Orenburg Experimental Station

History of Creation and Stages of Development

The Orenburg Experimental Station of Horticulture and Viticulture is a research institution that laid the foundation for advancing viticulture into the conditions of the Pre-Ural steppe and the South Urals. Scientific work on introduction, variety testing, and grape breeding in the Orenburg region began in 1963, when Fyodor Ilyich Shatilov organized the Orenburg Viticulture Reference Point.

Subsequently, the institution was reorganized into the Orenburg Experimental Station of Horticulture and Viticulture. Later, it operated as the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution "Orenburg Experimental Station of Horticulture and Viticulture of the All-Russian Selection-Technological Institute of Horticulture and Nursery" (FSBI "Orenburg ESH&V ARSTIH&N"), located in the city of Orenburg. Comprehensive study of the genetic collection has been conducted at the station for more than 50 years. Significant contributions to modern research, coordination of scientific work, and the breeding process are made by scientists M. A. Tikhonova, G. R. Mursalimova, S. E. Nigmatyanova, and O. E. Merezhko.

Main Directions of Scientific Activity

The activities of the Orenburg Experimental Station are focused on creating highly adaptive and productive local grape varieties capable of fully realizing their biological potential in the contrasting conditions of the Pre-Ural steppe:

  • Breeding for winter hardiness and drought resistance: Development of varieties adapted to severe winter frosts (-35…-40 °C), which, in the absence of snow cover, lead to soil freezing to a depth of 130–150 cm, as well as varieties resistant to summer moisture deficits and temperature stresses.
  • Mobilization and conservation of genetic resources: Search, replenishment, and fundamental study of the ampelographic grape collection to identify valuable sources and donors of economically useful traits.
  • Variety testing and biochemical analysis: Evaluation of introduced and local varieties based on a complex of productivity, marketability, sugar accumulation dynamics, and biochemical composition of berries.
  • Development of agricultural techniques: Research into vine training systems (including fan-shaped trunkless forms), determination of optimal bud load per bush, and study of the rooting capacity of cuttings.

Breeding Results and Created Varieties

The Pre-Ural steppe is characterized by an average annual sum of active temperatures of 2400–2600 °C and a growing season duration of 150–155 days. High summer temperatures, intense insolation, and comparatively low air humidity prevent the spread of diseases and pests, allowing for the production of ecologically clean crops. From the collection of introduced varieties, based on a complex of adaptability and productivity, station scientists identified Osoby, Belorozovy, Avgustin, Ranniy Magaracha, Tsimlodar, Agat Donskoy, Kodryanka, Pamyat Dombkovskoy, and Aleshenkin dar as valuable genetic sources for breeding.

As a result of long-term breeding work, scientists at the Orenburg Experimental Station created and registered their own valuable grape varieties for covered cultivation:

Table Grape Varieties:

  • Aleshenkin (Aleshenkin dar): A table grape variety of a very early ripening period (growing season of 115 days), included in the state register in 1995. It features large conical bunches weighing 300–1500 g and large white oval berries with a yellow sunburn. It possesses fleshy, crisp flesh with a pleasant harmonious taste (tasting score of 9.2 points), vine frost resistance down to -24 °C, and high drought resistance.
  • Podarok Shatilova (15-03-1): A table grape variety of an early ripening period (growing season of 121–125 days). It forms medium-dense, cylindro-conical bunches weighing 200–400 g. The berries are bluntly egg-shaped (ovoid), dark purple in color, with juicy flesh and a harmonious taste (score of 8.5 points). It is characterized by high winter hardiness (down to -27 °C), good transportability, and resistance to a complex of diseases.

Universal Grape Varieties:

  • Pamyat Dombkovskoy: A universal (table-to-wine) seedless variety of a very early ripening period (growing season of 110–120 days). The bushes are vigorous, and the bunches are cylindro-conical, dense, weighing 200–600 g. The berries are black, round, with juicy flesh and dark pink juice. The variety features enhanced winter hardiness (down to -28 °C). Under regional conditions, it is not affected by downy mildew (mildew) or powdery mildew (oidium), and is used for fresh consumption as well as for juice and red wine production.
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