Raspberry variety Kras of Russia
The beauty of Russia is one of the "trump cards" in the selection deck of Professor Kichina. One of those raspberries, after the creation of which he is credited with exceptional genius in the selection of berry crops. This is a sister variety Pride of Russia... They are similar in many respects, primarily in their large and sometimes simply huge fruits. But what else do they have in common, and how do the sisters differ? And is Krasa really a masterpiece of selection - about this in our article below.
History of creation
The large-fruited summer raspberry variety Kras of Russia was bred at the Moscow Institute of Horticulture and Nursery (VSTISP). In 1990, Russian breeders headed by Professor V.V.Kichina crossed two varieties - the already well-proven large-fruited thornless Maroseyka and fruitful, with Scottish roots Mirage. Among the experimental plantings in 1992, the seedlings corresponding to the required characteristics were selected. Then, having made sure of the stability of the obtained varietal qualities in new generations, the raspberries began to be propagated and prepared for open sale. Since 1994, it has been officially launched as a new variety under the name of the Beauty of Russia.
Description
A kind of average ripening period, it will sing on July 10-15. For example, in the southern regions of the country, fruiting begins from June 15-20, and blooms in the second half of May. In Siberia, it begins to bloom from mid-June, and ripens from mid-July. Accordingly, from the beginning of flowering to the beginning of harvest, it takes about a month. Fruiting is quite extended, it can cover mid-late August, depending on the region. Lasts mainly 4-5 weeks. The bulk of the crop is harvested 5-6 times. An interesting fact about the Kichinovsky large-fruited varieties - almost all of them, with favorable weather in the fall, can show partial, insignificant repair. Therefore, some gardeners mistakenly believe that the Beauty of Russia, however, like the Pride of Russia, are remontant varieties. But this, of course, is fundamentally wrong. All of them are common summer raspberries.
The plant has good growth vigor, forms 8-10 replacement shoots per season. The root shoot produces an average amount, does not spread widely to the sides over the site. It is necessary to normalize the number of stems, regularly cutting out excess ones and leaving 5-7 pieces in a bush or 10-12 pieces per running meter of a row. Do not forget about the removal of the emerging nettles, which, if desired, can be planted in pots with a peat substrate for rooting and further obtaining full-fledged seedlings. Young shoots, like young leaves, can be lemon green in spring. The distance when planting between plants in a row is 50-70 cm.
The habitus of the bush is open, the bush of the Beauty of Russia itself is rather compact, slightly spreading. The shoots of the variety are powerful, absolutely thornless, straight-growing, mainly reaching 1.5-1.8 meters, but under conditions suitable for raspberries, they stretch up to 2 meters. Young stems are juicy green in color, in the second year they ripen and woody, acquiring a light brown hue, but the branching fruit branches retain their green color. Stems are medium and thick in diameter, mostly 2-2.5 cm, hard, resilient and strong, internodes are short. In autumn, they bend well for shelter for the winter and for bundling with each other, do not break or crack. Stems non-fledgling, pubescent (covered with a tomentose coating), with a light waxy coating. The laterals are of medium length, strong, thickened. They are bright green in color, can acquire an anthocyanin (purple) hue. They have up to 2-4 branching orders. On each of them, mainly 10-20 fruits are formed in dense clusters, but a well-developed bush may have more of them. The fruiting zone takes up most of the shoot.
The beauty of Russia requires a garter to the trellis or supports. Under the weight of the crop, the bushes can significantly lean to the side.The branches become very heavy, droop, the lower ones can fall on the ground. And this can lead to pollution and rotting of the fruit, possibly a disease of the entire plant as a whole.
Leaves are medium and large in size, straight and slightly twisted, corrugated, the edges of the leaves are serrated, moreover, the denticles are frequent and small. The leaf consists of 3, less often of 5 leaves. They are deep green in color, shiny. Abundant flowering begins in May - June, depending on the region in which the raspberry is grown. The flowers are very large, white, 1.5-2 cm in diameter, collected in numerous dense brushes of 10-15 pieces. The variety is self-pollinated, but cross-pollination with other varieties will only improve the quality and size of the fruit, and therefore the overall yield. For pollination, for example, Pride of Russia, Lyachka, and so on are suitable. The main thing is that the timing of the flowering of these raspberries coincides with the timing of the flowering of our heroine.
What the Beauty of Russia primarily strikes and conquers a person who first sees her at the time of fruiting is, of course, with fruits! The berries are spectacular, memorable, beautiful, with a 100% "wow effect". It is really difficult to pass by the fruiting bush - the hand reaches out to pick a couple of berries. Yes, or just stand and admire.
Fruits are elongated conical in shape, with a wide base and significant tapering downwards, with a blunt rounded nose. The approximate ratio of width in the upper and lower parts is 2 to 1. Young green berries are strongly pubescent, but as they grow, pubescence becomes less and less frequent. By the time they ripen, they become slightly pubescent. The fruits of the variety are large and very large, fleshy, mainly weighing 4-10 grams, but they can be poured up to 13-15 grams. The berries are bright, light red in color with a pinkish tinge, in full ripeness they are light crimson with a glossy sheen.
The pulp is medium-dense, very juicy. The skin is thin, not strong and elastic enough. All this makes the transportation of raspberries quite problematic and greatly underestimates the shelf life. Drupes are small, homogeneous, well adhered to each other. The seeds are few in them, but a bit large. Overripe large berries can crumble from the bush, but this is not massive. Moreover, this is not observed on the Pride of Russia variety. Unripe fruits may crumble and burst when picked. In extreme heat, the berries burn in the sun, fruits with white "boiled" sides come across. The berries are sweet, dessert-like, with a medium-rich raspberry aroma. Moreover, the Beauty of Russia has more tasty and fragrant berries than her sister, the Pride of Russia.
Transportability and keeping quality of fruits are medium-low. Especially if the berries are fully ripe. The pulp is not firm enough and the skin of the fruit is thin and fragile. In addition, it quickly deteriorates (rots) after collection, even when stored in the refrigerator. Therefore, it is advisable to process it directly at the collection point or transport it over short distances in a shallow container (preferably in plastic booties of 0.5 and 1 kg) immediately after sampling.
The fruits are suitable primarily for fresh consumption, very well suited for all types of processing (good for fresh jam, jams, compotes are excellent
The Beauty of Russia enters into full force after reaching the age of 3. In general, this raspberry can grow well and bear fruit successfully in one place for up to 8-10 years. The yield is quite high, the bushes are literally strewn with fruits. On average, you can collect 4-5 kg from one plant. With good agricultural technology, our heroine is able to almost double the yield. From one hundred square meters, the productivity of the variety reaches 200 kg. The variety is not grown commercially.
This raspberry does not differ in drought resistance. For a set of taste, and especially to achieve really large fruit sizes, you need to regularly provide a sufficient amount of moisture. The beauty of Russia is quite demanding in terms of agricultural technology; an intensive agricultural background is required to unleash its full potential.And this is not surprising. The bush is powerful, capable of producing a large number of large and very large fruits. Of course, in order to obtain all high indicators, regular and full-fledged "feeding" is simply necessary - providing the plant with all the necessary macro- and microelements. Raspberry responds very positively to the introduction of organic matter and mulching. But she quickly reacts to a lack of nutrition with a deterioration in the quality, taste and size of berries. The variety prefers planting in well-sunlit places. In the shade, the taste of the berries deteriorates. In bushes growing in the sun, it is noticeably better. Our heroine does not like the thickening of the shoots. Cold and damp weather also affects the taste and aroma of fruits not for the better, while ripe berries can be affected by gray rot.
But the resistance to diseases and pests of the Beauty of Russia is worse than that of Pride. It is resistant to didimella (purple spot) and anthracnose. But the danger of being hit by Botrytis (gray rot) is quite high. This raspberry is resistant to viruses carried by aphids. But the aphid itself, as a pest, is often affected. Also, especially in hot and dry weather, it is often affected by a tick. Often, the defeat is also a raspberry beetle.
According to the reviews of sellers offering fresh berries in the markets of the fruits of the Beauty of Russia, it loses to varieties Glen Ample, Lyachka, Molling Juno and Cascade Delight. The first reason is that it quickly crumples and begins to leak. The second is the color of the fruit. To make the berries transportable, they are chosen immediately after they acquire a pink-red color. And against the background of others, they just seem immature.
Average frost resistance, up to -25 ° С. For the winter, shoots must be bent and tied to each other, for example, with a pigtail. In regions with severe winters, it is highly desirable to additionally cover raspberries with protective materials (agrofibre
Strengths of the variety
- Compact bush, upright, completely thornless shoots.
- Large, sometimes just huge, spectacular and beautiful berries.
- High yield rates, the bushes are literally strewn with fruits.
- Raspberries look beautiful and original on the site, there are decorative qualities.
- A much smaller percentage of deformed, twisted and double berries, compared to the Pride of Russia.
- Harvest of the Beauty of Russia is well suited for all types of processing.
- Powerful growth force, the stems are actively growing, so there will be no shortage of replacement shoots.
- Good taste, the pulp is very juicy, the berries are sweet with a noticeable aroma.
- Resistant to some raspberry diseases and aphid-borne viruses.
Weaknesses of the variety
- When picked, unripe berries can crumble and break.
- The taste is lacking in versatility, raspberry richness. The sugar content is highly dependent on the growing conditions and agricultural technology used.
- The fruit has a medium aroma.
- The already ripe berries of the Beauty of Russia look as if they are still a little unripe.
- Poor transportability and keeping quality. Moreover, keeping quality is poor even when the fruit is stored in the refrigerator.
- Insufficient frost resistance and the need for shelter with protective materials in regions with severe winters. The stem itself is more resistant to low temperatures than the buds. And it happens that seemingly overwintered shoots practically do not give a crop, which introduces summer residents into a stupor.
- The suitability of raspberries is mainly for personal consumption and processing. Moreover, the bones are large and quite noticeable in processed products.
- The variety forms a large number of shoots; regular cutting is required. Otherwise, the bush will thicken, the berries will become smaller, and the yield will fall.
- Danger of gray mold damage, Russian Beauty is less resistant to diseases and pests than Pride of Russia.
- Raspberries are mainly for hobbyists.
Author: Maxim Zarechny.
