Black Currant (Ribes nigrum) PAMJATI VAVILOVA

Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum) 'Pamjati Vavilova'

A very high-yielding Belarusian variety with an excellent sweet flavour.

'Pamjati Vavilova' (Памяти Вавилова) is a Belarusian blackcurrant variety that ranks among the most productive. It is characterized by a very high yield and an excellent, sweet fruit flavour with a high taste rating (4.8/5). The bush grows vigorously, is frost-resistant, and highly self-fertile. Thanks to its simultaneous ripening, dry scar, and the fact that the fruits do not drop, it is also ideal for mechanical harvesting.

Main advantages of the variety:

• Very high yield: Up to 5–6 kg per bush.
• Excellent sweet fruit flavour (rating 4.8/5).
• High frost resistance and self-fertility.
• Resistance to anthracnose.
• Simultaneous ripening and suitability for mechanical harvesting.

Origin and Registration

• Country of origin: Belarus
• Breeders: A. G. Voluznev, N. A. Zazulina, G. P. Rainchikova
• Institution: Institute for Fruit Growing of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
• Crossing: ‘Paulinka’ × ‘Belorusskaya sladkaya’
• Registration: Included in the State Register of the Russian Federation in 1996.

Variety Characteristics

Bush

• Growth: Vigorous (up to 200 cm), slightly spreading, dense.
• Shoots: Young shoots are medium-thick, green, and glossy. Woody shoots are grey with dark brown dots.
• Leaves: Medium to large, five-lobed, light green, soft, and wrinkled.
• Flowers: Medium-sized, red.

Fruit (Berry)

• Size and weight: Large, with an average weight of 1.2 – 1.4 g.
• Shape and colour: Round, black, glossy.
• Skin: Medium-firm.
• Flavour: Sweet, with a pleasant aroma and a very high rating (4.8/5). The flesh is juicy.
• Strigs: Medium length and medium density, with 8–9 berries.
• Use: Versatile.

Resistance and Requirements

• Frost resistance: High.
• Disease resistance: Medium (American powdery mildew, leaf spots), resistant (anthracnose).
• Pest resistance: Relatively resistant (currant gall mite).

Cultivation Recommendations

• To increase yields, pollinators like ‘Paulinka’ or ‘Belorusskaya sladkaya’ can be planted, although self-fertility is high.
• Due to its medium susceptibility to powdery mildew and leaf spots, it is advisable to monitor the health of the bush.

Harvest and Storage

• Harvest time: Mid-early.
• Harvest characteristics: Ripening is simultaneous. Fruits do not drop and have a dry scar. The variety is suitable for mechanical harvesting.
• Yield: High, 5–6 kg per bush.
• Self-fertility: High (approx. 60%).