Julian grape variety
Modern grape selection is not at all the same as it was 20-30 years ago. If earlier the emergence of new varieties was a long, largely bureaucratic process, today, thanks to amateur breeding, a lot of new various hybrid forms are constantly and in large numbers presented to the court of winegrowers-practitioners. New products are always in high demand, they are purchased, planted, multiplied, in parallel conducting their own variety testing, since at the stage of their appearance even the author is often unable to predict the comprehensive characteristics of his offspring.
One of these highly productive folk breeders was V.U. Kapelyushny from Rostov-on-Don. At one time he was lucky to meet an outstanding scientist from the Novocherkassk Institute of Viticulture and Winemaking Ivan Kostrikin. At that time, Vasily Ulyanovich was already seriously engaged in the cultivation of grapes, but he did not even think about creating his own varieties, and it was Kostrikin who breathed into him the spirit of innovation and a craving for experimentation, after which a new stage began in his life. For more than twenty years of his painstaking work, Vasily Kapelyushny has created more than a hundred new hybrid forms, many of which have shown very decent results and are very popular today.
One of these hybrids was Julian, very attractive in appearance, pleasant in taste and not very capricious in cultivation. First appearing at the beginning of the 2000s, it quickly gained a good reputation, although for many years there were disputes among winegrowers whether Julian had any relation to the famous "troika" of another Don breeder, Viktor Krainov. Our hero was painfully similar to Kraynovsky Transformation... However, in the end, everything fell into place: and tests showed that there are still differences between them, and it became known that the maternal form in both varieties is the same (Mascot), and two outwardly similar seedless varieties of grapes were used as a paternal one (in Krainov - Radiant kishmish, and for Kapelyushny - Rizamat). This apparently led to the presence of similar properties in hybrids, however, supporters of the conspiracy theory still cannot calm down, even despite the fact that both authors are already, unfortunately, dead.
But despite all the misinterpretation, Julian today occupies a fairly strong position in the preferences of winegrowers, he is happily grown and received excellent harvests in various parts of Russia and the states of the post-Soviet space.
Agrobiological characteristics
The growth force of the bushes is great. The leaf of the variety is large, noticeably elongated in length (many characterize its shape as heart-shaped), five-lobed, moderately dissected, dark green in color. The leaf blade of grapes is reticulate-wrinkled on top, weak pubescence is present on the back. The upper lateral notches are deep, open with parallel sides and a rounded bottom, the lower ones are shallow, V-shaped. The petiole notch is open, vaulted, of medium width with a pointed bottom. The flowers are bisexual, well pollinated with their pollen, there is no tendency to pea.
Julian's bunches are very large, with an average weight of 800-1000 grams, and a maximum weight of up to 3 kg. They are cylindro-conical or branched in shape, and loose in density. The stems and stems of the berries are long, well developed, firm, light green. The berries are oblong, stunning in size, 40 mm or more long, up to 28 mm in diameter, and weighing up to 20 grams. The color of the grapes is attractive greenish-pink, but uneven: a pink tint begins to appear from the tips, its intensity depends on the weather conditions and the region of growth.At the same time, even grapes that are not sufficiently pink-colored are very elegant due to the translucent skin and pulp, in the sun they literally burn from the inside. The pulp is firm, crunchy with a harmonious, very pleasant taste and mild nutmeg aftertaste. The skin is thin, weightless, not felt at all when eating. The seeds in the berry are soft, underdeveloped - one can feel the presence of the seedless Rizamat among the parents. Ripe Julian berries are not prone to cracking and damage by wasps, and therefore the clusters can remain on the bushes for a long time after ripening, continuing to accumulate sugar and enhance the nutmeg aroma inherent in the variety.
The crop is used mainly for fresh consumption, but it can also find its place as a raw material for harvesting for the winter. The grapes are very marketable, attractive to buyers already by their appearance, and their high taste characteristics further increase the army of its admirers. For several weeks, the bunches can be stored in refrigerated chambers at a temperature of + 2 ... + 4 ° С, as well as transported over sufficiently long distances without deteriorating consumer properties.
Julian ripens very early, literally 95-105 days after bud break. The required sum of active temperatures for such a short growing season averages 2100-2200 ° C, which corresponds to the latitude of cities such as Nizhny Novgorod, Ivanovo, Izhevsk and Yekaterinburg. Theoretically, in all these regions, and even more so to the south, this variety is quite capable of ripening, and the only difficulty for its cultivation in northern conditions is the need to shelter the vine for the winter. The frost resistance of grapes declared by the author is -24 ° C.
In terms of yield, this hybrid also shows good results - up to 15 kilograms of high-quality bunches, an adult, well-developed bush is able to "pull" without problems. At the same time, one cannot fail to note another very remarkable quality - in the south, due to the short growing season, growers manage to get a second harvest from Julian's stepsons. The bunches in this case are much smaller than during the main gathering, but the unexpected "bonus" from this does not become less pleasant. However, you should not abuse such generosity, since the variety, due to the high fruitfulness of the shoots and the significant number of clusters on the fruit arrows, is prone to overload, which can negatively affect the viability of the plant.
Objective data on the content of sugars and acid in the juice of ripe grapes have not yet been presented, but the tasting characteristics invariably show their harmonious combination.
Agrotechnical features
The cultivation of this hybrid form should not be as difficult as it might seem when you see its magnificent graceful bunches. The genes of the Talisman make themselves felt, characterized by good resistance to diseases and unpretentious care. Thanks to them, Julian also has a certain resistance to mildew, powdery mildew and gray rot, which allows him to limit himself to preventive spraying of bushes with additional treatments only in case of an outbreak of a disease. For the successful implementation of such a gentle strategy, the grower must have some experience in order to identify the disease at the initial stage, determine the type of pathogen and take effective measures to combat it.
For propagation of the variety in conditions of soil contamination with phylloxera, grafted grape seedlings should be used, since it is not known for certain whether it has resistance to this pest. By the way, the rooting of cuttings by Julian himself is not bad, but cultivation in a self-rooted culture, in order to avoid unnecessary disappointments, it is advisable to produce only in areas free of phylloxera. In addition, it should be mentioned that this hybrid is characterized by some changes in the morphology of bunches and berries, depending on a particular type of rootstock.
Planted cuttings and seedlings develop very quickly and begin bearing fruit in the third year.They are formed depending on the need to shelter the bushes for the winter, which, in turn, is determined by the growing region. The critical temperature, as already mentioned, is -24 ° C for Julian. If it is necessary to protect the grape vines from frost, specially adapted squat forms of bushes should be used. Where the climate allows it, it is better to give the bushes the opportunity to accumulate significant volumes of perennial wood on powerful standard formations, because this approach will certainly affect the amount of the crop obtained.
As for the quality, and not even so much quality as aesthetic perception, then the northern regions will definitely give odds to the southern ones. The fact is that Julian, like some other pink-colored varieties, has the following pattern: clusters with the most elegant colors appear in the shade. In the bright sun in sultry weather, the berries, "baked", ripen quickly, without having time to acquire an attractive skin color. This is especially noticeable in the case of two harvests per year. The first bunches of grapes, formed on the main shoots, ripen in the very heat in summer, and, as a rule, have a rather dull color. The second harvest on the stepchildren, although much more modest in size, is fantastically attractive in appearance due to the cool conditions of the beginning of autumn, precisely due to the characteristic rich color of the berries. Therefore, in the middle lane, where there is no sizzling heat in summer, our hero's harvest is much more pleasant to the eye than in the southern regions, where it is almost especially necessary to shade Julian's bunches to obtain such an effect.
When rationing plants with yield and shoots, it is necessary to take into account their strength in each specific case. On average, it is recommended to leave up to 40-45 eyes per bush of this variety during pruning, while forming rather long (8-10 buds) fruit arrows. During the growing season, normalization is continued, leaving only one largest bunch on the fruitful shoots. Fruitless and weak shoots break off so as not to distract plastic substances from those forming the crop.
And finally, one cannot fail to mention such a little trick as the use of the growth stimulant gibberellin. Its use is completely safe with the subsequent use of berries by a person, but with the grapes themselves, it simply works wonders. First of all, this concerns seedless varieties and forms with a functionally female type of flowering. And as we remember, Julian's parents include just such representatives. Moreover, under normal conditions, his own seeds in a berry grow soft and underdeveloped, and it is here that gibberellin is able to show its wonderful properties. After its application on this variety, very often no seeds are formed at all, which significantly improves its already high tasting characteristics. The only caveat, the stimulant must be used wisely and strictly according to the instructions, otherwise there is a chance to remain completely without bunches. At first, it is better to practice on individual grape bushes or even inflorescences so as not to jeopardize the entire harvest.
