Variety traits

Self-fertility in Black Currant

Ribes nigrum L.

Self-fertility in black currant is the ability of a cultivar to set fruit through self-pollination, which ensures crop stability during unfavorable weather conditions at the time of flowering.

In the reference 52 varieties crop Blackcurrant, where this is mentioned in the description.

The evaluation of self-fertility is conducted by comparing fruit set under natural and artificial self-pollination against open pollination control. The primary indicator is the percentage of berry set, defined as the ratio of the number of fruits to the number of flowers in an inflorescence. For breeding purposes, descendants of Ribes dikuscha are often used as donors of high self-fertility.

Cultivars are classified by their degree of self-fertility: highly self-fertile (over 50% of ovaries), good self-fertility (30.1–50%), moderate self-fertility (20.1–30%), and partially self-fertile (3.1–20%). High self-fertility is critically important for yield stability in regions with adverse weather that hinders the activity of pollinating insects.

Despite the capacity for self-pollination, planting multiple cultivars for cross-pollination almost always contributes to increased yield, berry weight, and the number of berries per cluster. In some cultivars, natural self-pollination may be hindered by a morphological mismatch between the levels of the stamens and the pistils.

General information about the subject — on the page Self-fertility.

Sources8

Varieties of Blackcurrant mentioned in the description

Selection based on the description text, not on official evaluation: these data are absent from registers. For specific variety details, please refer to its profile.