Agawam

Main characteristics

Agavam is a grapevine variety of American origin belonging to the Isabella group. It was introduced to the Primorsky Krai in 1937. The variety was cultivated in specialized state farms and in private gardens, but during the severe winters of 1966/67 and 1968/69, self-rooted plantings completely froze out, after which the variety survived mainly in collections and areas with a favorable microclimate. It is used as a table variety and is also suitable for making compotes, marinades, and high-quality juices.

The ripening period of the Agavam grapevine variety is late. Full maturity of berries occurs in the first decade of October in the south of the Primorsky Krai, and in the third decade of September in the Spassky and Kirovsky districts. The variety is characterized by high self-fertility and a hermaphrodite flower type, making it a good pollinator for the functionally female variety Russkiy Concord. The yield in self-rooted culture varies from 0.7 to 8 kg per bush. In grafted culture on a frost-resistant rootstock, the variety provides stable annual fruiting within 5–7 kg per bush. The products meet the market requirements for table grape varieties, possess high transportability, and are suitable for long-term storage, with losses during storage until January 1 amounting to 10–12%.

Morphological description of the Agavam grapevine variety

• The young shoot is densely pubescent, and the shoot axis is cherry-colored.
• Mature annual canes are light brown, vigorous, and quite thick, measuring 10–12 mm. Shoot maturation is annual and good.
• The leaf is large, weakly three-lobed, asymmetrical, with slightly raised margins. The upper surface of the leaf blade is green and finely blistered; the lower surface is densely pubescent, of a cinerous-green color.
• The flower is hermaphrodite and large.
• The bunch is of medium size, cylindrico-conical, and of medium density. When grown on a frost-resistant rootstock, the average bunch weight is 175–180 g.
• The berry is very large, round, dark red, and covered with a heavy waxy bloom. The weight of 100 berries in self-rooted culture reaches 450–500 g, and up to 520 g in grafted culture on a rootstock. The skin is thick and coarse. The pulp is mucilaginous and meaty-juicy. The taste is fresh and pleasant, with a barely perceptible strawberry flavor.

Features of agrotechnics

Bush growth is vigorous. The aboveground part of the bush is quite frost-resistant, but the root system is prone to freezing during severe, snowless winters in the conditions of the Far East. In this regard, the Agavam grapevine variety is recommended to be cultivated exclusively in grafted culture on frost-resistant rootstocks. Cultivation in self-rooted form is applicable mainly in areas with a long frost-free period and a sum of active temperatures of 2600–2700°C. In other climatic conditions, the variety requires wall culture with mandatory insulation of the bushes with plastic film in the autumn period from September 15 to October 10.

The Agavam grapevine variety exhibits high resistance to downy mildew (mildew). Specific pruning requirements are not indicated in the provided source. It demonstrates the best results in terms of uniformity and berry weight in areas with a high heat supply when rootstocks are used.