Winter hardiness of strawberries in the conditions of the Orenburg region

Abstract

This article presents research on the study of winter hardiness of 20 varieties of strawberries in the garden collection of the Orenburg branch of the Federal State Budgetary Research Center of Horticulture from 2020 to 2022. For most areas of domestic berry growing, winter hardiness remains the limiting factor in the cultivation of this crop. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the varieties of strawberries for winter hardiness in the conditions of the Orenburg region and to identify the most hardy. On average, for three years of research, the minimum freezing (0.3-0,5 points) was in the varieties Anastasiya, Bereginya, Urozhajnaya CGL, Carica, Polka. The average freezing (2.0 points) was observed in the varieties Vityaz’, Yuniya Smajds, Vima Ksima, Fejerverk, Lord, Bogota, Zenga Zengana (k), Sudarushka. Depending on the year of the study, the degree of overwintering of leaves on the studied varieties reached 3 points. On average, in three years the least freezing of leaves (up to 0.8 points) was observed in varieties Bereginya, Najdena Dobraya, Rosinka, Rubinovyj Kulon, Polka, Carica, Urozhajnaya CGL; from 1,0 to 1.2 points in the varieties Anastasiya, Darenka, Desnyanka Kokinskaya, Sudarushka, Fejerverk, Troickaya, Vima Ksima, Bogota, Zenga Zengana (k), Lord, leaf browning reached up to 10 %; 1.7 points had varieties Vityaz’, Orlec (k), Yuniya Smajds. The highest degree of freezing (3.0 points) was recorded in an unfavorable winter (2021) in the Vityaz’ variety and the zoned Orlec variety – up to 50 % of the leaves turned brown. Non-hardy varieties were not observed during the study period. According to the results of observations, among the studied varieties, the most winter-hardy in the conditions of the Orenburg region are the varieties: Bereginya, Urozhajnaya CGL, Najdena Dobraya, Rosinka, Rubinovyj Kulon, Polka, Carica.