Valek grape variety
A promising hybrid form of table grapes Valek was brought out in the recent past by the national breeder from Ukraine Nikolay Vishnevetsky. He has been engaged in viticulture for many decades, and at a certain moment he decided to try himself in breeding as well. Since then, a significant number of hybrids have been born on the experimental site of a novice researcher, many of which are now ready to compete with traditional varieties and modern developments of Nikolai Pavlovich's colleagues.
Valek is just one of these varieties, which have earned attention for their many positive qualities, and then sincere love from many of their admirers. In particular, the grapes demonstrate such positive qualities as early maturity, large fruit size, high and stable yield, attractive appearance of bunches, excellent gastronomic performance, as well as good resistance to fungal diseases and increased frost resistance. Rarely is a variety capable of boasting such a long list of advantages, especially when you consider that our hero actually has no obvious shortcomings. This made it popular and in demand in many amateur plots, and among farmers, it is in good standing.
Our hero was obtained as a result of a very successful crossing, in which the magnificent Mascot with its functionally feminine type of flower, but there are two contenders for the title of the father of such a wonderful brainchild - Zvezdny and Rizamat, with a mixture of pollen which was pollinated. Perhaps in the future, DNA analysis will certainly indicate his true paternal form, but now we can only rejoice for the author of the hybrid, who managed to get a wonderful result from this "love triangle".
Agrobiological characteristics
Plants are distinguished by very vigorous growth and high vitality. The crown of a young vine shoot is bright green, shiny, without pubescence. The leaves of the variety are large, beautiful, delicately cut, heart-shaped, five-lobed, deeply dissected. The surface of the Valka leaf blade is reticulate-wrinkled, dark green with lighter veins. The leaf profile is almost flat. The upper side notches are deep, lyre-shaped with a rounded or slightly pointed bottom. The lower notches are somewhat shallower, parallel, or in the form of an inward angle of the side. The petiolate notch is usually lyre-shaped with a sharp bottom. Petioles are much longer than the main vein of the leaf, pinkish-green in color. The teeth along the edges of the leaf are large, triangular with barely convex edges and pointed apices. The flowers are bisexual, they are distinguished by good pollen fertility, which allows the hybrid not only to set fruits on its own in any weather, but also, if necessary, serve as a pollinator of functionally female varieties. Neither shedding of flowers, nor peas of berries are typical for him. The shoots of the current year in most regions of cultivation have time to mature to their full length, while changing the color from reddish-green to brown.
When ripe, bunches of grapes reach very impressive sizes, acquiring a wide-conical shape. Their average weight ranges from 800 to 1500 grams, and some giants often pull up to 2.5 kg. Despite the dense arrangement in the brush, the berries are not deformed or damaged. The combs do not grow too long, but they are strong enough to support the weight of heavy fruits. The grapes have a very calibrated large size, a beautiful oval shape and an appetizing deep yellow color with a light layer of light spruce on the surface. They are 30-35 mm long, 25-28 mm in diameter, and weigh 10-18 grams.The pulp of the variety is juicy-fleshy, pleasantly crunchy when chewed, sweet harmonious taste, with a distinct aroma of nutmeg and aftertaste with tones of pear. The sugar content of the juice squeezed from ripe berries is 17-19 g / 100 ml, the titratable acidity is 5-6 g / l. The skin is quite thick, but can be eaten without any problems. The seeds are medium, their number in grapes rarely exceeds two or three. Tasting grapes are at their best, which is unanimously confirmed by many of his fans.
The crop is consumed mainly fresh. For its high gastronomic and aesthetic properties, Valek is valued both by amateurs who cultivate it for themselves and by those winegrowers who carry out commercial activities. The variety is undoubtedly “marketable”, although farmers sometimes complain about overly large and dense clusters, which can be difficult to find a buyer for. But his portability is always at a height, which allows you to move the harvested grapes over long distances without the risk of losing the presentation. In addition, neatly cut bunches show good storage adaptability, thereby minimizing the risk of spoilage of unrealized fruits immediately. Our hero can find wide application in home canning. Compotes, preserves, marinades and juices are successfully made from it. Elegant coloring, wonderful taste and aroma of these blanks will not leave anyone indifferent in winter.
Of particular value to farmers is the very early ripening of the crop, which allows it to start selling at a time of high grape prices. So, the growing season of this hybrid form, from budding in the spring to the onset of removable ripeness, lasts only 105-110 days. In the south, harvesting begins at the beginning of August, but in the middle lane the clusters have time to mature perfectly. This is facilitated, among other things, by the modest requirements for heat supply. So, the sum of active temperatures required by the variety is 2200-2300 ° C. Such an indicator, in particular, is typical for the latitude of Moscow, Kazan and Chelyabinsk, which indicates the suitability of these regions for growing such early ripe grapes. For moving to the north, Valek has another important advantage - the frost resistance of the vine increased to −23 ... −24 ° С. In the most severe conditions, of course, it will not be enough for non-covering cultivation, however, in moderately cool regions, the bushes will feel great on a high trunk.
Plants quickly enter the fruiting phase, and already at the age of three to four are able to delight their owners with abundant harvests. For a well-developed, adult bush, a productivity indicator of 20-25 kg is far from the limit. The main thing is to provide them with optimal conditions for development and, in general, a high agricultural background in the vineyard. Otherwise, an excessive load threatens to turn into such negative phenomena as a decrease in the size and taste of bunches and berries, an extension of the growing season, a deterioration in the growth of shoots and their ripening. With regular overloads, the most sad consequences are possible, up to the death of weakened plants in winter. To prevent this, it is necessary to carry out careful rationing of bushes by shoots and crops, soberly assessing the capabilities of the variety in the context of the existing growing conditions.
Grapes that have reached removable maturity can continue to remain on the vine for a long period of time. At the same time, its indicators of sugar accumulation improve and fruit tones in taste and aroma increase, however, notes of nutmeg may, on the contrary, fade slightly. Valka berries do not show a tendency to cracking or decay even in unfavorable weather conditions, but they can be damaged by wasps and birds.In order to prevent these pests from inflicting severe damage, it is required to take timely measures to protect the crop from them.
Agrotechnical features
The cultivation technology of this hybrid is not particularly complex, which harmoniously complements the list of its remarkable qualities, reflected in the previous section. But, at the same time, a certain list of recommendations still exists.
First of all, it is worth emphasizing the need to provide highly productive bushes of this variety with mineral nutrition and moisture. This is especially true for arid areas in the south and regions with insufficiently fertile soils in the middle lane. In the first case, if possible, it is necessary to ensure the irrigation of the vineyard, and in the second - to abundantly fill the planting pits with organic and mineral fertilizers, and regularly feed the plants that have entered fruiting with macro- and microelements.
The grapes are propagated mainly by cuttings, which root well in Valk. However, this method is possible only for areas free from the malicious soil pest - phylloxera. In traditional regions of viticulture, where root aphids are widespread, it will be necessary to inoculate phylloxera-resistant rootstocks, which must be checked for compatibility with our hero. Sufficient space is allocated for vigorous bushes of this variety in order to prevent subsequently unnecessary competition between them.
If climatic conditions permit, and first of all the long-term minimum of winter temperatures, plants form on a high trunk without shelter in the cold season, giving them the opportunity to grow a significant volume of perennial wood. In cases where the frost resistance of the grapes is clearly insufficient, there is no other way out but to use squat stumpless schemes that allow you to remove the vine from the trellis for subsequent insulation. For domestic winegrowers, with a covering culture, the most popular are multi-arm fan formation or an inclined cordon.
Spring pruning and subsequent normalization of the yield of the variety must be approached with special care. So, the bushes that have entered full fruiting are loaded in the spring with 40−45 eyes, shortening the fruit arrows to 6−8 buds. In the course of the debris, the weak and sterile shoots that have developed from them are removed, and before flowering, the number of inflorescences is thinned out, leaving one per shoot. After the ovary appears, some growers also thin out the berries in the brush with scissors. According to them, after such a procedure, the remaining grapes become larger, and the bunch itself is not too dense.
Given the increased resistance of Valk to fungal diseases, there is no need for multiple spraying of grape bushes with fungicides. In his case, it will be enough to several preventive complex treatments at the beginning of the growing season (before and after flowering - a must), so that then only to observe the phytosanitary state of the vineyard, and without any problems to suppress single outbreaks of microorganism development.
