CHELYABINKA

Chelyabinka is a late-ripening blueberry honeysuckle variety developed by breeders Iliny and Iliny at the South Ural Research Institute of Fruit and Vegetable Breeding. The plant is of medium height with a moderately spreading bush featuring slightly curved light green shoots. The crown is compact and spherical, with elongated-lanceolate bright green leaves; older shoots become woody and yellowish-brown.

Chelyabinka berries are pear-shaped, slightly flat, and blue, weighing 0.8–1.2 g. The taste is sour-sweet, rated 4.5 points by tasters. The fruit contains approximately 37 mg of vitamin C and up to 820 mg of active antioxidants (anthocyanins, carotenoids, flavonoids). The variety is resistant to fruit drop, simplifying harvest collection.

Average yield ranges from 2 kg to 1.8 kg per bush, with a maximum potential of 54 c/ha. Pollination is required; the best pollinator is the Long-fruited variety or any other suitable blueberry honeysuckle variety. The plant is frost-hardy (up to -50 °C), does not require winter covering, and grows easily in neutral soils, though it tolerates drought poorly. Seedlings 20–30 cm tall require a planting interval of about 1.5 m, while adult plants reach 100 cm in height. Chelyabinka is a universal variety suitable for both home gardening and commercial cultivation due to its high yield, taste qualities, and beneficial berry properties.