Tomato Ajour F1 is a characteristic representative of early maturing hybrids with large fruits. Like most hybrid tomatoes, it has a very high resistance to diseases and temperature fluctuations, but, like many hybrids, it cannot boast a great taste. Nevertheless, in many regions Azhur F1 is highly popular.
Description
This tomato is a development of the breeders working in the famous agricultural company “SeDek”. Its main purpose is for regions with harsh climates, but the hybrid has also caught on in the south. The Russian State Register of Breeding Achievements, where Azhur was registered in 2007, allows its cultivation both in the Northern and North-Western, and in most other regions, including, in particular, the North Caucasian and Lower Volga regions. In cold climates Azhur is grown in greenhouses, in warm climates it is grown in unprotected ground.
The hybrid belongs to the number of determinant plants, the maximum height of the bush – just under 1 meter. Stems are powerful, but require tying. Ornamentation is high and leaves are large. The plant may have up to five bunches of 5-6 early maturing heirlooms. The first tomatoes come out 3.5 months after sowing the seeds for seedlings. They are rounded, slightly flattened, smooth, with an average weight of about 230 g, but twice as large specimens have been described. When fully ripe, the fruits are bright red in color, without the green spot at the stalk. Seed chambers are 4 to 6. The flesh is juicy, moderately dense, the taste is sweet with slight acidity, rated as good. The main direction of use – salad, that is, in fresh form. Excess harvest can be used to make tomato juice, pastes, sauces.
The average yield is just over 6 kg/m2, there are reports of its increase to 10 kg/m2 with careful care. Cracking the fruit is not characteristic. Resistance to most tomato diseases is very high. The hybrid is resistant to both low and high air temperatures. Dense skin allows you to transport the crop without loss of quality, for which Ajur is popular with farmers who grow products for sale. Fresh tomatoes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a month.
Advantages and disadvantages
Among the advantages of the Ajour F1 tomato are:
- the possibility of growing in any climate;
- very high resistance to disease;
- large-fruitedness;
- excellent presentation of fruits, their transportability;
- storability of the harvest;
- absence of cracking;
- ease of formation of the plant (only partial palming).
Among the disadvantages are insufficient taste (which is characteristic of most early maturing varieties), the inability to use seeds from their harvest for the next sowing. Hybrid yields, which were considered high in the years of its appearance, are no longer so: in recent years, high-yield hybrids of various purposes and maturity periods have been bred.
Growing peculiarities
In the southern regions, the Azhur tomato can be grown by direct seeding in a bed, but in order for the harvest to mature early, it is preferable to pre-grow seedlings. Sowing is carried out 1.5-2 months before the approximate date of planting it in the ground. Cultivation of seedlings proceeds without features, in the stage of 2-3 true leaves it is desirable to pick it in separate containers. Before planting it in the open ground, which usually falls on the stage of budding, pre-hardening is necessary.
Since bushes are relatively large and foliated, dense planting is not recommended: the optimal scheme of 40 x 60 cm. The hybrid is undemanding, responds well to watering and fertilizing, the modes of which are usual. Until the ripening of fruits, keep the soil moderately moist, then reduce or stop watering altogether. The number of fertilizers for early-ripening Ajura is 2-3 per season, depending on the fertility of the soil. Disease control when growing this hybrid is usually not required, but it is often attacked by slugs, which should be paid attention to.
The bush can be formed in three, even four stems, which are necessarily tied to supports. Gardening is carried out moderately: after the setting of fruits, this operation can no longer be carried out. The harvest is better to remove at the stage of full ripeness: brown tomatoes “will reach” during storage, but their taste, and already not excellent, will be somewhat worse.
Tomato Ajur is interesting in commercial terms: large tomatoes ripen early, the plants are resistant to diseases, care for them is not difficult. However, lovers of very tasty tomatoes are better to opt for other varieties and hybrids, whose taste qualities are rated higher.
This is an interesting post! It’s great to learn more about tomato azhur and its cultivation features. I’m looking forward to trying my own tomato growing experience with this variety. Thanks for the helpful information!