Content
Black currant has been cultivated in Russia for over a thousand years - this berry bush has been known since the times of Kievan Rus. And for all these years, it enjoys unremitting popularity due to its high content of vitamins and an indescribable aroma that comes from both its fruits and leaves. Any newly minted owner of a garden or suburban area first of all acquires currant seedlings and dreams of good yields of tasty and healthy berries. But much in the cultivation of black currant depends on the correct choice of a variety that would bring yields in any, the most diverse climatic conditions of our large country. At the same time, every gardener seeks to find for himself such a variety that would be tasty, fruitful, and at the same time would not require much trouble to care for it.
In this case, it is worth taking a closer look at the black currant variety with the interesting name Bagheera. It has been known for a long time, but has not yet lost its leading position in the abundance of berry varieties. A description of the time-tested Bagheera currant variety, as well as photos and reviews of those who dealt with this berry, you can find in this article.
History of creation
The Bagheera black currant variety was obtained by crossing the Swedish Bredthorpe and the Belarusian one - Minai Shmyrev. It happened back in 1985 at the All-Russian Research Institute of Horticulture named after I.V. Michurin, located in the Tambov region. The famous Russian breeders KD Sergeeva and TS Zvyagina are considered the authors of the variety.
At the same time, an application was filed for variety trials, and only after almost 10 years, in 1994, the Bagheera black currant was entered into the State Register of Breeding Achievements of Russia. It is noteworthy that this particular variety of black currant, one of the few, has been zoned for six of the most diverse regions of Russia:
- Northwest;
- Volgo-Vyatsky;
- Middle Volga;
- Uralsky;
- West Siberian;
- East Siberian.
This wide range of regions recommended for growing this blackcurrant variety is due to its particular resistance to heat and arid conditions as well as frost.
Description of the variety
Black Bagheera currant bushes are characterized by medium vigor and medium spreading. They can reach a height of two meters. There are quite a lot of leaves on the branches, so you cannot call the bushes sparse, but rather, on the contrary, thick.
Young growing shoots are straight, medium-sized, light green in color. Lignified shoots are distinguished by a yellowish tint, which can turn brown in the upper part of the branches.
Medium-sized sessile single kidneys have an ovoid-elongated shape with a pointed apex. Their color is golden brown.
The leaves have a standard five-lobed shape with a wavy edge, medium in size. The color ranges from light green to green. The surface of the leaves is smooth, leathery, matte. The leaf petioles have a slight anthocyanin coloration with slight pubescence.
Sometimes the leaves remain on the bushes until the first frost and even go with them under the snow. This property can be very beneficial for people who like blackcurrant leaf tea as they have a long-term supply of them for the long winter.In addition, black currant leaves are often used in the salting of many vegetables, which can occur as early as late autumn and fresh leaves will come in handy.
The flowers are medium-sized and shaped like goblets. The brushes of medium density reach a length of 5-8 cm. They have a conical hanging shape. From 4 to 7 berries are formed in the brush. There are often 2-3 brushes in the nodes.
The Bagheera currant variety can be classified as medium late in terms of ripening. Since the berries ripen around mid-July.
Bushes of this variety are able to quickly enter fruiting - a small crop can be harvested already in the year of planting. Although the most abundant harvests from Bagheera currants can be expected for 2-4 years from planting seedlings.
The yield is at a quite decent level - from one bush you can collect from 3.5 to 4.5 kg of berries. In industrial terms, the yield indicator is up to 12 tons of berries per hectare of planting.
Bagheera currant has good resistance to anthracnose and powdery mildew, but it can be affected by rust. Unfortunately, the scourge of all currants - the kidney mite does not bypass it, but it is resistant to spider mites.
Well, as noted earlier, the Bagheera currant variety is distinguished by its amazing unpretentiousness to growing conditions - it equally easily withstands severe frosts and spring frosts, as well as heat and drought.
Characteristics of berries
Bagheera black currant berries are absolutely universal in use. Due to the high sugar content - up to 12%, they are eaten with pleasure directly from the bush and therefore are very loved by children.
They are also quite suitable for freezing and drying, they make delicious and aromatic winter preparations and even homemade wine and liqueurs.
The size of the berries is quite large, although they are not among the size champions among blackcurrant varieties. The mass of one berry is on average 1.5-2.3 grams.
The number of seeds in the fruits is small, they have an oblong shape.
The berries themselves are characterized by a traditional round or flat-round shape. They are the same size throughout the brushes.
The color of the berries is black with a shiny surface. The pulp has a delicate and juicy texture. The peel is not very dense, but at the same time the separation is dry and the berries are distinguished by quite decent transportability, especially if they are collected with whole brushes.
By taste, Bagheera currant berries are rated at 4.5 points on a five-point scale. They also have a rich aroma. It is interesting that this variety was one of the ten most delicious and dessert varieties of black currant of domestic selection.
By chemical composition, the berries are characterized by the content:
- Dry soluble substances - 17.1 -20.7%;
- The amount of sugars - 8.8 -12.1%;
- Ascorbic acid - 154.8-191.5 mg / 100 g;
- Pectin - 1.2%;
- Titratable acidity - 2.7 -3.6%;
- P-active substances - 1132.0 mg / 100 g.
The berries of the Bagheera currant variety, although they ripen almost simultaneously, are able to remain on the bushes for a long time, without crumbling and without losing their taste.
The preservation of the berries after picking is also good, they can easily wait for the moment when their turn comes to processing.
Advantages and disadvantages
Bagheera currant has been popular among gardeners for more than a quarter of a century due to its following benefits:
- Resistance to various unfavorable growth conditions and unpretentious cultivation.
- The berries are relatively large in size and have excellent taste characteristics.
- Quite good, above average, productivity.
- Excellent keeping quality and transportability.
The main disadvantage of this variety is considered its vulnerability to kidney mites and insufficient resistance to some fungal diseases.However, with the modern variety of choice of drugs of protection, these disadvantages can be successfully dealt with.
Gardeners reviews
Gardeners are generally happy with the Bagheera blackcurrant variety, although it can show itself in different ways in different conditions.
Conclusion
The Bagheera currant has every reason to satisfy the most demanding tastes of gardeners and bring not only a rich harvest of tasty, healthy and large berries, but also become a real decoration of the site.
