New redcurrant 'Haronia' introduced

On 22 June 2015, the redcurrant ‘Haronia’ was a guest at the Obstgroßmarkt Mittelbaden (OGM). Among the visitors were many interested redcurrant producers from the region as well as cultivation advisors and the trade press.

The species ‘ Haronia’ is a coincidental seedling. The early ripeness and good taste have encouraged to reproduce and observe the species as a separate operation at first. Hansjörg Gmeiner, the father of ‘Haronia’, has transferred reproduction to the tree nursery of Paul Kimmig in 2007. The species was made virus-free and registered as a species at the federal species office. At the same time, Gmeiner has planted larger quantities at his company and has gathered experience with different cultivation systems.

Haronia’, like ‘Red Lake’, ripens about a week after ‘Jonkher van Tets’. Compared to the weakly growing specie ‘Red Lake’, she shows a clearly stronger growth and robustness against wood diseases. She consequently offers a multitude of one-year side branches.

The growth rate ensures large berries and large grapes and offers protection from sun burn. The berries are bright red with a pleasant sweet-sour ratio and an excellent taste. She hardly ripples, is weather resistant and has firm skin. Thus she has the preconditions for high and steady yields. For plant protection, mildew susceptibility needs to be taken into account. Also of interest is observing the demand in cold periods. In the season 2014, ‘Heronia’ was the only kind in the standard assortment to show steady and timely sprouting. This could hint at less demand in cold periods compared to ‘ Jonkher van Tets’ and ‘Red Lake’, which admittedly still needs to be researched.

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Source: www.monatsschrift.de