Currant Dar Smolyaninova

The magnificent black currant berry, a storehouse of vitamins and trace elements, is available for cultivation in all regions of the country, up to the Far North, thanks to its many varieties and hybrids. Currant Dar Smolyaninova (synonym Ribes nigrum Dar Smolyaninova) is intended for central Russia and is good not only for its rich chemical composition, but also for its versatility in application, large-fruited and unpretentious care. Among gardeners and farmers, this variety is considered very promising. The fruits are consumed fresh, they are used to make preserves, jams, very tasty currant jam. The berries can be frozen and dried.

Thanks to the efforts of domestic breeders L.I. Zueva and A.I. Astakhov from the Federal Scientific Center of the VIK them. VR Williams, the black currant variety Dar Smolyaninova appeared. To accomplish the task - getting a plant with certain parameters - two varieties were crossed, these are 4-15-90 and 42-7. The result exceeded all the expectations of scientists, which is why the variety is considered promising in science for subsequent breeding work. In the State Register of Breeding Achievements of Russia, Dar Smolyaninova was registered in 2007.

The medium-sized (160 cm) shrub is characterized by a medium degree of spreading, consists of shoots of medium thickness, covered with a beautiful olive-green skin. At the lignification stage, it turns into a gray-brown bark. The bush is covered with wrinkled matte leaves from green to light green shades, with a convex plate. The shape is traditional three-lobed, the dissection is of medium depth, along the edges of the leaf is dotted with small teeth.

The bush blooms with unusual pale purple flowers with darker, reddish-purple sepals. The flowers are collected in short or medium-length clusters with a winding axis, on which from 6 to 8 berries are tied.

Large (2.8-4.5 g) berries have a rounded shape, bluish-black color and glossy shine.

The sweet and juicy flesh is covered with a dense skin. The chemical composition includes sugars (7.8%), titratable acids (2.2%), as well as vitamins:

• vitamin C - 160 mg%;

• beta carotene - 0.1 mg / 100 g;

• vitamin B4 (choline) - 12.4 mg / 100 g;

• vitamin E (alpha tocopherol) - 0.7 mg / 100 g;

• vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) - 0.4 / 100 g.

The tasting committee highly rated the product - 4.9 points out of five.

The variety belongs to the early maturing category - the harvest is harvested from the first days of July.

In this respect, currants give excellent performance - from two kilograms per bush to 133 centners per hectare. The maximum figures were recorded - 2.6 kg per bush or 17.2 tons per hectare.

Smolyaninova's gift is adapted for the Central Black Earth Region and the Volga-Vyatka region, which, of course, does not prevent restless and inquisitive gardeners, always ready for experiments, to grow it throughout the middle lane.

The variety is self-fertile and does not need pollinators, although their presence always positively affects the size of the yield.

Currants are quite demanding on the soil, preferring to grow on light loamy or sandy loamy soils with a neutral pH level. It bears fruit well in sunny areas, but almost does not reduce productivity with partial shading. For planting, choose dry places, avoiding the proximity of groundwater.

The optimal planting time is autumn. A planting pit 70x70 cm is equipped with a light drainage layer, on top of which a cushion of dry grass, dead leaves and even hay up to ⅔ of the total volume is laid. The soil is enriched with a large amount of organic matter (humus, compost, manure), as well as mineral fertilizers, superphosphate, wood ash. When planting seedlings, you need to ensure that the root collar does not end up underground. The near-trunk circle is compacted and watered with 2-3 buckets of warm, settled water.

Further care consists of traditional activities. These are timely watering, weeding and loosening, sanitary pruning and top dressing. The variety loves moisture, so watering is carried out every 2-3 days in the absence of rain, pouring at least three buckets of water under the bush. If during planting the soil is well filled with nutrients, then the bush will have enough for the next two or three years. Then the introduction of top dressing becomes a mandatory procedure - in the fall, the trunk circle is covered with a thick layer of humus, in the spring the plant needs nitrogen, in the second half of summer - in potassium-phosphorus fertilizers.

Currants of this variety show excellent indicators of health and resistance to diseases, well resisting powdery mildew, anthracnose, septoria and kidney mites. Preventive treatments with insecticides and fungicides will help prevent disease, plant damage and crop loss.

The variety is characterized as winter hardy with high performance.