Nimrang

Main Characteristics

The Nimrang grape variety (synonyms: Angur Kolen, Shirbandy, Krymsky) is presumed to have originated from sowing seeds of unknown origin in the Ura-Tyube district of the Tajik SSR, from where it spread widely to the Uzbek and other Central Asian republics. According to its morphological and biological characteristics, it belongs to the Eastern eco-geographical group. In the Ukrainian SSR, the variety is regionally zoned in the southern districts of the Crimean region.

Nimrang is a typical table grape variety of a late ripening period. From bud break to harvest maturity of the berries, it takes 159 days in Odesa and 158 days in Crimea at a sum of active temperatures of 2947 °C (Bakhchysarai State Variety Testing Plot). Harvest maturity occurs in the first ten days of October. The clusters are large, with an average weight of 350 g, reaching 600 g in Central Asia; the average weight of 100 berries is 430 g. The mechanical composition of the cluster is characterized by the following indicators: juice — 83.8%, skin and dense parts of the pulp — 11.6%, stems — 3.1%, and seeds — 1.5%. The sugar content of the berry juice in Odesa is 16–19 g/100 ml with an acidity of 6.9–12.5 g/l, and in Crimea — 16.8% and 7.3 g/l, respectively. The taste of the berries is simple and slightly astringent; the tasting score is 8.4 points. The variety is highly transportable (the average berry detachment force is 370 g, and the crushing force is 1670 g) and stores well until the end of March. The harvest is used for fresh consumption, making jams, marinades, and compotes, and in Central Asia also for producing raisins.

Morphological Description of the Nimrang Grape Variety

The leading characteristics of the Nimrang variety are vigorous vines, glabrous leathery saucer-shaped leaves, large conical clusters with frequently shot (millerandage) berries, and large obovate whitish-pink berries (translated from local languages, "Nimrang" means "half-colored").

• Young shoot (shoot tip): The tip and first two leaves of the young shoot are green with crimson spots and margins, showing traces of pubescence. Subsequent leaves are weakly divided and glabrous.
• One-year-old matured cane: Light brown, with more intensely colored nodes.
• Mature leaf: Medium-sized, round, weakly divided. Upturned margins of the leaf blade give it a saucer-like shape. Upper lateral sinuses are shallow, open, wedge-shaped or slit-like; lower sinuses are barely noticeable or absent. The petiolar sinus is open, vaulted, and lyre-shaped. Teeth at the tips of the lobes and marginal teeth are triangular with a broad base, convex sides, and an acute apex. Pubescence on the lower leaf surface is absent. Autumn leaf coloration is yellow with wine-red spots.
• Nursery plants (saplings): With spreading shoots. Leaves on saplings are entire, glabrous, saucer-shaped, with a pointed-arch petiolar sinus.
• Flower: Functionally female.
• Cluster: Large (19–21 cm long, 12–15 cm wide), broadly conical and cylindro-conical, sometimes lobed, loose. The peduncle is 6 cm long.
• Berry: Very large (20–25 mm long, 19–22 mm wide), obovate, often asymmetrical, with a faint furrow. Coloration is greenish-yellow with a pink tint, and pink in Crimea. The skin is tough and coarse, covered with a waxy bloom; the pulp is fleshy-juicy and crisp. Each berry contains 2–4 large seeds.

Agrotechnical Features and Biological Properties

Vines of the Nimrang grape variety are vigorous, though one-year-old shoots mature poorly. Yields are inconsistent and range from 69 to 150 c/ha, amounting to 40–60 c/ha under Odesa conditions. Fruitfulness indicators of the variety are low: the proportion of fruit-bearing shoots is 20–60%, the average number of inflorescences per developed shoot is 0.2, and per fruit-bearing shoot — 1–1.3. Berry shot (millerandage) is frequently observed.

The Nimrang variety is susceptible to downy mildew and anthracnose, relatively resistant to powdery mildew (oidium), and weakly damaged by the European grapevine moth. Along with high heat requirements, the variety is distinguished by relative drought resistance and salt tolerance. In unfavorable years in southern Ukraine, buds and individual shoots are often damaged by frosts, causing berry ripening to be delayed and taste quality to decline.

Due to its functionally female flower type, the Nimrang grape variety requires planting on warm slopes together with a pollinizer variety (Taifi Rozovy, Agadai). It responds well to irrigation and high-trunk vine training systems. When pruning, comparatively long fruiting canes must be left. Recommended rootstocks are Berlandieri × Riparia SO4 and Chasselas × Berlandieri 41B. Since the variety is contaminated with an inferior variation featuring smaller pink berries that is less productive and less transportable, mass selection of the best vines must be applied during propagation.