STUDY AND ADAPTATION OF NEW VARIETIES OF BLACK CURRANT IN THE CONDITIONS OF EASTERN KAZAKHSTAN

Abstract

Introduction: Black currant (Ribes nigrum L.) is one of the most valuable berry crops of Eastern Kazakhstan, valued for the high nutritional, vitamin and antioxidant content of its fruit; expanding the assortment of winter-hardy, high-yielding varieties adapted to the sharply continental climate of the region remains a pressing task for the industry. Materials and methods: The article presents the results of a three-year (2024-2026) variety study and testing of five introduced black currant cultivars planted in late autumn 2024 according to a 2.8 x 1.5 m scheme — Sibilla, Sokrovishche, Valovaya, Yadrenaya and Rusalka — conducted at the East-Kazakhstan Research Institute of Agriculture according to the standard methodology for variety study of fruit and berry crops and the field experiment methodology of B.A. Dospekhov. Results: Bud break in most cultivars occurred synchronously on 12-13 April, with Yadrenaya breaking bud somewhat later (18 April); flowering lasted 18-22 days. All cultivars demonstrated high winter hardiness with no shoot freezing and good heat tolerance; aphid infestation did not exceed 0.5 points and spider mite damage remained within 0.1-0.3 points, with no fungal pathogen damage recorded. Yield ranged from 0.7 to 3.3 t/ha, with Rusalka showing the highest productivity (3.3 t/ha), exceeding the control by 2.6 t/ha, while average berry weight reached 1.5-1.8 g. Discussion and conclusions: The results are consistent with findings on Siberian-bred cultivars grown under continental climate conditions and indicate high adaptability of the studied varieties to Eastern Kazakhstan, allowing Rusalka and Yadrenaya to be recommended as priority cultivars for further commercial propagation. Ways of future research: further work should include biochemical profiling of fruit quality, molecular-genetic characterization of the cultivars, extended observation as plantings reach full fruiting age, and accelerated propagation through clonal micropropagation biotechnology.