SLASTENA

The early maturing sweet pepper variety 'Slastena' takes approximately 96-110 days from seedlings to technical ripeness. The plant is compact, medium-height, reaching about 50 cm, and does not require pruning. Dense bushes produce 10 to 20 large fruits each. Fruits are conical, smooth and glossy, yellowish in technical ripeness, and deep red in biological ripeness. Average fruit weight is about 90 grams, length 11-13 cm, diameter 5-6 cm, and wall thickness reaches 6 mm.

Slastena is characterized by high yield — up to 4.8 kg per square meter — and resistance to adverse weather conditions. The variety is suitable for cultivation both in open ground and in greenhouses, especially well-suited to the non-chernozem zone of Russia. Fruits have excellent commercial qualities, high transportability, and good storability, making them convenient for sale and storage.

For cultivation, seedling planting is recommended. Before sowing, seeds should be soaked in water for no more than one day with air access, or treated with potassium permanganate solution followed by rinsing. Loamy soils are considered optimal. Seedlings are thinned when two leaves appear and transplanted at two months old, with row spacing of 60 cm and plant spacing of 30 cm. Regular mineral fertilization, appropriate for vegetable crops, is required throughout the growth period. Fruits of the 'Slastena' variety are suitable for fresh consumption, canning, and other processing methods.