Black currant Minusinsk steppe

Black currant Minusinsk steppe refers to plants with an average period of fruit ripening. This subspecies appeared at the Minusinsk Experimental Station of Horticulture and Melon Growing, thanks to such breeders as V.F. Cherkashin, L.P. Muravyov and G.A. Ants, by selecting varieties of Karelian currants and Gratifying... This subspecies has been in state fruit testing since 2004.

Black currant Minusinsk steppe - description and characteristics

The shrub of this subspecies is considered to be weak, has an average index of thickening and spreading. The growing shoots of this variety are straight and thick, endowed with a pale green tint, with a slight anthocyanin tint in the apical part, without pubescence. Lignified shoots are also straight and thick, have pubescence and matte surface, pale brown color. The kidneys are of medium size, have an oblong shape and a sharp apical part. They have a green color, with an anthocyanin tint of medium saturation, also have a slight pubescence and deviation, solitary. The leaf scar has a wedge-shaped round shape.

The foliage of this bush is three to five-lobed. The leaf is large, glabrous, leathery, wrinkled in structure. It has a matte surface and a dark green color. The sheet plate is flat and horizontal. The middle blade is larger than the lateral ones. It is elongated, pointed, and has additional projections. The lateral lobes are endowed with medium length, wide, the apical parts are pointed, have a direction to the sides, as well as an acute angle between the veins of the lateral lobes. The base of the leaf has a rather deep notch. The teeth are large, the upper part of the teeth has a "claw", the veins are colorless. The petiole of this leaf is elongated and thick, with a small pubescence along the entire length, is located on the shoot at an acute angle, endowed with a pale green color.

The flowers, when opened, are of medium size, their sepals are dark pink and have a free arrangement. The brushes are endowed with a fairly short length, have an average density and thickness. The axle is thick. The petiole has no pubescence and is rather short.

The fruits of this culture are large in size, each berry can reach a mass of 1.5-2.8 grams. They are round in shape, not one-dimensional, and have an almost black tint. When picked, these berries have a dry separation. The inner part of the fruit has numerous seeds of very small size. The surface of the fruit is covered with a rather thick skin. These berries taste sweet, with a slight acidity. During the tasting, they received an estimate of 4.6 points out of five possible. They are also quite fragrant and have a universal purpose. The calyx is buried, medium-sized, not falling off. The peduncle is endowed with a short length and brownish-green tint, does not have pubescence. In their chemical composition, berries contain: dry soluble substances 15.4 percent, the amount of sugars 6 percent, titratable acids 2.3 percent, ascorbic acid (vitamin C) 174.8 milligrams per 100 grams of product.

The important and main distinguishing features of this subspecies include the following: a high level of frost tolerance and an average level of endurance to the dry season, quite heat-tolerant, self-fertile (46 percent), has good immunity to such common and dangerous diseases as powdery mildew, septoria, anthracnose, and also endowed with kidney mite resistance.It is also worth noting that this subspecies has an average yield, an average of 1.7 kilograms per shrub, or 8.1 tons per hectare.

Advantages and disadvantages

Like any other variety of black currant, the subspecies in question has its own positive and negative characteristics. Its advantages include:

• - Rapidity.
• - High level of frost resistance.
• - Good yield every year.
• - Immunity to the most common and dangerous diseases and harmful insects.
• - Fairly good transportability of fruits.

The disadvantages of this subspecies are:

• - Not one-dimensionality of fruits.
• - Fruit cluster is rather short.
• - Weak level of ability to shoot.