On the territory of the former Soviet Union, cherry orchards occupied 27% of all fruit plantations. This culture was second only to the apple tree in number. Today, the number of cherry trees has greatly decreased due to coccomycosis. This disease spreads rapidly, without treatments the culture dies. But we can no longer imagine a private household where cherries do not grow. Therefore, the task of creating cultivars resistant to coccomycosis has come to the fore. Cherry Novella is one of the best varieties of domestic selection, which at the same time has high commercial qualities and resistance to fungal diseases.
History of breeding
Cherry variety Novella was created by the Oryol All- Research Institute of Fruit Crops Breeding in 1995. It was adopted by the State Register in 2001. In addition, in 1999 the variety received a security patent No. 0466, which expires in 2034.
The parent cultures of the Novella cherry are the Rossoshanskaya griot and the Renaissance cerapadus, which is a donor of resistance to coccomycosis.
Description of the culture
Although the variety is usually referred to as cerapadus, a photo of the Novella cherry tree shows that it bears little resemblance to bird cherry.
From the pollinator, the cultivar took a powerful root system. Cherry Novella forms a medium-sized tree about 3 m high. The raised crown is spreading, rounded, with straight brownish-brown branches. With age, the shoots become bare.
Obovate leaves are serrated, with a pointed base and tip. Their surface is flat, matte, dark green. Petiole up to 3 cm long along the entire length of anthocyanin coloration. Buds slightly deviated from shoots.
Flat white flowers clustered together in groups of 4 on bunches or last year’s growth. Novella cherry berries are one-dimensional, weighing up to 5 g each. Their shape is like a ball squeezed at the top and base. The funnel is small, at the top there is a small notch. The Novella cherry is a typical griot. Berry, juice and pulp are dark red. When the fruits are fully ripe, they do not crack and become almost black.
The separation of the berry from the stalk is average. A small (5,5% of the total weight of the cherry) stone is yellow, round, easily separated from the pulp. Tasters rated the taste of juicy sweet and sour berries at 4,2 points.
Brief description of the variety
Cherry Novella is a potential long-liver. With regular care in the Central Chernozem region, she gives abundant harvests and does not get sick.
Drought resistance, winter resistance
The characteristic of the Novella cherry variety as frost-resistant makes sense only in the region recommended for growing crops – the Central Black Earth. The bark and cambium perfectly withstand low temperatures, but the kidneys can freeze slightly in a particularly harsh winter.
Drought resistance Novella is satisfactory, but not outstanding. In hot summer, the tree must be watered 1-2 times a month.
Pollination, flowering period and ripening period
Variety Novella blooms in mid-May. Depending on weather conditions, the first buds usually open between the 10th and 18th. Berries ripen at the same time, in medium early terms. Novella cherry harvesting starts after July 15th.
The variety is partially self-fertile. The best harvest can be harvested in the presence of pollinators – Griot Ostgeymsky, Chocolate, Vladimirskaya cherries. They need to be planted at a distance not exceeding 40 m from Novella.
yield, fruiting
Cherry Novella begins to bear fruit 4 years after planting. The berries ripen simultaneously in mid-July. According to the FGNBU VNIISPK, the average yield per hectare is 77,6 centners, the highest is 99,8 centners. These indicators are considered very good, especially since the tree does not grow tall.
The fruiting of the Novella cherry variety is unstable. In those years when flower buds are exposed to low temperatures, it produces few berries.
Variety Novella is relatively young – it was registered only in 2001. However, scientists argue that this cherry is a potential long-liver, which, with minimal care, will bear fruit until old age. Based on the habitus of the tree, it can be concluded that its life span will be about 20 years.
Scope of berries
Variety Novella has a universal purpose. Its sweet and sour black berries can be eaten fresh, made into jam, desserts and other sweets. Like all griots, Novella fruits are juicy. Thanks to the genes of bird cherry Maak, they have a delicate aroma of bird cherry. Juices, wines, liqueurs and other drinks are especially tasty products of Novella cherry processing.
Disease and pest resistance
Variety Novella is cerapadus, therefore, is related to bird cherry. Because of this, it is less likely to be affected by pests than other cherries. Resistance to coccomycosis, moniliosis and other fungal diseases is high.
Advantages and disadvantages
Variety Novella is one of the best modern varieties. It is too early to judge all its merits – it was bred not so long ago. But the Novella cherry received a protective patent for 35 years, which speaks of its exceptional qualities. Among the positive aspects of the variety should be noted:
- High resistance to coccomycosis and other fungal diseases.
- Partial self-fertility.
- Potentially long productive life of the tree.
- High yield.
- Dessert taste and universal purpose of berries (score – 4,2 points).
- High resistance to low temperatures.
- Friendly ripening of berries.
- Small bone.
- The berries are large.
- The fruits are resistant to cracking.
- Berries have an attractive appearance, one-dimensional.
Among the disadvantages:
- The resistance of Novella cherry buds to frost is average.
- fruiting instability.
- Old branches are exposed.
- The inability to grow the Novella variety in the northern regions.
- The fruits do not always break off cleanly from the stalk.
Features of landing
The requirements for planting and growing Novella cherries are not much different from those needed by other varieties. This is little influenced by the genes of bird cherry Maak, present in the pedigree of the cultivar.
Recommended dates and selection of a suitable location
In the Central Chernozem region, recommended for growing Novella cherries, planting is done in early spring, before bud break. In the south of Our Country and Ukraine, a tree is recommended to be placed on the site in the fall, after leaf fall.
For cherries, the best landing site will be the southern sunny side of the fence or buildings, the western side of the hill with a minimum slope (ideally – 8%, no more than 15%). The soil should be fertile, loose, neutral. It is impossible for groundwater to be located closer than two meters to the surface.
What crops can and cannot be planted next to cherries
Next to the Novella variety, it is better to plant pollinating cherries Chocolate, Griot Ostgeymsky or Vladimirskaya. Other stone breeds will be good neighbors. You can plant any fruit trees in close proximity, the main thing is that their crowns do not obscure each other.
Linden, maple, walnut (especially walnut), birch and linden will be bad neighbors for cherries. The culture is not friendly with blackcurrant, and sea buckthorn, blackberries and raspberries take away moisture and nutrients from it.
When the cherry takes root, any shade-tolerant ground covers growing in your area with a superficial root system can be planted in the near-trunk circle. They will protect the top layer of soil from overheating and rapid evaporation of moisture.
Selection and preparation of planting material
You should not buy seedlings from your hands – you risk getting a plant overfed with stimulants, not to mention varietal compliance. Even high-quality planting material can be grown in the southern region and is not adapted to life in your conditions.
It is necessary to ensure that the root system is well developed. The height of the central shoot for a one-year-old seedling should not exceed 80 cm, a two-year-old can stretch up to 110 cm. If the wood is well ripened, the stem of the Novella cherry is painted in a grayish-brown color.
Landing algorithm
Before planting, cherry root is soaked for 3 hours or more. It is better to prepare a pit in the fall, the approximate dimensions are 40-60 cm deep, the diameter is about 80 cm. The excavated earth is not suitable for backfilling the root. To the top layer of soil, taken out during the preparation of the planting pit, add a bucket of humus, 50 g of potassium salt and superphosphate. Acidic soils need the addition of lime, excessively dense – sand.
Cherries are planted according to this scheme:
- A peg is driven in to the side of the center.
- A seedling is placed in the middle of the planting hole. Gradually fill it with fertile soil, ramming it with a shovel petiole. The root neck should remain above the soil surface, rising 5-8 cm.
- A barrier is formed around the hole from the remaining earth.
- The seedling is tied to a peg and watered with 2-3 buckets of water.
- The soil is mulched with humus.
Culture aftercare
A young cherry planted in spring should be well watered throughout the season. The root must receive enough moisture to take root well and successfully overwinter. When the earth dries out, it is loosened, all weeds are removed. In subsequent years, watering is needed in hot summers. In the autumn they carry out moisture charging.
The best fertilizers for cherries are cattle waste products and ash. Pig manure should never be used. If you feed the crop with mineral fertilizers, nitrogen is given in the spring, potassium and phosphorus in the fall. The latter substance is needed in small quantities.
Variety Novella tends to expose old branches. To form a beautiful tree and increase yields, they need to be shortened. It is also necessary to regularly carry out sanitary and lightening crown pruning.
In the south and in the Central Black Earth region, Novella does not need winter shelter. To protect against hares, the trunk is wrapped with burlap or tied with straw.
Diseases and pests, methods of control and prevention
Cherry variety Novella is highly resistant to fungal diseases, in particular, coccomycosis. Thanks to the bird cherry genes, its susceptibility to pests is lower than that of other cultivars. This does not mean that the variety is immune to insects and diseases. Recommendations for preventive treatments are given below.
Problem | External signs | Preventive measures |
| Diseases |
|
Kokkomikoz | The spots on the leaves turn into holes over time. On the reverse side there is a plaque. By the middle of summer, diseased leaves fall | In the spring, when the buds open, the cherries are treated with a copper-containing preparation, after leaf fall – with iron sulphate. In autumn, plant residues are harvested and burned. Prune cherries regularly |
Moniliasis | The cherry looks burnt. After the flowers and leaves wither, whole branches die | Prevention is the same as for coccomycosis. Diseased branches are removed to healthy wood, the cuts are covered with garden pitch |
| vermin |
|
aphid | Small oblong flying insects of brown or green color suck the juice from the cells of young leaves and shoots, releasing a sticky secret | Ants fight. Affected trees are treated with bifenthrin |
cherry sawfly | Slimy, leech-like larvae gnaw holes in the leaves. | Sanitary and brightening pruning is carried out, preventive treatments with insecticides are carried out in spring and autumn. When larvae appear, Actelik cherries are sprayed |
Variety Novella is a promising cherry with high resistance to fungal diseases. In the current situation, when entire gardens are dying from coccomycosis, it is difficult to overestimate its importance for domestic horticulture. If we add here the high taste and commercial qualities of the fruit, then it is obvious that the Novella cherry is a welcome guest in any area.
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