Review of Arcadia table grape variety

The Arcadia table grape variety, formerly known as Nastya, has been popular among winegrowers for several decades. This is facilitated by a harmonious, balanced taste, high yield, frost resistance and ease of care. The variety is grown even in France, and the residents of this country certainly know a lot about grapes.

Description and history of origin of Arcadia grapes

Arcadia is a table variety obtained by crossing the dark-skinned table varieties Cardinal and Moldova. The selection work was carried out by engineers from the Institute of Viticulture and Winemaking named after V. E. Tairov under the leadership of E. N. Dokuchaeva.

The parental genes of these varieties were used to create other grape varieties, but Arcadia is considered the best. There is also a second name - Nastya, but it did not catch on.

The crop is characterized by early ripening and high productivity. With good care, the bushes quickly grow and begin to bear fruit. The fruitfulness of the vine is 55-75%.

The variety is suitable for cultivation in regions of Russia with a temperate and warm climate, throughout Belarus, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

In the photo - Arcadia grapes.

Characteristics of the variety

Arcadia grapes are endowed with the following characteristics:

1. The ripening period of berries is 115-125 days from the moment the buds appear.
2. The bushes are tall, the leaves are large, five-lobed, green in color with a white edge. About 70% of young shoots produce fruit clusters.
3. The flowers are bisexual, do not require pollination, and are capable of pollinating other varieties.
4. The average weight of a ripe bunch is 500-700 g, the maximum is 2 kg. The shape of the brush is conical. The clusters are medium or dense, often with branches.
5. The berries are round, slightly elongated, heart-shaped, 2.3 cm in diameter, weighing 7-15 g.
6. The color at the stage of technical ripeness is white or light yellow, biological - amber.
7. The skin is thin but dense, with a white waxy coating.
8. The pulp is juicy, dense, fleshy.
9. The taste is balanced, moderately sweet, nutmeg aroma. Sugar content – ​​16%, acid – 5-6 g/l.
10. Resistance to the fungal disease mildew is high - 3.5 points (requires double treatment).
11. The culture is resistant to frost down to -23°C, needs light shelter for the winter.
12. The average yield is 18–20 kg per bush. In particularly fruitful years, it is possible to get up to 50 kg from one bush.
13. When planting cuttings signal clusters appear after two years after landing. A full harvest is harvested after three years. If the grafting planting method was chosen, the first harvest is harvested in the second year.

In 2011, at the III International competition-exhibition “Golden Bunch of Grapes”, the Arcadia variety received the Grand Prix cup and a gold medal as the best table variety.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages of Arcadia grapes:

• pleasant balanced taste and aroma;
• attractive appearance of the bunch;
• keeping quality;
• high level of transportability;
• early ripeness;
• high productivity;
• flowers do not need additional pollination;
• frost resistance;
• cuttings take root quickly;
• ease of care;
• resistance to mildew.

Flaws:

• susceptibility to infection with oidium and gray mold without preventive treatments;
• cracking of berries in conditions of high soil moisture.

Growing technology

Compliance with the rules of planting and caring for Arcadia grapes is the key to health and high productivity of the crop. The plant prefers sunny areas, protected from gusty winds and drafts.

Parts of the garden with tall trees and nearby buildings are not suitable for planting grapes. Shading negatively affects the growth and development of bushes, the ripening period and the taste of berries.

Landing dates and rules

There are no special requirements for soil type. It is important that the soil is moisture- and breathable. Stagnation of water leads to the death of the vine.

The variety is easily propagated by cuttings, which are characterized by survival rate in 90% of cases. They can be purchased in specialized stores and nurseries or asked from a neighbor.

When choosing seedlings, pay attention to the root system. It must be healthy, without damage or signs of rot. Before planting, the roots are immersed in water for 24 hours.

Planting is carried out in April. This guarantees better survival and rapid adaptation of the seedling in a new place. Daytime air temperature should be kept at +15°C, soil temperature – +10°C.

The planting pit is prepared in advance. In the summer, the site is dug up and manure is applied under a shovel. In the fall, they dig a hole 70x70 cm. Place crushed stone or broken brick in a 15 cm layer at the bottom. Sprinkle soil mixed with humus, 5 kg of half a bucket of ash and 500 g of Azofoska on top, then add clean fertile soil so as not to burn the young roots. Next, pour out 10 liters of water and wait for the soil to subside.

A wooden stake is driven into the center of the hole to secure young shoots.The cuttings are buried so that no more than two buds remain on the surface, the roots are carefully straightened, the hole is completely filled with soil and watered with clean water. The surface is mulched with peat, sawdust or hay.

Important! Experienced winegrowers recommend running a pipe to the bottom of the pit to sufficiently moisten the root system in the first years of development.

To tie up the shoots, trellises are used and placed from north to south. The easiest way is to stretch a wire between the dug-in supports. The distance between the supports is 3 m, between the rows of wire – 30 cm. The bottom row is located at a height of 0.5 m from the surface.

It will not be possible to do without support - the grape bunches are heavy, and it is difficult for the shoots to support their weight. In addition, on a support, the brushes are illuminated by the sun from all sides and are evenly colored as they ripen, and the leaves do not crowd together and are rarely affected by fungal infections.

The shoots are tied in the second year of development to a wire parallel to the ground. Growing shoots are fixed on the next line after reaching 30 cm in length.

Interesting! The ancient Egyptians cultivated grapes on the banks of the Nile as early as 6 thousand BC. e.

Features of care

Arcadia grapes require regular but moderate moisture. More intensive watering is provided before flowering, bud formation and berry formation. In the future, they focus on the weather. At the end of July, watering is stopped - during this period the berries gain sugar content.

At the end of autumn, so-called moisture-charging watering is performed - the soil is watered abundantly so that the roots absorb the maximum amount of moisture. This will ensure the grapes have a successful winter.The shoots are removed from the trellis, placed on the ground and covered with slate, agrofibre or plastic film, and covered with earth on top.

Feeding scheme:

1. Wood ash is used mainly as fertilizer: every year 2-3 liters for digging.
2. Once every two years, at the beginning of spring, add 20 liters of compost for digging.
3. In summer, grapes are sprayed 3-4 times with vitamin and mineral compounds: 10 g of boric acid per 10 liters of water or 100 g of ash, 10 g of potassium sulfate, 20 g of superphosphate. Spraying is carried out in the evening or in cloudy weather so that the foliage remains wet longer.
4. Before and after flowering, the bushes are fed with a weak solution of complex minerals (4 g of sodium humate, 5 g of boric acid per 10 liters of water), and after 2-3 weeks - only with potassium and phosphorus (20 g of potassium sulfide, 40 g of superphosphate per 10 liters of water ).

Trimming

Pruning bushes is an important agrotechnical technique. Main goals: rejuvenation of grapes, stimulation of formation and growth of shoots to obtain a rich harvest.

Bushes are trimmed in early spring, when the buds are dormant. Remove rotted or frozen shoots. In autumn, the shoots are shortened to two buds. Two sleeves will form from them.

In the summer, the stepsons are removed to stimulate the ripening of the bunches.

Autumn pruning is preferable for grapes grown in the middle zone. Wintering after pruning takes place with minimal losses, and the formed It’s easier to cover bushes.

Advice. Always leave only strong and healthy shoots on the bushes.

Possible problems, diseases, pests

The Arcadia variety has low immunity to oidium - powdery mildew.

Main signs of the disease:

• delayed growth of shoots;
• curly leaves covered with a grayish-white coating;
• inflorescences and clusters seem to be sprinkled with flour or ash;
• dying off of inflorescences;
• cracking and drying of berries.

To combat the fungus, the vineyard is dusted with sulfur or preparations with colloidal sulfur are used. For processing After flowering, the drugs Bayleton, Topsin M, and Rubigan are allowed. The products stay on the leaves longer and are not washed off by rain.

To prevent the spread of oidium, bushes are sprayed twice a season - in spring and autumn. To do this, use the drug "Ridomil" and a solution of Bordeaux mixture.

The causative agent of gray rot affects not only grapes, but also other crops, for example, strawberries. Spots appear on the affected leaves, flowers darken and fall off, shoots turn white and become covered with a gray coating, and the berries turn gray-brown.

To spray the bushes during the formation of inflorescences, use the preparation "Horus", during the flowering period - "Horus" and "Skor", during the period of ripening of the berries - "Switch" and "VDG".

The most dangerous pest of grapes is the grape budworm. Caterpillars damage buds, flowers and berries, destroying up to 40% of the crop. Damaged berries develop a fungus that causes gray rot.

The third and fourth generations of the grape budworm are considered the most harmful. The flight of the third generation butterflies begins in early August, before the berries ripen, the fourth generation - during the ripening period of the harvest. Caterpillars attack bunches of ripe grapes, so the use of chemicals is contraindicated.

To combat the pest, a new improved drug “Enzhio 247” is used. Liquid consumption – 500-600 ml/ha. The protection period is 7-20 days. The frequency of spraying is two times.

The drug is recommended for the destruction of second and third generations of leaf rollers.To destroy fourth generation caterpillars, use biological preparations “Fitoverm” (3 g per 10 l of water), “Lepidotsid” (30 million per 10 l), “Aktofit” (20 ml per 10 l), “Bitoxibacillin” (60-80 g per 10 l).

To protect against wasp attacks, the bunches are placed in fabric or mesh bags. The thin skin and sweet flesh attract insects.

Reproduction

The Arcadia variety is propagated by cuttings. Their preparation begins in the fall. Cuttings 30 cm long and 10 mm thick are cut with a sharp tool, treated with a pink solution of potassium permanganate and wrapped in natural fabric to dry. Next, the cuttings are wrapped in plastic wrap and placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. In such conditions, the cuttings are stored until March.

In the spring, the cut is refreshed, longitudinal cuts are made on the bark below and planted in pots filled with a 1:1:1 mixture of turf, sawdust and humus. The container is placed on a sunny windowsill. By the time of planting, the cuttings will have formed a root system.

Harvesting and application

Harvesting in the central regions begins in September, in the south - in mid-August. The bunches are placed in plastic or wooden boxes and stored in the cellar for about four months at a temperature of +2...+4°C.

The variety is intended for fresh consumption, processing into raisins, compote and jam. The berries are not suitable for making wine. Despite the fact that they ferment well, the taste of the drink made from them is mediocre.

Reviews

Reviews from winegrowers about the Arcadia variety are mostly positive. It is valued for its high yield, ease of care and excellent taste of the berries.

Vladislav, Rossosh: “Several years ago I added cuttings of Arcadia to my collection. Since then, I can’t get enough of this amazingly productive variety. I grow grapes for myself and for sale.At the market, people buy Arcadia more willingly than Kishmish, even despite the presence of seeds. The only negative is that the berries are not suitable for wine production, since the sugar content in them is not up to standard. You need at least 20%, but in Arcadia it’s only 15-16%. The output is a fermented compote.”

Irina, Smolensk: “Arcadia is one of the favorite light grape varieties. The berries have an excellent taste, they have more sweetness than acid, but they are not cloyingly sweet. The grapes are unpretentious in care, they like moderate watering and a lot of sun. In unfavorable years, it suffers from powdery mildew and therefore requires preventive treatment. I use Bordeaux mixture."

Conclusion

The early-ripening white-fruited table grape variety Arcadia has a lot of positive characteristics: high yield, attractive appearance, harmonious taste of berries, ease of care and undemanding soil composition, resistance to mildew, keeping quality and a high level of transportability.

Disadvantages include a tendency to become infected with a fungus that causes powdery mildew, and cracking of berries at high humidity. The problem is solved by preventive treatment with Ridomil and Bordeaux mixture and moderate watering of plantings. Insecticides and biological products are used to combat the grape budworm.