Blackcurrant 'Zagadka'

Blackcurrant Zagadka (Ribes nigrum Zagadka) – a self-fertile, high-yielding variety of blackcurrant with mid-early ripening. Obtained by crossing the varieties Nina and Soperik at VSTISP by breeder V.M. Litvinov.

It is a medium-sized, compact and dense bush. Growing shoots are thick, light green with a reddish tip, sparsely pubescent; older woody shoots are thick, straight, brown. Buds are ovoid, medium, blunt, pinkish with bright scales, without pubescence, single, sessile on short stalks; on the upper part of the shoot they are appressed to it, and from the middle they are divergent; the terminal bud is not free; the leaf scar is wedge-shaped.

Leaf is five-lobed, medium-sized, green, glabrous, matte, wrinkled, leathery. The middle lobe is wide, longer than the lateral lobes, with projections, apex acute. Lateral lobes are short and wide, the angle between their veins is right. Basal lobes are weakly developed. The basal sinus is rounded, shallow. Teeth are blunt, short, without a pronounced "tip"; petiole of medium length and thickness, without pubescence, greenish-pink.

Flowers are medium-sized, cup-shaped; sepals are pale pink, free, reflexed, sometimes slightly twisted. Raceme medium (6–8 cm), of medium density, axis of medium thickness, without pubescence; peduncle medium, pedicel of medium length, green.

Fruits are large, weighing 1.2–2.2 g, rounded, black in color, with dry detachment and a small number of seeds, aromatic, of high taste quality (4 points). Calyx medium, falls off, closed. Chemical composition: total sugars - 5.4%, titratable acidity - 0.2%, ascorbic acid - 160.0 mg/100 g. Average yield 11.4 t/ha (3.0 kg/bush).

Hardiness zone: 4a (-25°C)

Location: prefers well-lit sites but can also grow in partial shade; moisture-loving but does not tolerate waterlogging or excessive wetness. Does not like heavy, clay soils; groundwater level should not exceed 75 cm below soil surface. Not demanding to soil fertility, grows well on any garden soil. Prefers slightly acidic, well-drained, sandy loam, light or medium loam 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 bushes will shade each other and berries will be small). The soil mixture consists of soil and manure. After planting in dry weather, plants are watered at a rate of 1 bucket per bush.

Care: during the growing season additional feedings are applied – 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 use bird manure (1:12) or cow manure (1:6), at a rate of 1–1.5 buckets per bush and after harvest.

Pruning: requires periodic removal of peripheral branches.

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 earthing up. In autumn young shoots are planted in a nursery. To obtain horizontal layers, rooted shoots are left until the following spring, then bent down, earthened and detached from the parent plant in autumn.

Diseases: resistant to powdery mildew and anthracnose.

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

Use: the variety is transportable, undemanding to growing conditions. Distinguished by high and stable yields.