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## Gooseberries and Currants
Kirk W. Pomper, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator of Horticulture/ Kentucky State University
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Horticulture/ Univ. of Kentucky
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## Gooseberries and Currants
> Currants and gooseberries (Ribes) are berry producing shrubs
Types of currants: red, white, and black
American and European gooseberries range from green to yellow, or red when ripe
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## Gooseberries and Currants
Plants are hardy, easy to grow
Fruit makes excellent juices, wines, cassis, jams, jellies, preserves, and pies
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## Nutritional Information on Currants
Table 3. Nutritional composition of raw currant, gooseberry, apple, strawberry and orange fruit (per 100-g edible portion).2
| Fruit | Water (%) | Caloriesy | Protein (g) | Fat (g) | Carbohydrate (g) | Vitamins |
| A (I.U.)x | B1 (mg) | B2 (mg) | Niacin (mg) | C (mg) |
| Black currant | 81.96 | 63 | 1.4 | 0.41 | 15.38 | 230 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.3 | 181 |
| Red currant | 83.95 | 56 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 13.8 | 120 | 0.04 | 0.05 | 0.1 | 41 |
| Gooseberry | 87.87 | 44 | 0.88 | 0.58 | 10.18 | 290 | 0.04 | 0.03 | 0.3 | 27.7 |
| Apple | 83.93 | 59 | 0.19 | 0.36 | 15.25 | 90 | 0.017 | 0.014 | 0.077 | 5.7 |
| Strawberry | 91.57 | 30 | 0.61 | 0.37 | 7.02 | 27 | 0.02 | 0.066 | 0.230 | 56.7 |
| Orange | 82.3 | 40 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 15.5 | 250 | 0.10 | 0.05 | 0.5 | 71 |
2Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agriculture Library (2002).3Food calorie - 1000 g calories of heat.4I.U. - international units; 28.35 g - 28,350 mg - 1.0 oz.
Black currants are high in anthocyanins, total phenolics and antioxidant capacity (Moyer et al., 2002a, 2002b).
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Table 2. World production of currants for 1990, 1995, 2000, and 2001 in metric tons (t).2
| Year | 1990 | 1995 | 2000 | 2001 |
| Russia | 70,000y | 175,000 | 208,000 | 212,000 |
| Poland | 130,409 | 154,591 | 33,522 | 180,485 |
| Germany | 146,538 | 169,300 | 140,000 | 140,000 |
| Elsewhere | 131,810 | 126,255 | 118,316 | 126,213 |
| Total | 478,757 | 625,146 | 499,838 | 658,698 |
2Information from United Nations, Food and Agriculture Organization (2002).31 t - 1.1 tons.
| •North American currant production is small and unreported on the world market. |
| •Currants were grown widely in the U.S. and during the late 1800s and early 1900s, when production was halted because of white pine blister rust. |
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## Propagating Gooseberries and Currants
Currants are easily propagated by hardwood cuttings of one-year old wood.
Take one-foot cuttings of dormant wood in late winter, dip the base in rooting hormone and pot in ordinary soil.
Cuttings will quickly root and are best kept in part shade for the first year.
Tip layering is a surer method of propagation of gooseberries than cuttings.
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## Planting Gooseberries and Currants
Plants prefer a cool moist soil, well-drained, or a rich clay loam soil (pH 6 to 7.5)
Currants: 2-4' spacing
Gooseberries: 4-5' spacing
Irrigation is helpful in summer in Kentucky
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## Pruning Gooseberries and Currants
Produce the majority of their fruit on 2 and 3-year-old shoots, and Shoots 4 years and older produce very little fruit.
After the first growing season, remove all but 6 to 8 vigorous, healthy shoots.
The following year, leave 4 or 5 one-year-old shoots and 3 or 4 two-year-old canes.
After the third growing season, keep 3 or 4 shoots each of one-, two-, and three-year-old growth.
Prune in late winter or early spring
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## Gooseberry and Currant Yields
Gooseberries
4 years to full production
about 4-5 quarts per bush
## Currants
4 years to full production
about 3-4 quarts per bush
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## Gooseberry and Currant Pests
Diseases and Pests
White pine blister rust
Powdery mildew
Septoria leaf spot
♦ Currant aphid
♦ Currant fruit fly
♦ Currant borer
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## White Pine Blister Rust
Early in the 1900's, white pine blister rust became a serious disease problem in the United States
White pine blister rust requires both a Ribes species and white pine to complete its life cycle
In an attempt to prevent the spread of white pine blister rust, the federal government banned the planting and cultivation of currants and gooseberries early in the twentieth century
The federal government lifted the ban in 1966 and there are now currants and gooseberries that are resistant to white pine blister rust
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WPBR on currant
WPBR on Pine
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## WPBR on currants
R. americana
Viking
Consort (Immune)
Boskoop
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## White Pine Blister Rust
Plant 1000 to 3000 ft from the nearest susceptible pines.
The black currant cultivars: Consort, Coronet, Crusader, and Titania are rust-immune.
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Anthracnose
Powdery mildew
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## Birds
## Robins love black currants and pink gooseberries
Netting
Bird alarms
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## Gooseberries
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## Hinnomaki Red'
Excellent raspberry flavor-tart
Red berry when ripe
Crunchy texture
Good disease resistance
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## Hinnomaki Red'
Low growing habit
Wire?
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## 'Amish Red'
Good flavor
Red berry when ripe
Good texture?
Good disease resistance
Limited availability
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'Poorman'
Good flavor
Red berry when ripe
Good fruit texture?
Less disease resistance
Leaf spot
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## 'Pixwell'
Red-pink when ripe
Berries hang below thorns, easier to pick
Not much flavor
Mushy texture
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## Other Gooseberries Planted at KSU
‘Invicta’ –green berry-poor survival
‘Jahns Prairie’-red berry-leaf spot problems
'Captivator'-red berry-leaf spot problems
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## New Gooseberries to Try:
Tixia™ (Rafz Switzerland, 1990) has large (similar to Invicta), bright red fruit; elongated and quite smooth that ripens mid-season. In addition to the attractive fruit, Tixia one year shoots have few thorns and the thorns are relatively soft; usually as single thorns with very few, if any, on the upper part of shoots. Growth is medium to strong, upright. NY
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## Gooseberries at KSU
| Cultivar | Approximate harvest date | Years in the field | Berry weight (g)y | Vigorx | WPBR resistancew | Resistance to powdery mildewv | Septoria Leaf Spot at KSUu |
| Gooseberries | | | | | | | |
| Amish Red | Mid-June | 5 | 7 | 2.4 | VG | R | G |
| Captivator | Mid-June | 4 | 2 | 3.5 | VG | R | G |
| Invicta | Mid-June | 5 | 1 | 3.5 | P | R | G |
| Jahns Prairie | Mid-June | 4 | 2 | 3.8 | VG | R | G |
| Hinnomaki Red | Mid-June | 5 | 8 | 2.9 | VG | R | VG |
| Pixwell | Mid-June | 5 | 7 | 1.3 | EX | R | VG |
| Poorman | Mid-June | 5 | 4 | 3.1 | VG | R | G |
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## Black Currants
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## Black Currants
Titania
(US Plant Patent No. 11,439)
(Altajskaja Desertraja x
[Consort x Kajaanin Musta] - Tamas)
Titania is immune to White Pine Blister Rust and has resistance to powdery mildew. Fruit size is large, similar to Ben Lomond, and fruit quality is good.
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## Black Currants
Ben Lomond
( [Consort x Magnus] x [Brodtorp x Janslunda] - SCRI, 1972).
The "standard" for commercial juice production.
Some resistance to mildew.
Susceptible to White Pine Blister Rust.
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## Black Currants
Ben Sarek
(Scandanavia, 1984)
is somewhat resistant
to white pine blister
rust.
Its compact bush
size, productivity,
very large fruit and
ease of hand harvest.
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## Black Currants
'Consort'
introduced in 1952. Fruit quality is fair to poor and berry size small to medium. Yields low. Has the Cr gene for immunity to white pine blister rust but, is very susceptible to powdery mildew
'Crusader'
Similar to Consort, needs pollinizer
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## Black Currants at KSU
'Crandell'
Discovered by R.W. Crandall, Newton, Kansas, introduced in 1888.
North American native species, Ribes aureum var. villosum, also known as the clove currant.
Bright yellow spring flowers.
◆ Fruit is mild, sweet, pleasant, and very different from European black currants.
Performs well in hot summers, resistant to white pine blister rust, and no damage from powdery mildew.
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## Black Currants at KSU
| Cultivar | Approximate harvest date | Years in the field | Berry weight (g)y | Vigorx | WPBR resistancew | Resistance to powdery mildewv | Septoria Leaf Spot at KSUu |
| Black Currants |
| Crandall | Early-July | 5 | 8 | 1.3 | VG | R | VG |
| Ben Sarek | Late-June | 5 | 8 | 1.4 | VG | S | VG |
| Ben Lomond | Late-June | 5 | 8 | 1.4 | VG | S | VG |
| Consort | Mid-June | 5 | 7 | 0.8 | EX | R | P |
| Crusader | Mid-June | 5 | 7 | 0.8 | EX | R | P |
(Titania is the best bet for planting)
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## Red and White Currants
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## Currants Planted at KSU
White Currants
'Primus'
White Imperial'-susp. WPBR- old variety that was introduced in 1895.
## Red Currants
♦️ 'Red Lake' -susp. WPBR, quite susceptible to mildew
'Jonkeer Van Tets'
'Redstart'
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## Red Currants to Consider
‘Rovada’
Introduced from the Netherlands, in 1980. Susceptible to powdery mildew and somewhat susceptible to white pine blister rust.
Viking
Introduced form Norway in 1945.
Moderately resistant to powdery mildew.
Hypersensitive resistance to white pine blister rust.
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## Currants to Consider:
Pink Champagne has beautiful translucent pink fruit of good quality and flavor. It is best suited for home gardens as it is easy to grow but not a terrific yielder. It has a vigorous upright growth habit and is resistant to leaf diseases. NY
Powdery mildew present in 2006 in KY
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## Red and White Currants at KSU
| Cultivar | Approximate harvest date | Years in the field | Yieldz | Berry weight (g)y | Vigorx | WPBR resistancew | Resistance to powdery mildewv | Septoria Leaf Spot at KSUu |
| White Currants |
| Primus | Mid-June | 5 | 3 | 0.6 | VG | R | F | G |
| White Imperial | Mid-June | 5 | 4 | 0.6 | VG | S | F | G |
| Red Currants |
| Jonkeer Van Tets | Mid-June | 5 | 3 | 0.8 | G | R | F | G |
| Red Lake | Mid-June | 5 | 3 | 0.6 | G | S | P | G |
| Redstart | Mid-June | 5 | 3 | 0.5 | G | R | F | G |
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## Jostaberries Black Currant-Gooseberry Hybrids
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## Jostaberries
Josta (Germany, 1977)
This thornless plant is resistant to gray mold, mildew and white pine blister rust.
Net-like russetting on the leaf surface has not been associated with any insect or pathogen.
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## Jostaberries
ORUS 10 (Oregon,
1960)
The plant is vigorous, thorny, and is resistant to gray mold, mildew, and white pine blister rust.
Good flavor
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## Jostaberries
ORUS 8 (Oregon,
1960)
The plant is vigorous, thorny, and is resistant to gray mold, mildew, and white pine blister rust.
Susceptible to leaf spot!
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## Jostaberries at KSU
| Cultivar | Approximate harvest date | Years in the field | Yieldz | Berry weight (g)y | Vigorx | WPBR resistancew | Resistance to powdery mildewv | Septoria Leaf Spot at KSUu |
| Jostaberry | | | | | | | | |
| Josta | Mid-June | 5 | 2 | 1.7 | EX | R | G | G |
| ORUS8 | Mid-June | 4 | 2 | 1.5 | EX | R | VG | G |
| ORUS10 | Mid-June | 5 | 4 | 1.5 | EX | R | VG | G |
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## Summary
Gooseberries and currants have potential for sale at farmers markets in Kentucky.
Kentucky recommendations:
The gooseberries cultivars Hinnomaki Red and Amish Red perform well with low input culture
Poorman should also be considered.
The black currant cultivars Titaina (with 5 needle pines nearby) and Ben Lomond (W/O Pines).
The red currant cultivars Rovada and Jonkeer Van Tets.
The white currant cultivar White Imperial or Primus.
The Jostaberry cultivar ORUS 10.
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