Black Dabera

(Southern Coast, Southern Coast Red, Bigarreau Dabera)

This cherry, discovered as a chance seedling around 1862 in Gurzuf (Crimea) by gardener A. Dabera, was introduced into cultivation in the North Caucasus and Lower Volga regions since 1947.

The tree is medium- or strongly-growing, with a dense, broadly rounded crown. Leaves are elongated-oval, with rounded bases and gradual tapering to the apex; petioles bear two dark-red glands near the leaf blade base. Flowers occur in clusters of 2–3, large — 35 mm, with broadly oval, slightly wrinkled petals; calyx 6 x 6 mm, broad-bowl-shaped; stamens 6–13 mm, stigma 12 mm, stigma style positioned below the anthers.

Fruits are large, with a wide depression, weighing 6–6.6 g, broadly heart-shaped with blunt apex, slightly ribbed, black-red with pink subcutaneous dots, distinct seam line, and a bump across the ventral seam and a groove along the dorsal side. Flesh is dark-red, becoming tender as it ripens, with excellent sweet flavor and slight acidity; juice color is intense red. Fruits contain 19.0% dry matter, 13.6% sugars, 0.8% free acids, and 7.3 mg ascorbic acid per 100 g fresh weight. Stone is fairly large, weighing 0.45 g, oval-egg-shaped, accounting for up to 7% of fruit mass, poorly separates from flesh. Peduncle is about 40 mm, moderately attached to the fruit.

Plants begin fruiting at age 5. Flowering occurs at medium time; ripening is medium-late (end of June — beginning of July). Best pollinators include: Gede­lfing, Jabule, Bigarreau Goshé, Ramon Oliva, Golden, Francis, Cassini Early, Black Eagle, etc. The variety is characterized by good productivity: in Crimea, at age 16, trees yield up to 90 kg fruit, maximum 170 kg; in Krasnodar Krai, 70–80 kg during full fruiting. Black Dabera is an excellent dessert cherry variety, with fruits maturing simultaneously on the tree.

The variety does not exhibit high winter hardiness; in unprotected locations, it freezes: vegetative parts are damaged up to 2 points at -30.3°C, flower buds up to 72% (average) and up to 83% (maximum) at -24°C. In normal years, it is moderately affected by fungal diseases; in favorable conditions for disease development, it is significantly affected: by coccomycosis up to 4, moniliosis — 2, and clasterosporiosis — up to 4 points.

Advantages: excellent dessert qualities of fruit, good productivity.

Disadvantages: fruits are susceptible to gray rot.