Izmailovskaya black currant

Izmailovskaya black currant is a breeding product of the All-Russian Institute of Selection and Technology of Horticulture and Nursery, obtained as a result of crossing the varieties "Coronation" and "Goliath". The authorship belongs to a duet of scientists consisting of V.M. Litvinova and S.D. Prokofiev. Since 1968, the variety has been on the State Variety Testing, and since 1986 it has been included in the State Register and recommended for cultivation in the Central region, as well as in the north-west of our country - it is in these regions that the Izmailovskaya black currant variety maximizes its fruitful abilities.

Izmailovskaya black currant: variety description and characteristics

Izmailovskaya black currant: variety photo

Izmailovskaya black currant is a moderately spreading bush of medium height. Young shoots are green with reddish-brown tops and strong pubescence, as they become lignified, they become thicker and change color to brown. Bright green, slightly pubescent from below, five-lobed leaf plate. Its surface is covered with fine wrinkles, slightly curved, the middle lobe is longer and sharper than the lateral ones. The petiole has a reddish tint.

The flowers of the Izmailovskaya currant variety have the shape of a bowl, their sepals are painted in a rich red-pink color. The cluster is not long, on average 4.5-6 cm, contains 5-7 berries.

Fruiting of currants of the Izmailovskaya variety begins in the second year after planting (less often in the third). Berries are medium in size, weighing from 1 to 1.2 grams, sometimes up to 1.8 grams, but this is rather a rare exception. The shape is regular, rounded, the surface is black and shiny, the skin is dense, the separation of the stalk is dry. The pulp is with an average amount of small seeds, the taste is sweet and sour, its tasting score is 4 points. Perhaps such a rating will seem to someone not high enough, but the sour taste of the berries is compensated by their delicious strong aroma. The purpose of Izmailovskaya black currant berries is universal - they are suitable both for fresh consumption and for any types of processing and preservation.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Like any other plant, Izmailovskaya black currant has its own strengths and weaknesses. The undoubted advantages of the variety include the following qualities:

• Self-fertility.
• Winter hardiness.
• High productivity. Depending on the size of the bush, you can pick from 2.5 to 3.6 kilograms of berries. If we talk about the cultivation of currants on an industrial scale, then this turns out to be about 10-11 tons per hectare.
• The universal purpose of the fruits, their aroma and good taste.

If we talk about the weaknesses of the Izmailovskaya black currant variety, then the main drawback is its exactingness to soil fertility - you will have to regularly feed. It is especially important to take care of the condition of the soil in the first years after planting the bush, since the further yield of the plant mainly depends on this.

The resistance of the black currant variety Izmailovskaya to diseases (anthracosis, powdery mildew, terry) and damage by harmful insects (kidney mites) is characterized as average, therefore, this indicator can not be attributed to either advantages or disadvantages. As a preventive measure, it is worthwhile to carry out an annual treatment of the crown of the Izmailovskaya black currant variety with an insecticide against pests and copper-containing preparations for diseases (all treatments are carried out before flowering or after harvesting).