Gooseberry (Ribes uva-crispa) LEPAAN VALIO

Gooseberry (Ribes uva-crispa) 'Lepaan Valio'

Proven Finnish variety with whitish-green fruits and good resistance.

'Lepaan Valio' (syn. 'Lepas Slava') is a traditional Finnish gooseberry variety, bred as early as the 1920s at the Lepaa Horticultural School. It has been on the market since 1924 and retains its popularity to this day thanks to its reliability, good frost resistance, and tasty fruits. Interestingly, thorns fall off on older branches, making harvesting easier.

Main advantages of the variety:

• Good yield and frost resistance.
• Pleasant sweet-sour taste.
• Universal usage (fresh consumption and processing).
• Good resistance to American powdery mildew.
• Thorns fall off on older branches.

Origin and Registration

• Country of origin: Finland
• Institution: Lepaa Horticultural School
• Parentage: Seedling of 'Houghton' variety
• Market introduction: 1924

Variety Characteristics

Bush

• Growth: Medium size, slightly spreading.
• Thorns: Thorns of medium length. Characteristically, thorns fall off on older branches.

Fruit

• Size: Medium size.
• Shape: Round or round-oval.
• Color and Appearance: Whitish-green, with fine pubescence (down).
• Skin: Relatively thin but sour.
• Flesh: Greenish.
• Taste: Very pleasant, sweet-sour.
• Usage: Suitable for fresh consumption and processing.

Resistance and Requirements

• Frost resistance: Good.
• Disease resistance: Good resistance to American powdery mildew. Moderately resistant to leaf spot.

Harvest and Storage

• Ripening time: Mid-early.
• Yield: Productive.