Review of the Italian strawberry variety Alba with large fruits
Content
Breeding history
The Alba strawberry is a product of the Italian breeding company New Fruits. This company has bred many varieties of strawberries, mainly of industrial direction, which have won recognition in the world market. But they all require warm climatic conditions, while Alba is intended specifically for a continental climate with sharp drops and negative temperatures.
Albion and Cal.97.85-6 were used for breeding Alba, from which she got the best qualities: phenomenal yield, beautiful appearance and quality of berries. Much attention was paid to the adaptive abilities of the variety, so that a gardener of any country can grow it on his site. In the CIS countries, strawberries became known in 2005, and since that time they are in great demand in private and industrial cultivation.
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Characteristics of the variety
The main advantage of the variety is, of course, the external description of the berries. They are all large (30–50 g), one-dimensional, beautifully aligned, with bright red shiny skin. The pulp is moderately juicy, pleasant sweet and sour taste, rather dense consistency. There is no pronounced strawberry aroma, but when grown in open beds under the sun, the berry grows more sugary and aromatic. In greenhouse conditions, especially in the early season, the aroma and taste are less pronounced.
Farmers in this strawberry are attracted by the high transportability and excellent presentation, which is achieved due to the increased density of the berries. They do not wrinkle or flow at all, which significantly prolongs the implementation. Productivity is also at a height - an average of 0.7-1 kg per bush. In industrial cultivation, it is possible to achieve higher rates - up to 1.3 kg.
On the "Albu" bed you can recognize the powerful and tall (up to 35 cm) bushes. The leaves and whiskers of the plant give a little, probably due to the large number of inflorescences. The peduncles themselves are strong, but under the weight of the berries they lie on the ground, so it is recommended to mulch the soil in the aisles.
Strawberry blooms early, and the first crop is ready for harvest in mid-May. But this is in the open field. Under cover, the berries ripen a couple of weeks earlier. Plants are very rarely sick, they also tolerate drought and rain well, but in severe frosts they can freeze out.
Growing features
There are two ways to breed Alba: seeds and ready-made seedlings. The first method is troublesome and time-consuming, because seedlings need care, picking, then transplanting into the ground and time for survival. However, it allows you to get a large number of seedlings without significant material investments. Seeds are sown in winter. The substrate is needed loose and light, since the strawberry seed is very small and when sowing it is not buried, but scattered over the surface. Shoots appear quickly. At the end of March, you can already dive plants, and with the appearance of 4–5 leaves, transplant them to the garden bed.
The harvest from such bushes is obtained only the next year, so many prefer seedlings. For industrial cultivation, it is easier to use ready-made seedlings. It comes in two classes: "A" and "B". The first has well-developed roots about 5 cm long and several leaves, which allows you to get an earlier harvest. A class "B" seedling is slightly worse in quality and yields later.
In the home garden, seedlings can be obtained from the whiskers that form after fruiting. Small sockets are pinned to the ground or immediately planted in separate containers, and when they take root, they are transplanted to the right place. Bushes are planted at a distance of 15–20 cm from each other and 40 cm between rows.
Strawberry care is standard: watering without waterlogging, 2-3 top dressing during the season, removing dried foliage and excess mustache. It is recommended to cover the plantation for the winter in cold regions.
Gardeners' opinion
Gardeners speak very controversially about the variety. Anyone who grows it commercially notes many benefits:
- early ripening, which allows the berry to be sold at the very beginning of the season;
- excellent product characteristics: large size, one-dimensionality, glossy shine of the skin;
- the ability to transport and long-term storage without loss of taste;
- high productivity and extended fruiting;
- resistance to major diseases, drought and frost;
- the ability to grow in any conditions: greenhouses, film shelters, in open beds.
Among lovers who grow strawberries for themselves, you can find a tip that Alba's taste is far from dessert. In addition, it strongly depends on the weather: if there are few sunny days in summer, the berry grows sour and not aromatic enough. Also, many people do not like the light and dense pulp, but this is typical of all early industrial strawberry varieties.