KATINKA®

is a Hohenheim breed from Ruth Gerstetter x Ortenauer and ripens one week after Herman; Katinka® is medium-sized (26-28g), very good in taste, dark purple to blue in colour. The tree grows moderately strong, branches beautifully and is tolerant to sharka.

Since a good, firm variety for baking is missing during this ripening period, Katinka® is recommended above all as baking plum; it has the ideal diameter of approx. 34mm, very good stone detachability and the fruits do not liquefy during baking; Katinka® is currently the most planted early variety in Germany.

PITESTEAN

This Romanian variety ripens between Ersinger and Cacaks Schöne and was particularly remarkable in 1997 for its high yield in flower frost locations. The large (40-50g), oblong oval fruit is dark blue in colour and nicely scented with blue. The flesh is greenish-yellow, juicy, tastes good - slightly sourish and usually detaches well from the large, long stone. The tree grows moderately strong and forms flat, broad crowns. Sharka tolerance, good initial yields, high resistance to bursting and not least its fruit quality make Pitestean interesting for increased cultivation despite pollen sterility and tendency to alternate.

CACAKS SCHÖNE

Ripening period: Beginning to mid-August. It is large (35-40g), dark blue with a strong aroma and firm greenish-yellow flesh. It needs a wine-growing climate to develop its flavour. The variety has a medium strong growth, carries very early, rich and regular, is self-fertile and very sharks tolerant. The `Cacaks Schöne´ is currently the most planted variety for the wholesale market due to its transport firmness and very good shelf life.

HANITA®

is a new Hohenheim variety from ´President´x´Auerbacher´, which ripens at the end of August. This sharka-tolerant variety produces large, elongated fruits (33-40g), dark blue, with a strong aroma, yellow to golden yellow flesh, excellent in taste, harmoniously aromatic with fine acidity. The stone removability and transportability are good. Hanita® is tolerant to sharka with early, high and regular yields. Due to its pronounced tendency to fruit on 1-year-old wood, it initially grows strongly (especially the upright growth is Hanita's biggest disadvantage), but weak with increasing yield. Relatively resistant to late frost.

BOSNISCHE - ITALIENISCHE - ELBETALER - FELLENBERG

These varieties ripen between the end of August and the beginning of September. The fruits are medium to large in size, dark blue in colour and with fringes. The flesh is yellowish-green, firmly juicy and very good in taste. The tree produces medium, often irregular yields, grows medium vigorously, forms broad and hanging crowns, has limited self-pollination and is not tolerant to sharka.

VALOR

is a new Canadian variety, ripens at the end of August - beginning of September and produces very large (40-60g), dark blue coloured fruits. The flesh is yellow-green, juicy - soft, has a very high sugar and acid content and a very good taste quality. Valor is sharka tolerant and produces very early and high yields despite its self-sterility. The tree grows moderately strong with many early shoots.

CACAKS FRUCHTBARE

This medium to large plum (32-36g) ripens in early September, is dark blue in colour and smeared. The flesh is juicy, yellow to yellow-green with excellent taste (best of the Cacaks´ varieties), high sugar content and very good stone-removal properties. The variety grows relatively weakly, yields early and produces very good yields. It is self-fertile and not sharka-tolerant.

TOPHIT® PLUS

has also been bred by Dr. Jacob and is a cross of Cacak's Beste x President. Tophit® ripens with President and also has its shelf life. The very large (50-65g) ovoid to oblong fruits are deep dark blue - steel blue colored with slight blurring. The flesh is golden yellow, firm, juicy, strikingly aromatic for a variety of this fruit size and dissolves well from the stone. The tree resembles President in growth and yield. Tophit® combines the advantages of President - very large fruit, high yield, long shelf life - with a bright blue fruit colour and good taste. An alternative to the President we've been looking for in plum growing for a long time.

HAUSZWETSCHKE

The Hauszwetschke ("house plum") can only be recommended in sharka-free areas. This world-famous, versatile variety is likely to become scarce on the market in the future, as it is no longer planted in all Sharka regions. The taste is unsurpassed and with German selections also large fruity types are available. If particular importance is attached to fruit size, ´Meschenmoser´ and ´Schüfer´ and ´Etscheid` can be recommended as early maturing types. If the grower attaches particular importance to the yield, ´Gunser´ as a somewhat precocious type and ´Wolff´ are recommended.

Plums are sensitive to cold blooming weather, usually grow vigorously and yield late.

TOPFIVE®

Dark blue all around with steel-blue coloration, very sweet, pleasant fruit size and ripening one week before Cacak's Schöne, these are probably the biggest advantages of this Geisenheim new variety from Cacak's Beste x Auerbacher. Like most varieties from Dr. Jacob, Topfive® is very rich and reliable in yield. The flesh is light yellow, firm, juicy, stone-dissolving with good taste and high baking quality. The tree grows moderately strong, is tolerant to sharka and resistant to rust diseases and monilia. Topfive® represents a much sought-after alternative to the previous early varieties and Cacak's Schöne: On the one hand, Cacak's Schöne has been the most widely planted plum variety in commercial cultivation throughout Europe and as soon as its harvest starts, also price pressure sets in. On the other hand, early varieties are usually either small-fruited, reddish in colour, only slightly transportable or not satisfactory in yield for the grower.

BLUE FROST® Azura

is a particularly attractive new variety from Hanita x Cacak's Schöne and ripens one week after Cacak's Schöne. The fruits are of medium size - large, dark blue coloured, very tasty, with high sugar and pleasant acidity values. The tree branches intensively, is easy to grow and produces good yields. Blue Frost® Azura blooms early and is only partially self-fertile. As fertilizers Hanita, Haroma, Katinka and Cacaks Schöne are recommended.

TOPTASTE®

Ripens between Topking® and Topper®, at about the same time as Hanita® but with a significantly longer harvest period. Toptaste® matures very uniformly on the tree and can hang for a very long time. Then it becomes extremely sweet and very spicy in taste and is one of the best plum varieties ever. The fruit is large (approx. 38 g) and deeply blue in colour. The tree grows moderately strong, is resistant to sharka and produces very early, high and regular yields.

Toptaste® has a low susceptibility to monilia and rust diseases and is a variety with very high leaf and wood health. The high sugar values and the spicy aroma also make them very interesting for distillers, the high fruit quality and tree health for organic farmers and direct marketers.

JOJO®

Jojo® is the first absolutely sharka resistant plum variety (Ortenauer x Stanley) from Dr. Hartmann at the University of Hohenheim.

Jojo® matures just before the Hauszwetschke and can remain on the tree for a very long time. Jojo® colours bright blue long before it is ready for consumption, which often tempts an early harvest. It ripens very well on the tree and due to its fruit size of 40 - 50 g, which is optimal for the Austrian market, its typical plum shape and good stone solubility it can be seen as an ideal variety both for wholesale and direct marketing.

The loose, broad and moderately strong growth makes Jojo stand out positively in every range, both for flat crowns and spindle cultivation. The yield is very early, high and regular (with the exception of flower frost years).

TOPPER®

is the result of a free blossoming of Cacak's Beste in the fruit growing department of the Geisenheim Research Institute and matures here with Valjevka from the beginning until mid-September. The medium-sized (32-36g), oblong fruits are dark blue in colour with a very strong scent. The flesh is firm, yellow in colour, juicy, detaches perfectly from the stone and tastes harmoniously aromatic reminiscent of Ersinger. Topper® produces extremely early, high and regular yields and is particularly suitable for intensive cultivation because of its weak growth.

Jofela®

Jofela is crossed from the so far only sharka-immune variety ´Jojo´ and the taste excellent ´Felsina´ and combines their advantages: Spicy, very long, dark purple fruits with a long harvest period and a beautiful and healthy tree structure. Shortly before ´Hauszwetschke´ ripening, Jofela can stay on the tree for a long time; self-fertile; medium-late flowering;

HAGANTA®

is a chicken-egg-sized (42-44mm) plum cross of Cacaks Beste x Valor by Dr. W. Hartmann at the University of Hohenheim. The fruits ripen from early to mid-September and are dark blue in colour with golden yellow flesh, good stone solubility and a balanced sugar-acid ratio. An ideal variety for the table plum market or as a pickled product. The blossom is medium early; good pollinators are Cacaks Schöne, Hanita®, Jojo® and others.

The tree grows medium strong, loose with a flat branch and produces high and early yields. Haganta is not resistant to Sharka, but not particularly susceptible either.

HAROMA®

is a medium sized, dark blue plum with strong steel-blue blurriness and very aromatic taste, ripening at the same time as the Hauszwetschken. The aroma, the high sugar and medium acidity content and the golden-orange flesh make it an early and rich domestic plum substitute for both fresh consumption and processing. The tree grows moderately strong, flowers early and is self-fertile.

TOPEND® PLUS

ripens after Presenta and Elena and is very interesting because of its late ripening. A fruit size around 65 g, its steel-blue, plum-shaped appearance and the very good, mild acid taste make it particularly interesting for the Austrian table plum market. Also the high burst resistance, which is often not given with other late plums in our climate, and a shelf life similar to President speaks for Topend® plus. The tree grows moderately strong, is self-fertile and tolerant to sharka.