The Bakchar breeding station manages the largest plantation of haskap (Lonicera caerulea) in Siberia. It occupies an area of more than 40 hectares located in the northern region of the Tomsk region. The majority of this area consists of selection plots and plots on which genetic material for comparative studies is concentrated. During all that time of working with the haskap, countless crossings were made, more than 40,000 hybrid seedlings were planted and evaluated.
The beginnings of the breeding work go back to 1964, when the workers of the station I.K.Gidzyuk in Kamchatka and Z.P.Zholobova in Western Siberia collected the seeds of wild forms of haskap. After their sowing, it turned out that among all, only the subspecies of Lonicera Kamtschatica, Lonicera Turczaninowii and Lonicera Altaica provided relevant results during mutual hybridization. That is, hybrid forms with large to very large fruits, tasty, without a bitter taste, which do not fall to the ground when ripening. Resistant to drought, reasonably fertile and suitable for possible mechanized harvesting.
Today, the gene pool consists of 13,500 seedlings, the collection contains 60 varieties, and there are another 172 varieties on the plots of comparative studies. 22 selected varieties from local selection are being tested for large-scale cultivation and mechanized harvesting. Another 21 varieties from other parts of Siberia are being tested for the behavior of haskap in this area.
Breeders from Bakchar created 16 original varieties of haskap, for 11 varieties they obtained copyright certificates and patents for ownership rights. 13 varieties were gradually entered into the state variety register: Tomichka and Bakcharskaya in 1987, Vasyuganskaya in 1990, Kamchadalka in 1993, Narymskaya, Pamyati Gidziuk and Roksana in 2000. The varieties Bakcharsky Velikan, Parabelskaya, Chulymskaya, Silginka, Sibiryachka, Gordost Bakchara were registered between 2002 and 2006. Currently, the varieties of the last generation, Bakcharskaya Yubileyaya, Doch Velikana and Yugana, are being tested in state variety trials. In 2012, two new varieties - Strezhevchanka and Vostorg - were admitted to the state variety tests, and others are already ready.
New varieties were gradually successfully tested in the cold regions of Novosibirsk, Altai, Krasnoyarsk, Buryat, Amur, and Tyumen, and their propagation began quickly. In 2012, the share of new varieties such as Bakcharskij Velikan, Sibirjachka, Gordost Bakchara made up 90% of the total number of seedlings sold.
In order to obtain high yields of these early fruits, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with some features of the haskap
Haskap is a shrub growing to a height of 1.5-2.0 meters. In the Tomsk region, the fruits ripen from the second half of June until the beginning of July. It begins to bear fruit 2-3 years after planting, it becomes fully fertile 5-6 years after planting, when the yield from 1 bush reaches more than 1 kg of fruit. These plants are characterized by high frost resistance, the flowers can withstand spring frosts down to - 8°C. Haskap grows and bears fruit in one place for 20-30 years.
The flowers of the haskap are bisexual, but they are not self-pollinating, therefore they require the presence of at least one other haskap plant of a different variety for pollination. If you plant several plants of the same variety, the plants will bloom profusely in the spring, but the yield will be low. Therefore, the higher the number of varieties in one garden, the higher the yield will be. Good pollinators are bees, but in times of bad weather bumblebees are the only pollinators.
When choosing a place in the garden, be aware that the haskap, although it is undemanding to the soil, grows poorly on heavy clay and light sandy soils. It tolerates different ranges of soil pH, which means that it is suitable for both acidic and alkaline soil reactions. It grows well and bears fruit in bright locations protected from the wind. In the shade and semi-shade, the berries partially shrink. But be careful, if you grow the haskap in an area with high summer temperatures, it is absolutely necessary that the haskap is hidden in the shade of a tree, fence, etc. at noon. It is inappropriate to plant haskap in drainage valleys, pits where cold air accumulates and moisture stagnates, or in places with high groundwater. Haskap clearly does not tolerate prolonged waterlogging and flooding caused by spring floods. In the dry season, it will benefit from irrigation, especially during the period of intensive growth of annual plants.
Planting haskaps
Clear the soil of perennial weeds before planting. In autumn, dig up the soil and add organic fertilizer (manure, humus, compost, peat) in the amount of 8 - 10 kg/m2. If there is a lack of organic fertilizers, add them directly to the planting pit. Haskap is planted in a clip of 2.5 × 1.5 m. Consider that it will grow to a height of 1.5 to 2 meters and an average width of 2 to 2.5 meters as an adult. Dig a pit 30-40cm wide and 25-30cm deep. Mix part of the excavated earth with fertilizer and pour it on the bottom of the pit. When planting, make sure that the root neck is at the level of the soil or 3 cm below it. Press down the soil around the seedling, pour bark mulch, peat or compost on top to a height of 1-2 cm. Do not fertilize in the first three years after planting, the plant draws fertilizer from the soil that you supplied it with when planting.
Fertilization
From the third year, start fertilizing the plants 3 times a year with organic and mineral fertilizers. For the first time during the year, fertilize with nitrogen fertilizers at the beginning of vegetation, in the second half of March. This fertilization serves to strengthen the growth of shoots and create a strong leaf surface. Apply 20 g of urea or 30 g of ammonium nitrate to the soil per 1 m2 in a circle around the plant. Carry out the second summer fertilization after harvesting the crop in early June, in combination with skyping the soil around the bushes. This fertilization affects the increase in the number of flower buds. Liquid fertilizer using manure in a ratio of 1:4, in the amount of 10 l per bush, is particularly effective. You can also use ammonium phosphate or NPK in the amount of 25-30 g per bush. To increase the hardiness of plants and better growth and development of the root system, carry out the third autumn fertilization. Apply 15 g of double superphosphate and potassium salt shallowly to the upper part of the soil per 1 m2 in a circle around the plant. Such fertilizing is also needed by adult haskap bushes in full fertility at least once every 2-3 years.
The rest of plant care is timely weeding and hoeing of bushes to a depth of 5-8 cm, during the growing season.
