Cherry Plum

Cherry Plum 

(Prunus divaricata), a fruit plant of the genus Prunus, of the Rosaceae family. The trees reach a height of 3–10 m and have an abundance of branches and multiple shoots. The blossoms are white and single. The fruit are globular, oval, or flattened, yellow, red, violet, or almost black. The cherry plum can grow on almost any soil and is resistant to disease. It grows wild or cultivated in the Balkans, in Central Asia, in Asia Minor, Iran, Transcaucasia, Moldavia, Northern Caucasus, and the south of the Ukraine. Its harvest is up to 300 kg per grown tree. The fruit of the cultivated cherry plum contains up to 10 percent sugar, 1.5—4 percent acids, 0.3–1.5 percent pectins, as well as vitamin C and provitamin A. Cherry plums are eaten fresh or canned (stewed fruit, preserves, jam, jelly, pressed fruit candy, juice, wine). Cherry plums are used as seed stock for peaches, plums, and apricots. The strains of highest yield are Pionerka, Nikitskaia zheltaia, Purpurovaia, Rumianoe iabloko, Rioni, Kutaisi, Sakonservo, Geogdzha, and Obil’naia. Cherry plums are bred through layers, grafting, or seeding. In the cherry plum orchard, usually two or three strains are planted for better pollination and infruc-tescence. Cherry plums are attacked by black and copper borers and oyster shell scales; they can be afflicted with blotch and plum pocket.

REFERENCES

Kostina, K. F. Kul’tura slivy. Simferopol’, 1951.
Kovalev, N. V. Alycha ν prirode, kul’ture i selektsii. Tashkent, 1955.

K. F. KOSTINA