Grape variety Anthony the Great
The hybrid form of table grapes, Anthony the Great, in terms of the totality of characteristics, fully corresponds to its loud name, first surprising, and then annually delighting its owners with the aesthetic and gastronomic splendor of the fruit. As often happens in recent decades, the variety obtained was not by venerable professional scientists, but by an amateur breeder - Viktor Krainov. At one time, Viktor Nikolaevich himself was an ordinary winegrower, cultivating various varieties on his site only to obtain fruits. However, at a certain moment, fate brought him into contact with the famous researcher from the Novocherkassk Research Institute of Viticulture and Winemaking, Ivan Kostrikin, and he invited Krainov to do a new business for himself - crossing different grape varieties, sowing hybrid seeds and selecting the best seedlings from the offspring.
So, under the methodological guidance of Kostrikin, Viktor Krainov began to take the first steps in folk selection, and they turned out to be so successful that the new occupation became the work of his whole life. Before his death in 2010, Viktor Nikolaevich managed to endow the winegrowing community with dozens of the latest varieties of sun berries, many of which have become real bestsellers, both among amateurs and professional farmers. One of such magnificent hybrids can be confidently called Anthony the Great, who has won recognition and respect from a large army of fans over the years since its inception.
To develop this form of grapes, the author used his favorite combination of parents. In particular, a well-known domestic variety with a functionally female type of flower Mascot was artificially fertilized with pollen of a high quality Moldovan seedless variety Kishmish Radiant... This crossing once again did not disappoint the researcher, and according to the results of the selection of seedlings, a novelty was identified, which already in its first fruiting showed large-fruited, attractive appearance of bunches and berries, as well as their deliciously sweet taste. Subsequently, in addition to these advantages, the high vigor of plant growth, large and stable productivity, good resistance to a number of diseases, as well as many other positive characteristics became obvious. All this in aggregate determined the high prospects of the variety, which has largely been confirmed over the past years.
Agrobiological properties
The bushes show excellent growth vigor when cultivated. The crown of a young shoot is open, greenish-whitish due to moderately intense tomentose pubescence. The shoot axis is green, young leaves are corrugated, with a slight bronze tint and noticeable cobweb pubescence. The formed leaf is large, rounded, consisting, as a rule, of five lobes with an average level of dissection between them. The surface of the leaf blade is dark green with lighter veins, shiny, deeply wrinkled. The leaf profile is wavy. The upper sidecuts are of medium depth, mostly open in the shape of a lyre with a rounded or pointed bottom, sometimes with parallel sides or even in the shape of a recessed angle. The lower notches are noticeably smaller, the overwhelming majority of them are open V-shaped, or barely outlined. Petiole notches can have various shapes: from lyre-shaped to broad-vaulted. The petioles are long, greenish in color, without any special manifestations of anthocyanin pigmentation.The denticles along the perimeter of the leaf are large, triangular, their edges are noticeably convex, and their apices are pointed. The flowers are bisexual, annually well pollinated, and therefore the brushes are formed quite full, and the berries are practically not peeled. Our hero also does not notice active shedding of buds and ovaries. Ripening of the vine begins to occur early, and by the end of the season at least 2/3 of the length of annual shoots is ripe. At the same time, their color changes to light brown.
The size of the Anthony the Great grapes is often amazing. The bunches are especially magnificent in adult, oversized bushes that have managed to accumulate a large volume of perennial wood. So, the weight of a typical brush for our hero is 600 - 1200 grams, and the most outstanding specimens are capable of reaching a mass of 2.5 kg. Their shape is elongated or cylindro-conical, the structure is medium dense. Excessive contact of berries with each other does not occur, so that they do not undergo deformation. Giant bunches hang on sturdy, albeit herbaceous, light green comb stalks. Oval grapes are also large in size and weigh an average of 10 to 12 grams. They are painted almost white, additionally emphasized by a light coating of a protective spring. The pulp of the fruit is quite dense, juicy-fleshy, very sweet in taste, with a neutral aroma and aftertaste. The sugar content of the juice of ripe berries is 18 - 19 g / 100 ml. Data on titratable acidity are not presented, although, judging by the taste, this parameter does not exceed the norm. The skin of the grapes is quite dense, but it can be eaten without problems. The seeds are present in the amount of 2 - 3 pieces, but they do not have a significant negative gastronomic effect. In general, the tasting properties of Anthony the Great are highly rated.
Very tasty and attractive bunches are used primarily for fresh consumption. Due to its high marketability, the variety is in high demand among buyers in the market, which means it is also interesting for farmers who cultivate grapes for sale. Its advantage is also good transportability, allowing the crop to be transported over long distances without the risk of deterioration in appearance. In addition, ripe berries can be successfully used in the manufacture of various preparations for the winter - preserves, jams, compotes, pickles
The onset of the removable maturity of Anthony the Great in traditional wine-growing regions occurs in the third decade of August, 130 - 135 days after budding in the spring. According to the duration of the growing season, the hybrid is classified as mid-season, requiring a total of 2700 - 2800 ° C active temperatures. After ripening, the bunches can continue to remain on the bushes for quite a long time, without cracking or being affected by gray rot. Quite good resistance in plants is observed to other fungal diseases, with the exception of mildew, against which regular fungicide treatments are required. Frost resistance of the vine is about -23 ° С.
The productivity of this grape form is very high and stable over the years. Moreover, the bushes are prone to serious crop overload. To prevent this, in the spring they are loaded with 30 - 35 eyes, with the length of the fruit arrows 8 - 10 buds. With the beginning of the growing season, a fragment of sterile and weak shoots is traditionally carried out, and excess brushes are thinned out before flowering.
