Black currant 'Sokrovishe'

Black currant Sokrovishe (Ribes nigrum Sokrovishe) – an early-bearing, early-ripening black currant cultivar. Obtained by crossing the open-pollinated form «Black Cluster» and the cultivar Nester Kozin in 1997 at the Siberian Institute of Horticulture named after M. A. Lisavenko. Breeder - L. N. Zabelina.

It is a medium-growing, weakly spreading bush up to 1.5 m in height. Shoots are erect, medium-thick, slightly pubescent, light green with an anthocyanic tip. Woody shoots are brown in color. Buds are light green, solitary, pubescent, ovoid, medium-sized.

Leaves are 3-lobed, medium-sized, light green, wrinkled. Leaf petioles are green, short, of medium thickness, positioned at about a 45-degree angle to the shoot. Flowers are medium-sized, with creamy petals and pink sepals.

Berries are large, weighing 1.5–3 g, rounded in shape, uniform, slightly glossy, with a large number of small seeds. Skin is thin, black; berries detach dry. Taste is sweet-and-sour, flesh moderately aromatic. Yield is high and stable, about 4 kg per bush.

Hardiness zone: 4a (-25°C)

Site: prefers well-lit locations but can grow in partial shade; moisture-loving but does not tolerate waterlogging or excessive wetness. Does not like heavy, clay soils; the groundwater level should not be higher than 75 cm below the soil surface. Not demanding of soil fertility; grows well on typical garden soils. Prefers slightly acidic, well-drained sandy loam, light or medium-loamy soils. 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 garden soil and manure. After planting, in dry weather, plants are watered at a rate of 1 bucket per bush.

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

Pruning: tolerates trimming well; suitable for forming hedges and borders. Requires thinning (removal of old stems). Pruning is performed in spring: young shoots are shortened to 5-6 buds and old ones are removed. Each bush should consist of 10-15 stems. Old shoots 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 seed. For vertical layering, bushes are heavily pruned in spring almost to ground level; in July young shoots are mounded. In autumn the young shoots are transplanted to a nursery. To obtain horizontal layers, rooted shoots are left until the following spring, then bent over, mounded and in autumn separated from the parent plant.

Diseases: ryabukha shows resistance; anthracnose and septoria only weakly affect the plants. Powdery mildew and columnar rust do not affect the bushes.

Pests: gall aphid, yellow gooseberry sawfly, currant clearwing, resistance to bud mite.

Usage: the variety is suitable for transport, undemanding in cultivation conditions. Distinguished by high and stable yields.