Blackcurrant 'Sanuta'

Blackcurrant Sanuta (Ribes nigrum Sanuta) – a blackcurrant cultivar with a mid-season ripening period. Obtained in 1974 from the hybrid form A-1-14 (Yunost x Zoya) and the variety Minay Shmyrev. Breeders K. N. Kopan, V. P. Kopan.

A medium-sized, compact, semi-spreading, neat shrub. Shoots are thick, with shortened internodes. Racemes are short, densely arranged.

Berries are uniform in size, weighing up to 3 -5 grams , black, shiny. Skin is firm but not coarse, elastic, with a dry detachment. Flesh is sweet-and-sour, moderately aromatic. The berries ripen evenly, almost simultaneously.

Hardiness zone: 4 (-34°C)

Location: prefers well-lit sites, but can grow in partial shade, moisture-loving, but does not tolerate water stagnation or overmoisture. Does not like heavy, clay soil; the groundwater level should not exceed 75 cm below the soil surface. Not demanding in soil fertility, grows well on any garden soil. Prefers slightly acidic, well-drained, sandy loam, light or medium loamy soil. Drought-tolerant.

Planting: planting is carried out in August. For this, beds or trenches are dug and bushes are planted at a distance of at least 1.3 m from each other (otherwise the bushes will shade each other and the berries will be small). The soil mixture consists of soil and manure. After planting, in dry weather the plants are watered at a rate of 1 bucket per bush.

Care: during the growing season additional feedings are carried out – in early spring nitrogen fertilizers are applied - ammonium nitrate (30 g per bush) or urea (20 g per bush); after flowering and at the beginning of fruit set - poultry manure (1:12) or cow manure (1:6), at a rate of 1-1.5 buckets per currant bush and after harvest.

Pruning: tolerates trimming well, suitable for forming hedges and borders. Needs thinning (removal of old stems). Pruning is carried out in spring: young shoots are shortened to 5-6 buds and old ones are removed. Each bush should consist of 10-15 stems. Old stems are removed because large berries develop on 3-4-year-old stems.

Propagation: propagated vegetatively (division of the bush, grafting, green cuttings, vertical or horizontal layering) or by seeds. For vertical layering, bushes are heavily pruned in spring almost to ground level; in July the young shoots are earthen up. In autumn the young shoots are planted in a nursery. To obtain horizontal layers, rooted shoots are left until the following spring, then bent down, earthen up and in autumn separated from the mother plant.

Diseases: overall resistance to fungal diseases

Pests: gall aphid, yellow gooseberry sawfly, currant clearwing.

Usage: Used in breeding to create uniformly ripening intensive cultivars for industrial berry production. The cultivar is suitable for full mechanization of cultivation and harvest. It is characterized by high, stable yields, comprehensive resistance to fungal diseases, and drought tolerance. Not demanding in growing conditions.