Gooseberry Malachite

Mid-season ripening variety, obtained at the VNIIS (All-Union Institute of Horticulture) named after I.V. Michurin from crossing the varieties 'Black Nega' and 'Phoenix'. Author: K.D. Sergeeva. Since 1959, it has been included in the State Register of Selection Achievements approved for use in the Northern, Central, Volga-Vyatka, Central Chernozem, Middle Volga, Lower Volga, Ural, and Far Eastern regions.

The bush is vigorous, fairly sprawling, and dense. Growing shoots are of medium thickness, curved, light green, sometimes with slight anthocyanic tint, glabrous. Woody shoots are of medium thickness, interwoven. Thorns on shoots are moderate, mostly single, rarely 2-3-cleft, of medium length and thickness, straight, dark-colored, oriented perpendicularly to the shoot or upward, distributed along the entire length. Lower internodes are covered with thorns. Buds are egg-shaped, small, with pointed tips, dark brown, glabrous, slightly deviated.

Leaves are large, gray-green, matte, pubescent, with smooth surface, concave. Teeth are medium-sized, blunt, not curled. Coloration of main veins is absent. Leaf is five-lobed, lobes with deep narrow notches, central lobe exceeds lateral ones, its lateral margins are straight. Lateral lobes are medium-sized, pointed, with upward-pointing tips, angle between lateral lobe veins is acute. Basal lobes are poorly developed. Leaf base is straight, rarely with small notch, angle between leaf blade base and petiole is right angle. Petiole is long, medium thickness, with sparse glandular pubescence, positioned at 45° angle to the shoot.

Flowers are medium-sized, brightly colored. Sepals are brightly colored, free, reflexed downward. Inflorescence is single- or two-flowered. Ovule is glabrous.

Berries are large (4.5–6.0 g), round, green, sometimes with 'sunburn' on sun-exposed side, glabrous, with waxy coating. Many seeds. Skin is thin, with strong venation, veins strongly branched, lighter than main color. Receptacle is not always complete, semi-open or closed. Pedicel is medium length, thin, dark green. Flavor score 3.7. Chemical composition: total sugar — 8.6%, titratable acidity — 2.0%, ascorbic acid — 23.0–40.8 mg/100 g. Berries are of universal, but primarily technical use.

The variety is highly winter-hardy, drought-resistant, with average yield of 12.6 t/ha (3.8 kg/plant), characterized by good self-fertility, and high resistance to American powdery mildew.

Advantages of the variety: high winter hardiness, productivity, and resistance to powdery mildew, large berry size.

Disadvantages of the variety: sprawling bush habit, thorniness of shoots, moderate flavor quality of berries.