Currant
Blackcurrant is a perennial deciduous shrub whose characteristic habitat is the middle climatic zone. To date, more than 200 plant varieties have been bred. All of them have different indicators of frost resistance, yield, ripening period, taste, sweetness and size of berries. A description of the best varieties is presented in the article.
Content:
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What varieties are
For freezing, all-purpose varieties with thick skins and a dry tear are best suited.
In Russia and the CIS countries, currant varieties bred by domestic breeders and experimental farms are common. Their names have no Latin analogues.
Depending on the period of fruiting, varieties are distinguished:
- early (from June 20)
- medium (from 1 to 15 July)
- mid-late and late (from July 20 to the end of August)
How much sugar and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is contained in berries depends on whether the species belongs to:
- sweet
- sour
- sweet and sour
Depending on the purpose of the type of plant, there are:
- Dessert varieties. It can be used as an independent dish, their tasting score exceeds 4.5.
- Universal varieties. It is recommended to make jams, freeze or eat in its natural form.
An important characteristic of the species is considered to be immunity to adverse growing conditions (weather, moisture deficiency, the harmful effects of insects, viruses and infections).
There are such types:
- drought-resistant
- frost-resistant
- resistant to pests (kidney tick)
- resistant to diseases (anthracnose, rust, terry, gray rot, powdery mildew)
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The summer resident gives a small harvest, but the berries are sweet and large
Early varieties of berries begin to bloom in early May, and the first harvest occurs at the end of June. If you want to feast on a sweet berry already at the beginning of summer, then you should take a closer look at the types: Summer Resident, Raisin, Curiosity, Exotic, Heiress.
exotic
- Harvest can be harvested in late June - early July.
- Fruits weighing up to 3 g (the largest type among the early ones), sweet (9% sugar), thin-skinned, with a dry separation.
- The shrub rarely reaches a height of more than 1.5 m, has the characteristics of self- and precocity, winter hardiness and drought tolerance.
- Good resistance to columnar rust, but weak to terry.
summer resident
- Gardeners appreciate this variety for its very compact size - the shrub rarely exceeds 90-100 cm in height, and early fruiting in early July.
- The fruits are sweet and rather large as for a universal variety - their weight is 4 g, but it is unlikely that you will be able to harvest a large crop with only 1 shrub.
- The maximum yield of the species is only 1.5 kg, while it requires special attention: the installation of props under the branches.
- It is important to remember the timely collection of fruits that ripen at different times, but quickly crumble.
Zest
- It ripens in early July, the bush is very compact and medium tall.
- The yield, as well as the mass of berries, is small, but this disadvantage is covered by excellent characteristics of resistance to adverse conditions.
- The only minus of the variety lies in the difficulties with its propagation by cuttings.
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Medium varieties
Titania - a variety with large fruits that fully ripen in mid-July - early August
Fruiting occurs on July 15-20. The most popular varieties of the plant are the following species: Black Pearl, Perun, Fidelity, Dubrovskaya, Green Haze, Smuglyanka, Titania.
Black Pearl
- The first berries appear on bushes in the middle of summer, rather small (weighing up to 2 g), with a pleasant sweet and sour taste, they are easy to pick due to the same size and transport over long distances.
- Fruit brushes can reach 7 cm in length.
- The plant itself does not grow above 150-160 cm, is endowed with the properties of frost resistance, self-fertility and yields up to 4-5 kg of fruit per shrub.
- This variety is advised to be sprayed in a timely manner from powdery mildew.
Dubrovskaya
- Medium-sized berries of this species ripen by mid-July, sweet, it is convenient to collect them, because the bush is undersized, does not exceed 100–120 cm in height.
- There is quite a lot of harvest - about 3 kg per season can be harvested from 1 shrub.
- The variety is not afraid of terry, but treatment against the bud mite should be carried out regularly.
Titania
- In the first weeks of July, the first berries appear on the thick vertical shoots of the shrub.
- The fruits have a noticeable sour taste, non-one-dimensional, with a thick skin and green flesh.
- Maturation does not occur at the same time.
- The variety is self-fertile, shows high resistance to powdery mildew.
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Variety Lazyman not only has good resistance to adverse environmental conditions, but also gives a tasty plentiful harvest.
Bright representatives of the group of medium-late and late varieties that yield in late July - August: Daughter, Lazy, Mermaid, Katyusha, Venus, Perun, Vologda.
Lazy person
- Vigorous shrub with a high density, which bears fruit from late July to early August with medium-sized round berries with a sweet dessert taste.
- Average yield is characteristic, but the variety is famous for its immunity to most fungal and viral diseases and the ability to tolerate lack of moisture, cold and heat.
Mermaid
- It begins to bear fruit in August, the very next season after planting.
- Productivity - no more than 4 kg per plant, and the berries are large. The variety is resistant to most pests and diseases.
- A weak point is sprawling shoots that need to be tied up or propped up.
Daughter
- A plant of compact size, not sprawling, with rather large (up to 3 g) berries with a dry separation.
- During the season, almost 3.5 kg of fruits are harvested from the bush, if the plant is not damaged by powdery mildew, to which the variety is especially susceptible.
Vologda
- A sprawling low bush in mid-August gives an average yield, an average of 4 kg of sweet and sour berries from 1 plant.
- Its distinguishing feature is its high resistance to diseases.
- The only thing that can harm the shrub is spring frosts.
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Popular varieties with large berries
Large-fruited varieties - Vigorous, Pygmey, Dobrynya, Selechenskaya, Ordinary Miracle - give a crop of berries about 2 cm in diameter
Some gardeners especially appreciate the large size of berries in currants. Fruits weighing more than 1.5–2 g are considered large for a plant. If the skin is thin, then the currants are rubbed with sugar, jams and preserves are made, berries with a thick skin are most often frozen.
Vigorous
- Blackcurrant fruits of this variety are considered the largest: their maximum weight reaches 10 g, and the diameter is close to the size of a 5-ruble coin.
- Up to 10 berries can form in a brush.
- The plant is resistant to pests and fungal diseases, has an increased yield - up to 4 kg from 1 bush and self-fertility.
- The main disadvantage of the variety is the rapid aging of the bush, sour taste and weak immunity against powdery mildew.
pygmy
- Thin-skinned, sweet, fragrant and very large currant fruits made this variety one of the most favorite among gardeners.
- Characterized by a high yield (about 6 kg per bush) and a large weight of berries (2–7 g) with their non-one-dimensionality.
- The disadvantages of the variety include the lack of protection mechanisms against the bud mite, and the advantages - resistance to harsh growing conditions.
Dobrynya
- A plant of a universal type, it produces non-one-dimensional sour-sweet fruits, some of which weigh almost 7–8 g.
- This medium variety is characterized by high yield, early maturity, resistance to powdery mildew, compactness and drought resistance.
- From each bush, subject to the rules of agricultural technology, you can collect up to 3 kg of berries.
- When choosing this type, you need to pay attention to protection against anthracnose and kidney mites.
Selechenskaya 2
- The average universal variety, the size of the berries reaches 5-6 g.
- Fruits are sweet, with a thick skin.
- The bush reaches 2 m in height, but the yield with such large sizes is small - only 3 to 5 kg per 1 adult.
- Not afraid of powdery mildew, but may suffer from bud tick.
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The sweetness of the berry depends on the ratio of fructose and ascorbic acid in its composition.
If the fructose content in currant berries exceeds 10%, then the variety is classified as sweet (Cardinal, Chernyavka, Delicatessen), and with less than 9% sugar, it is sour. Those fruits, the sweetness of which has an intermediate value, are called sweet and sour (Ladushka, Temptation).
Nina
- Early appearance with large (up to 4 g) fruits, yields up to 8 kg with proper care.
- Sugar content from 9 to 11%, a lot of ascorbic acid
- A self-fertile winter-hardy variety that is easily propagated vegetatively, but is prone to doubleness.
- The main disadvantage is that the thin skin is quickly damaged, so it is problematic to transport the berries.
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green haze
- Shoots erect, spreading, fruits ripen in the last days July.
- Fragrant berries of this medium variety are small, but sweet: the sugar content is almost 12%.
- Self-fertile and resistant to low temperatures, the shrub gives about 5 kg of yield, but is susceptible to infection with a bud mite.
Bagheera
- A distinctive feature of the variety is the almost simultaneous ripening of berries of the same size (weighing up to 2-3 g), which do not fall off for a long time and withstand long-term transportation.
- The shrub is able to withstand drought, low and extremely high temperatures, pest invasion, but cannot resist powdery mildew and anthracnose.
- Vitamin C in 100 g of fruits of this variety contains on average 170-180 mg, and sugar - a little less than 12%.
Black BMW
- Bred as a result of crossing sweet varieties Chudesnitsa and Selechenskaya 2.
- It is characterized by berries up to 7 g, with a pronounced sweet taste at the stage of ripeness.
- The bush is straight-stemmed, but under the weight of the crop it can begin to creep along the ground, so the shoots are tied up for the period of fruiting.
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From 1 bush of a species with increased productivity, from 5 to 8 kg of ripe berries are harvested
Harmony, Nezhdanchik, Big Ben, Venus, Selechenskaya - these are the species that make up the rating of the most fruitful chokeberry shrubs. A maximum of 8–10 kg can be harvested from 1 bush of a productive variety with appropriate care of the crop, with a norm of 1.5–2 kg for ordinary species.
Venus
- High yield - up to 5 kg of fruits can be harvested from 1 shrub - in this form it is perfectly combined with resistance to pathogens, adaptive abilities and the ability to self-pollinate.
- The variety is mid-season, but in the southern regions it can begin to bear fruit as early as June.
Belarusian sweet
- A vigorous bush that begins to bear fruit 3 years after planting.
- Productivity reaches 5 kg from 1 adult.
- Large brushes of 6–7 cm consist of 5–6 rounded berries weighing up to 1.6 g.
- Due to the high content of ascorbic acid, the fruits have a sour taste.
Selechenskaya
- It is a hybrid of wild currant and gooseberry, drought-resistant and frost-resistant, late variety, not afraid of a dangerous pest - a tick that affects the kidneys.
- The bush is spreading, but the shoots do not need a garter.
- The berries are large, almost the same size as cherries.
- Harvest from 1 bush can reach 5 kg.
Leningrad giant
- Upright spreading shrub with high yields and medium-sized fruits.
- Dessert variety, resistant to cold and drought.
- The most dangerous enemy of the plant is powdery mildew, while terry, anthracnose and bud mites will not harm it.
- The yield, which normally does not exceed 4 kg per bush, will be much lower if the currants were not covered during the period of spring frosts.
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Currant grows willingly in mild, comfortable winters and cool, humid summers - such climatic conditions are just typical for central Russia. Depending on when the gardener wants to harvest berries, it is advised to choose the popular unpretentious varieties presented in the table.
| fruiting month | Variety name |
|---|---|
| June | Legend, Curiosity, Heiress, Openwork, Rural, Zest, Nara, Gift of Smolyaninova, Gross |
| July | Perun, Pearl, Globe, Green Haze, Smuglyanka, Paulinka |
| August | Venus, Mermaid, Veloy, Treasure, Lazybones, Vologda |
Orlovsky waltz
- Early-growing, unevenly ripening shrub of compact size, straight-stemmed.
- Large berries appear in July, have a thin skin and a sweet dessert taste.
- Resistant to pests and diseases.
Binar (In memory of Pavlova)
- A self-fertile variety that is not afraid of the vagaries of the weather.
- It bears fruit with rounded fragrant berries already in the second year of planting.
- The bush is sprawling, needs shaping and support.
Memory
- A hybrid species obtained by crossing the Bredtort and Minai Shmyrev varieties.
- Srednerosly, mid-season variety with straight sprawling shoots.
- It is characterized by a high regular yield, but the berries are medium-sized - the weight rarely exceeds 1.5 g.
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Shrubs of frost-resistant varieties are usually compact in size.
In conditions of consistently low temperatures, it is not the yield indicators that come to the fore, but the frost resistance of the variety, the ability to survive in a cold climate. Breeders have bred shrub species that are zoned, that is, they withstand winter frosts and give a stable crop of sweet berries. Unpretentiousness to growing conditions are famous for: Druzhnaya, Brown, Riddle, Hercules, Nika, Sevchanka, Minusinka.
friendly
- It is used as a model for breeding new frost-resistant varieties.
- Round berries weighing 1.5 g, have a dense peel, fleshy pulp and a sweet taste due to 10% sugar content.
- The bush is very compact in size.
Sevchanka
- Withstands temperature drops up to 30 degrees, is immune to heat, is characterized by high resistance to rust, powdery mildew, insect pests.
- A self-fertile universal variety with a good yield of large berries (up to 3 g), which do not crumble and are well stored.
Nika
- The variety successfully resists not only temperature fluctuations characteristic of Siberia and the Urals, but also drought, harmful insects and diseases.
- The berries are rather small, thin-skinned, and the first harvest from new shoots rarely exceeds 1.3-1.6 kg.
Prestige
- A late variety, the fruits of which finally ripen in August.
- The berries are sweet and sour, fragrant, rather large.
- The plant itself is tall, upright, with many dense shoots.
Cherry
- Ukrainian selection, which withstands 30-degree frosts, while maintaining high fruiting rates (up to 5 kg) and a pleasant taste of berries.
- The fruits are large, thick-skinned, easily plucked and well transported.
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New varieties have better characteristics, but their care is more laborious
Modern chokeberry varieties obtained during breeding are included in the national register of achievements. This document indicates in which area it is best to grow a variety.
Varietal trials in Russia are undergoing such new species:
- Oasis
- Monisto
- Blakestone
- feast for the eyes
- Beauty of Lviv
- Dessert Ogoltsova
- Creole
Also, new hybrids have been bred in breeding farms:
- Talisman, Cardinal, Lebedushka (a mixture of species Black Pearl and Poltava 800).
- Kupava, Wizard, Fairy of the Night, Geisha (combines the characteristics of Ojebin and Black Pearl).
- Sensei, Divo Zvyagina (mix of varieties Dikovinka and Lyubava).
Tips for choosing a variety
When choosing a shrub variety for planting, you need to focus on the agrotechnical characteristics of the plant
In order not to regret choosing a variety, it is useful to learn the advice and recommendations of experienced gardeners before buying:
When choosing a large-fruited variety, you do not need to chase novelty - for newly bred varieties, the rules of care are not prescribed.
Adapted varieties in the second and third generations will take better and produce higher yields.
The most fertile plants will not give abundant fruiting if they are not properly cared for in compliance with the rules of agricultural technology.
Large-fruited varieties need enhanced watering and top dressing.
It is necessary to choose healthy and high-quality planting material.
It is better to buy a dessert variety of currant, it is more aromatic than the universal one and much tastier.
Industrial varieties (Dana, Osipovskaya, Dar Orla, Ural beauty, Marmeladnitsa) are less demanding to care for, but their taste is inferior to dessert and sweet-fruited ones.
When buying foreign varieties, you need to be prepared for the fact that planting material will not be accepted. Domestic selection for planting is best suited.
In terms of resistance against pests, infections and diseases, old varieties (Belarusian Sweet, Green Haze, Golubka) are inferior to modern ones, which means that the fruits will have to be treated with more chemicals.
Despite this abundance varieties, blackcurrant breeding continues. The ideal look does not yet exist. New varieties of the plant are constantly appearing, and its positive characteristics are only increasing.
To understand which variety to give an advantage, you need to plant 5–6 types of shrubs on the site with different fruiting periods and agrotechnical characteristics. After tasting the fruits of each, you can choose one type, the most delicious, which is then propagated in the garden.
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