Sea buckthorn "Sunny" is a hybrid created by breeders of the NSIIS, distinguished by high yield and large fruit size. The bush has medium height (200‑280 cm) with a semi-spreading crown of medium density; shoots are straight and almost thornless, which simplifies fruit harvesting.
Fruits are yellow-orange in color, cylindrical in shape, weighing 0.7–0.8 g each, with a mass of 100 fruits of about 75–81 g. The taste is sweet-sour with a light aroma; sugar content is 4.3%, acidity is 1.2%, oil is 5.4%, and vitamin C is 80.6 mg/100 g. Fruits ripen in mid-August and can be used fresh, as well as for making juice, jam, compote, and for producing sea buckthorn oil.
Yield reaches 9–16.4 kg per bush (or up to 18.9 tons/hectare), fruiting begins in the third year. Plants are self-sterile, but when planting next to female bushes, it is advisable to place pollinators of the same variety nearby. "Sunny" withstands frost well and does not require additional winter covering; disease resistance is high.
For cultivation, it is recommended to plant seedlings in March–April in loamy soil enriched with compost, with a distance of 1.5–2 m between bushes. Watering is moderate, and fertilizing is once every three seasons starting from the second year (manure, phosphorus, and potassium). In the first two to three years, skeletal branches are formed, followed by sanitary pruning. The harvest is collected before sale, after which the berries are best processed immediately.
Thus, sea buckthorn "Sunny" is a universal product: from fresh berries to ready-made products and folk medicine, combining high yield, ease of care, and rich biochemical composition.
