Tomato variety Chocolate
Everything unusual attracts attention, even in the garden bed. Therefore, tomatoes with chocolate peels are always popular among gardeners and gourmets. By the way, dark-colored varieties of tomatoes are also very useful, they have an anti-cancer effect and reduce the risk of heart disease. Among the varieties painted in an unusual color, I would like to dwell on one, the name of which, Chocolate, fully reflects its appearance. The applicant of the novelty is ZTEK Aelita LLC, the author is L.A. Myazina. The application for registration was filed in 2005, the tomato was entered into the State Register of Breeding Achievements of the Russian Federation in 2007 with admission in all regions of Russia. Recommended for growing in the open field of personal subsidiary plots. But in cool regions, it is still better to grow this species under film shelters or in greenhouses.
Description
The plant is indeterminate, 1.2 - 1.5 meters high. Shoot formation is good, the bush looks powerful. The foliage is small. Leaves are medium in size, dark green, with a slightly corrugated surface, petiolate. The inflorescence is of an intermediate type. The first fruit cluster is laid over the 8th leaf. Subsequent are formed through the sheet. Each cluster contains about 4 - 6 ovaries. The peduncle of the variety has an articulation.
Chocolate fruits are round or flat-round, smooth, soft to the touch. The skin is not thick. Unripe tomato of green-olive color, when ripe turns brown with a red tint. The pulp is juicy, tender, fleshy, sugary. On the cut, the flesh is red-brown in color, but a green center may remain in the area of the stalk attachment. The scent is great. The seed chambers are small, the number of nests is 4 or more. The taste is sweet. The taste is assessed as excellent. The average weight of a tomato is 150 grams (according to the State Register), in other sources - 200 - 400 grams.
Variety characteristics
- Chocolate yields a crop in the mid-term. After the emergence of full shoots, 115 - 123 days pass before maturation;
- the first fruits ripen in the first decade of July, fruiting stretches until the end of summer - early autumn;
- yield of marketable fruits - 4.2 kg per 1 square meter (according to the State Register), according to other sources - 8 - 12 kg per 1 square meter. meter (company "Aelita"), up to 6 kg from a bush (Myazina L.A.). According to gardeners, the yield is average;
- the plant has good immunity, there is resistance to apical and root rot. Some gardeners note a high resistance to phytophthora during a rainy period;
- the keeping quality of the fruits is poor, therefore, the remaining surplus of the crop must be immediately put into processing;
- the method of consumption is primarily salad, you can also process tomatoes for juice, and small fruits are suitable for whole-fruit canning.
Agrotechnics
Regardless of the region, it is best to grow the variety in seedlings. Seeds of Chocolate are sown so that the seedlings are at least 55 days old at the time of transplanting into the ground, and better than 60. In a temperate climate, sowing is carried out in the second half of March. Seeds sprout at a temperature of 22 - 25 ° C. The pick is carried out 20 days after sowing, when the seedlings have acquired a pair of real leaves. Planting pattern - 50 cm between bushes, 70 cm row spacing. The recommended density is 3 plants per 1 square meter, when formed into one stem, it can be slightly thicker - 4 plants per 1 square meter. meter. A tall culture is tied to trellises or supports. In order for the variety to show the maximum yield, a bush is formed in 2 - 3 stems. The rest of the stepsons are periodically removed. In regions with a cool climate, it is recommended to leave as many brushes on the tomato as it can actually mature in a short growing season. Agricultural technology is common for the culture as a whole.
Chocolate has a lot of fans, despite the fact that there are also negative reviews about him. But most likely failures are possible due to frequent cases of misgrading or improper cultivation. A real variety, grown in a suitable way, in open or closed ground, thanks to its taste, will not leave indifferent even skeptics.And the care is light, consisting of standard procedures. Of the minuses - only the need for garter and pinching.
