Blackcurrant
| Blackcurrant | |
|---|---|
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| Berries | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Saxifragales |
| Family: | Grossulariaceae |
| Genus: | Ribes |
| Species: | R. nigrum
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| Binomial name | |
| Ribes nigrum | |
| Synonyms | |
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List
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The blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum), also known as black currant or cassis,[a] is a deciduous shrub in the family Grossulariaceae grown for its edible berries. It is native to temperate parts of central and northern Europe and northern Asia, where it prefers damp fertile soils. It is widely cultivated both commercially and domestically.
It is winter hardy, but cold weather at flowering time during the spring may reduce the size of the crop. Bunches of small, glossy black fruit develop along the stems in the summer and can be harvested by hand or by machine.
The raw fruit is particularly rich in vitamin C and polyphenols. Blackcurrants can be eaten raw but are usually cooked in sweet or savoury dishes. They are used to make jams, preserves, and syrups and are grown commercially for the juice market. The fruit is also used to make alcoholic beverages and dyes.
Description
[edit]Ribes nigrum is a medium-sized shrub, growing to 1.5 by 1.5 metres (5 by 5 feet). The leaves are alternate, simple, 3 to 5 centimetres (1+1⁄4 to 2 inches) broad and long with five palmate lobes and a serrated margin. All parts of the plant are strongly aromatic. The flowers are produced in racemes known as "strigs" up to 8 cm (3 in) long containing 10–20 flowers, each about 8 millimetres (3⁄8 in) in diameter. Each flower has a hairy calyx with yellow glands, the five lobes of which are longer than the inconspicuous petals. There are five stamens surrounding the stigma and style and two fused carpels.[2] The flowers open in succession from the base of the string and are mostly insect pollinated, but some pollen is distributed by the wind. A pollen grain landing on a stigma will germinate and send a slender pollen tube down the style to the ovule. In warm weather, this takes about 48 hours, but in cold weather, it may take a week, and by that time, the ovule may have passed the stage where it is receptive. If fewer than about 35 ovules are fertilised, the fruit may not be able to develop and will fall prematurely. Frost can damage both unopened and open flowers when the temperature falls below −1.9 °C (28.6 °F). The flowers at the base of the strig are more protected by the foliage and are less likely to be damaged.[3]
In midsummer the strigs of green fruit ripen to edible berries, very dark purple in colour, almost black, with glossy skins and calyxes at the apex (the calyxes being persistent), each containing many seeds. An established bush can produce about 4.5 kilograms (10 pounds) of fruit each year.[4]
Plants from Northern Asia are sometimes distinguished as a separate variety, Ribes nigrum var. sibiricum, of which R. cyathiforme is considered a synonym.[5]
Phytochemicals
[edit]Polyphenol phytochemicals present in the fruit, seeds, and leaves are being investigated for their potential biological activities.[6] Major anthocyanins in blackcurrant pomace – delphinidin-3-O-glucoside, delphinidin-3-O-rutinoside, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, and cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside,[7] which are retained in the juice concentrate – are among other polyphenols.[8][9]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]The blackcurrant is native to northern Europe and Asia.[10]
Cultivation
[edit]
Cultivation in Europe is thought to have started around the last decades of the 17th century.[10]
Site selection and planting
[edit]Blackcurrants can grow well on sandy or heavy loams, or forest soils, as long as their nutrient requirements are met. They prefer damp, fertile but not waterlogged ground and are intolerant of drought. Although the bushes are winter hardy, frosts during the flowering period may adversely affect the yield[10] and cold winds may restrict the number of flying insects visiting and pollinating the flowers. A soil pH of about 6 is ideal for blackcurrants and the ground can be limed if the soil is too acidic. Planting is usually done in the autumn or winter to allow the plants to become established before growth starts in the spring,[11] but container-grown stock can be planted at any time of year.[4]
Two-year-old bushes are usually planted but strong one-year-old stock can also be used. Planting certified stock avoids the risk of introducing viruses. On a garden scale the plants can be set at intervals of 1.5 to 1.8 m (5 to 6 ft) or they can be set in rows with planting intervals of 1.2 m (4 ft) and row separations of 2.5 m (8 ft) or more. In the UK, young bushes are generally planted deeper than their initial growing level to encourage new stems to grow from the base.[11]
Manures and fertilizers
[edit]The blackcurrant requires several essential nutrients to
- ^ "Ribes nigrum". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew – via The Plant List. Note that this website has been superseded by World Flora Online
- ^ "Black currant: Ribes nigrum". NatureGate. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
- ^ "Flowering". The blackcurrant. The Blackcurrant Foundation. Archived from the original on 2013-09-17. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
- ^ a b "Grow your own blackcurrants". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 2016-07-14.
- ^ "Ribes nigrum var. sibiricum". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2013-06-04.
- ^ Gopalan, A.; Reuben, S. C.; Ahmed, S.; Darvesh, A. S.; Hohmann, J.; Bishayee, A. (2012). "The health benefits of blackcurrants" (PDF). Food & Function. 3 (8): 795–809. doi:10.1039/c2fo30058c. PMID 22673662.
- ^ Kapasakalidis, P. G.; Rastall, R. A.; Gordon, M. H. (2006). "Extraction of polyphenols from processed black currant (Ribes nigrum L.) residues". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 54 (11): 4016–21. doi:10.1021/jf052999l. PMID 16719528.
- ^ Mcdougall, G. J.; Gordon, S.; Brennan, R.; Stewart, D. (2005). "Anthocyanin-flavanol condensation products from black currant (Ribes nigrum L.)". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 53 (20): 7878–85. doi:10.1021/jf0512095. PMID 16190645.
- ^ Nielsen, I. L.; Haren, G. R.; Magnussen, E. L.; Dragsted, L. O.; Rasmussen, S. E. (2003). "Quantification of anthocyanins in commercial black currant juices by simple high-performance liquid chromatography. Investigation of their pH stability and antioxidative potency". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 51 (20): 5861–6. doi:10.1021/jf034004+. PMID 13129285.
- ^ a b c Doronina, A. Ju.; Terekhina, N. V. "Crops: European Black Currant". Economic plants and their diseases, pests and weeds. AgroAtlas. Retrieved 2013-06-02.
- ^ a b Gilbert, E. G. (1970). Soft Fruit Growing. Penguin. pp. 101–118. ISBN 1445512254.
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