variety was created at the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution of the Federal Scientific Center named after V.I. I. V. Michurin by breeders S. P. Yakovlev, A. P. Gribanovsky, N. I. Saveliev, V. V. Chivilev, I. A. Bandurko, M. Yu. Akimov. Appeared when crossing the varieties Talgar beauty and Daughter of Dawn. Added to the State Register in 2002.

A tree of small height, 3-4 meters, erect with a spherical sparse crown. Branches are short, straight, brown, growing at right angles. The buds are medium-sized conical, the leaves are oval with pointed tips with small serrations, matte green, the petiole is not long, the stipules are subulate. The growth rate for the season is average. It blooms with white large flowers. Mixed fruiting is characteristic - pears are tied on perennial and annual shoots. Has a high regeneration: shoots quickly recover after cold winters and pruning. Undemanding to the composition of the soil, does not tolerate strong waterlogging.

Slightly larger than average, weighing from 140 g, have the shape of a truncated cone. During the period of removal from the branches, the color is greenish with a reddish blur, with full ripeness it is light yellow with a burgundy blush on the surface. The leg of the fetus is curved. The pulp is quite dense, vanilla-colored, tender, juicy, slightly oily, the skin is not thick, smooth, with a touch of wax. Seeds are medium-sized brown. Pears are stored for 3-4 months in a dry and cool place.

Sweet and sour taste with delicate nutmeg aroma. Sugar content - 10%, ascorbic acid - 6.2 mg per 100 g. Tasting score 4.4 points out of possible 5.

It begins to produce crops steadily 5-6 years after planting. Usually it is removed after September 15-20. In good weather conditions, you can postpone the harvest until the first week of October. Pears ripen within 2 weeks, are perfectly stored and ready to eat for 90-100 days. In cold climates, the fruit is not as juicy and tasty. The trees have a long lifespan and can bear fruit for up to 50 years.

Tall, one tree can carry 80 to 159 kg.

It bears fruit most effectively in the Central Black Earth Region. Can be planted in the areas of the Central Non-Black Earth Region. Grown in Eastern Siberia and the Urals.

It is a partially self-fertile variety. To increase yields, it is recommended to plant other varieties nearby as pollinators, for example, Duchesse, Bere Russian, Williams, Fairy, Kupava, Lada, Thumbelina. To obtain larger fruits, part of the ovaries is removed.

For seedlings, choose a bright and open area on a small hill. The species does not like high humidity, groundwater (no closer than 2-2.5 m) and lowlands should be avoided. The most suitable are sandy loam, loamy and chernozem soils. If several trees are planted, then a distance of 7 m is made between the rows, 4 m between the seedlings in a row. Planting pits are prepared in advance - for spring planting in autumn, for autumn planting - a week before the start of the event. They are made 100x100 cm in size, add to the garden soil: 3 buckets of humus, 2 buckets of coarse sand, wood ash, superphosphate and potassium sulfate. 3 buckets of water are poured into the bottom of the pit, in one of them 2 tbsp. l. dolomite flour, prepared soil is poured on top, and left for 2-3 weeks.

To grow a crop, it is necessary to select healthy and strong seedlings aged 1-2 years without signs of damage and fungal attack. Seedlings with an open root system are recommended to be planted before bud break, as a rule, the procedure is carried out in April. The trees are planted in closed containers in May and June. Autumn is optimal in late September - early November. Plants with foliage must be shaded after planting. The exposed roots are soaked in water for 2 hours. The trees in the container are carefully removed from the container and placed in the pit. The root collar should be 5-6 cm above the ground. A support is installed nearby at a distance of 10 cm.Then it is gradually sprinkled with earth, slightly shaking the plant, the soil is tamped. A small embankment with a groove for irrigation is made in the near-stem circle. Water with 2-3 buckets of settled water. The root area is mulched with humus or peat in a layer of 5-10 cm. Care must be taken that the ground around the seedlings does not dry out until they take root.

For the first two years, young trees do not feed: they have enough nutrients introduced during planting. Adults are fed in the spring with organic fertilizers dissolved in water:

• bird droppings - 250 g per 5 liters per plant;

• ammonium nitrate - 15 g per 5 liters;

• urea - 100 g per 5 liters.

And in the fall, formulations containing phosphorus and potassium are introduced. They are scattered on the soil surface and dug up - 1 sq. m take 30 g of superphosphate, 15 g of potassium chloride, 150 ml of wood ash. In the summer they are fed with compounds containing magnesium, boron, copper, zinc. It is not recommended to get carried away with nitrogen compounds: the tree will actively grow its green crown, but the yield will fall.

Water as needed, but at least 3 times per season. The first watering is carried out before blooming flowers, the second - after 2 weeks, the third time - after the harvest.

Pruning is carried out annually in spring: old and dry shoots are removed, the rest are shortened by 10-15 cm. If you do not carry out such rejuvenating pruning, the crown thins, the fruits become smaller. In the fall, weak and thickened branches are removed at the bottom, and the upper ones are shortened as necessary to stimulate their growth. Cut off no more than ¼ of the entire crown. Places of cuts are treated with garden varnish. Saplings are cut for the first time only a year after planting.

The Nika variety, according to the originator, has good immunity to scab, septoria, entomosporium, clotterosporium, rust, fire blight. Of the other diseases, the most dangerous are: cytosporosis, fruit rot, from pests: gall mites, aphids, lice, fruit gall midge. It is recommended to carry out preventive treatments before flowering and after the end of leaf fall, they are organized in dry and calm weather. In the fall, the fallen leaves are removed, and the soil around is dug up. In spring, the trunk and skeletal branches are whitewashed with lime - this will protect the plant from rodents and pests. To protect against pests during the period of bud appearance, the pear is sprayed with Bordeaux liquid or other preparations.

Differs in high winter hardiness: withstands frosts down to -38 degrees. In central and central Russia, you do not need to cover trees for the winter. It is recommended to mulch the trunk circle and the area above the roots with humus or sawdust with a layer of 15-20 cm. In regions with severe winters, it is recommended to wrap the trunk and branches with non-woven material. Withstands periods of drought well. It is undemanding to the composition of soils, in lowlands and in areas with a close location of groundwater, the variety can die.

Gardeners call this variety problem-free and unpretentious. It is noted that the seedlings have a high survival rate. The first pears are harvested 4 years after planting. According to reviews, the fruits are very tasty, but they are stored on the balcony for no more than a month and a half. The variety tolerates freezing well, but can be affected by scab: small spots appear on individual fruits by the end of summer. The crown has a tendency to grow in breadth over the summer, but from this the yield becomes larger.