A dwarfing plum rootstock. It can tolerate heavy soils and cold temperatures. This rootstock is susceptible to bacterial canker, but it appears to be tolerant of both rootknot and lesion nematodes.

Bob Purvis writes that Krymsk 1 has been shown to have incompatibility issues with a number of apricot varieties, specifically those from the Prairie Provinces (Brookcot, Debbie's Gold, Morden 604, and Westcot), Puget Gold, and the Harrow Series. He strongly recommends that nurseries avoid using this rootstock for apricots. The developer's notes for this rootstock also state that certain peach varieties appear to be incompatible, but do not offer precise data. In our own orchard, we have healthy, mature Contender trees on Krymsk 1.

Krymsk 1 is a cross of Prunus Tomentosa and Prunus Cerasifera (Chinese Bush Cherry and Myrobalan Plum. It was developed at the Krymsk Experimental Breeding Station in the Krasnodar Region of Russia.