Grape variety Kishmish 342 (Hungarian Kishmish)

Kishmish 342 is a hybrid form of table grapes from Hungary. This country has presented us with many highly resistant and unpretentious grape masterpieces based on the crossing of interspecific hybrids with the well-known European varieties of the noble species Vitis vinifera. A significant part of them are technical varieties intended for the production of wine. But the toughened requirements for wine products in recent decades, which actually prohibit their production from hybrid grapes, brought to naught the titanic work of scientists working in this direction. The winemaking Western European lobby does not get tired of generating horror stories about the allegedly terrible harm of such wines due to the slightly increased content of methyl alcohol and diglycosides in them.

Fortunately, this hysteria did not touch the table wine-growing direction, thanks to which the range of varieties that resist fungal diseases well and are cultivated with minimal chemical treatments continues to replenish, including in Europe. One of these magnificent varieties can be called Kishmish 342, which is capable of producing an environmentally friendly high-quality product, with minimal labor and costs for its cultivation. He became another seedless grape, by his example refuting the common stereotype about the innate capriciousness of raisins and the complexity of their cultivation.

This variety emerged by pollination of the complex interspecific hybrid Saive Villar 12-375 (Villard Blanc) with the pollen of the old seedless Perlette. In this pair, the paternal form was responsible for the high condition of the fetuses of the future offspring, and the maternal form was the carrier of resistance genes. It is also important that in the ancestors on the paternal side of our hero there are wonderful ancient European-Asian representatives of Vitis vinifera, who have proved their excellent quality over many centuries.

So Kishmish 342, in addition to high resistance to fungal diseases and frost, demonstrates the large size of attractive-looking bunches, excellent sugar accumulation, pleasant berry taste and high yield. In addition, the short growing season of grapes makes it possible to cultivate it in central Russia, throughout Ukraine and in Belarus, where the cultivation of real raisins until recently seemed like a fantasy. It is not surprising that with such characteristics, the army of fans of this variety has already reached impressive sizes and continues to grow.

Agrobiological characteristics

Bushes with great vigor. The crown of a young shoot is open, slightly pubescent, green with an anthocyanin tint, young leaves are greenish-bronze. Fully formed leaves of medium size, funnel-shaped with the edges bent down, stretched in width, three- and five-lobed, weakly dissected. The surface of the leaf is smooth, on the reverse side you can see a slight tomentose pubescence. Upper and lower lateral notches barely marked or absent. The petiole notch is open, vaulted, with a sharp bottom. Petioles are long, reddish in color. The denticles along the edge of the leaf blade are uneven, triangular, with a wide base, sharp tops and straight edges. The flowers of the variety are bisexual, the presence of other pollinators does not require and do not crumble. The grapes are not peeled. Shoots of Kishmish 342 ripen well to the required length. In this case, their color becomes reddish brown.

The bunches are medium to large. Their size is influenced by a significant number of factors, including the size of the bush and the amount of accumulated old wood. On the most powerful adult plants, corresponding massive fruits grow, weighing up to a kilogram or more. The average weight of mature brushes is 400-500 grams.As a rule, they are cylindro-conical in shape, above average density. The stem of the comb is short and rather strong. The berries are small, but very even in size, ovoid, about 17 mm long and 15 mm in diameter. Some may be somewhat deformed due to tight fit to each other in a bunch. The mass of one hundred grapes is 250-350 grams. Coloring from greenish to straw yellow, with a light layer of light waxy coating, but not always attractive brown sun tan. The pulp is tender, juicy-fleshy, has a pleasant, very harmonious taste. The juice of the variety is very sweet, the sugar content in it reaches 20-21 grams / 100 cubic meters. cm, while the acidity is in the range of 6-8 grams / liter. The skin is strikingly thin, bursting, intangible when bitten, which, along with the lack of seeds, determines the excellent taste observed when tasting the grapes. Kishmish 342 belongs to the III class of seedlessness, meaning the almost complete absence of seed rudiments in the berry.

The crop is excellent for fresh consumption, use in confectionery, canning and drying for raisins. Not the most outstanding size of the grapes is more than offset by the amazing gastronomic properties characteristic of the Hungarian variety. It will not be able to boast of an exuberant demand among buyers, but those who taste it will definitely purchase this grape in the future. Despite the thin skin of the berries, the harvest shows quite decent transportability and is even stored in refrigerated chambers for a month. However, all this is relevant only in the case of careful collection of bunches and the absence of damage and rot on them.

Ripening of bunches occurs early. From the beginning of budding, and until the onset of removable ripeness, an average of 110-115 days pass. During this time, the plant requires a total of 2200-2300 ° C active temperatures. This significantly expands the potential geography of its distribution due to the northern regions that are unconventional for viticulture. The amount of heat required for grapes is typical for Kaliningrad, Ryazan and Kaluga, thanks to which even in these latitudes, you can get fully ripe, high-quality and tasty raisins. Isn't it a miracle, considering that traditional Central Asian seedless varieties feel oppressed even in the south of the European part of our country. Kishmish 342 is quite good and frost resistance (-24 ... -26 ° С), inherited from the Franco-American hybrid Saive Villard, which served as his maternal form.

The yield of Hungarian raisins is consistently high. This is due to the good fruitfulness of its shoots (70-80%) and a significant number of clusters on productive vines (on average 1.2 per shoot). The downside of these excellent indicators is a certain tendency of the Hungarian variety to overload, which, however, is easily leveled by the competent actions of the grower when pruning and conducting green operations. As a result, 10-15 or more kilograms of grapes can be harvested from an adult, well-developed plant without the risk of harming the bush itself.

Long-term presence of the ripe crop of Kishmish 342 on the vine is not recommended, since its berries with a thin skin are weakly resistant to attacks by wasps and even smaller insects, and can also crack in the event of the onset of rains. Damaged grapes in a dense bunch become a hotbed for the spread of putrefactive microorganisms, and in a short time the entire brush becomes unusable. This predisposition must be taken into account when cultivating grapes and measures must be taken to prevent injury to the berries.

Agrotechnical features

Kishmish 342 for its economic qualities is significantly superior to many well-known seedless varieties. However, in order to obtain a high and high-quality yield, it requires taking into account certain features that any other variety possesses in greater or lesser quantities.

First of all, when planting, it is necessary to bear in mind the rapid growth of this hybrid, which requires a significant distance between the rows of grapes and plants in a row. The feeding area should be at least 5-6 m2, otherwise the bushes will oppress each other. It is not particularly picky about soils, which allows it to be cultivated in a wide variety of regions with their inherent variety of soils. It is not necessary to allocate under the vineyard only excessively wet, swampy areas, slopes of cold exposures and low-lying places where air masses of low temperature accumulate. In the north, where there is a danger of insufficient ripening of grapes due to the short summer, it is recommended to plant them in a wall culture under reliable protection from cold winds, due to which a better microclimate is created in the place of growth, and to some extent the sum of active temperatures increases. In areas of phylloxera infection, reproduction is carried out by grafted seedlings, while in areas free from this pest, planting with cuttings, which root without problems in the variety, demonstrates excellent performance. In the first case, it is better to use rootstocks that somewhat limit the excessive growth of vegetative organs: Chassela x Berlandieri 41B or Berlandieri x Riparia CO4.

Own-rooted plants in the second or third year, and grafted in the third or fourth year, enter fruiting. This requires the grower to start forming Kishmish 342 bushes from the second season. As already mentioned, the best results in terms of large fruit and yield are shown by powerful high-stem formations with a large volume of old wood. They are applicable only in regions with moderately frosty winters, where the thermometer does not drop below -25 ° C. In the cold northern climate of the middle zone, even this relatively winter-hardy variety will have to be sheltered for the winter. In this case, the skeleton of the grape bush is initially formed in such a way as to be able to remove the vine from the trellis every autumn for warming for the winter. The most popular options for this are a multi-arm fan or an inclined cordon. Insulation can be both the earth itself and improvised organic materials: straw, shavings, spruce branches, reeds, etc. Even light film shelters like greenhouses show good results. They increase the vines' ability to tolerate frost 6-8 degrees lower than outdoors. In some cases, in regions with consistently high snow cover, it will be sufficient to simply lay the sleeves on the ground, where they can winter under a layer of snow. And finally, in the case of a small risk of freezing of the aboveground part of the plant in winter, it makes sense to use a semi-covering formation. It assumes that the main part will be formed on the trunk, and a small backup branch will be covered, in order to quickly restore the bush from it in case of severe damage to the non-insulated part in winter.

After the beginning of fruiting, Kishmish 342 requires a clear regulation of the load of shoots and crops. To do this, in the spring, the plants are loaded with 30-40 eyes, with the length of pruning fruit arrows for 7-10 buds. Subsequently, from the number of developed shoots in the variety, sterile, weak, "twins" and "tees" are removed, so that, as a result, 22-24 strong productive shoots remain on the bush, or 4 for each square meter of feeding area. If you expect to get large bunches, then you will have to thin them out, keeping one for the escape. If such a task is not worth it, then you can abandon this procedure, and, as a result, get a larger number of medium-sized clusters of grapes.

Particular attention must be paid to regulating the water balance of the soil to prevent cracking of the delicate skin of the berries.As you know, this problem most often arises in the event of a sharp change in dry weather with heavy rains. In order to prevent this, ideally, regular watering is required, maintaining soil moisture at an optimal level. However, in the absence of such an opportunity, good results are shown by abundant mulching of the ground surface under the plants with straw or mowed grass. Such a cover does not allow the soil to dry out much, and therefore smooths out fluctuations in its moisture content during the growing season of grapes.

Due to the increased resistance of Kishmish 342 to major diseases, the number of chemical treatments against them can be significantly reduced compared to susceptible varieties. Preventive spraying will be required in the most harmful period of pathogen development - before and after flowering, and then their implementation should become point-like, only in case of signs of damage to the bushes by this or that disease. Additional insecticide control measures are often needed against the bunchworm. And to protect ripening berries from wasps, it is very desirable to place the bunches in special bags and bags, where they will be safe in relation to these rather harmful insects.

During the ripening period, it is very useful to lighten the bunches of grapes, removing the leaves that shade them. This procedure will not only improve the final color of the berries, but also reduce the risk of rotting of dense brushes due to their good ventilation. If you carry out all these activities correctly and on time, then you can enjoy the excellent taste of Kishmish 342 not only immediately after harvesting, but also preserve it for several weeks due to the absence of damage on very delicate berries.