'Kaj-Acik' (pronounced Cray-a-keek), it is also called 'Russian 9', 'DPUN 63', 'Kaj acik anor', 'Kaj-acik-anor', 'Kai acik anor', 'PI 483112')
It's name translates in to 'Brave Acik', and 'anor' just means that it's a cultivar of pomegranate. (K’aj = Քաջ, which means brave.
This cultivar is a strong grower, it has a tough bark, yet it's bark may peel off the trunk, in the 'south eastern USA'.
'Kaj-Acik' is said to have originally been from 'Uzbekistan', and from 'Tajikistan'.
'Kaj-Acik' was one of the more successful 'Russian' cultivars that was grown at the 'Ponder Farm' at the 'University of Georgia' in the 1970’s.
This cultivar was test grown in Russia at the 'Kara-Kala Turkmenistan Experimental Station', that 'Experimental Station' collected a cutting of 'Kaj-Acik' for their experiments on 'May 11th 1976', that cutting was collected from somewhere in the 'Former, Soviet Union', most likely from a farmers field 'since it was a cultivated cultivar at the time'.
That 'Experimental Station' donated cuttings of 'Kaj-Acik' which were imported to the USA 'by the USDA' on February 27th 1997. Every cultivar that the 'Experimental Station' helped to import to the USA was labeled as a Russian pomegranate, regardless of their original origin. A few Months after the cuttings of 'Kaj-Acik' were imported to the USA a 'Turkmenistian' government officially took full control of 'Turkmenistian', this event took place about 8 years after 'Turkmenistian' gained it's independence from Russia.
Kaj-Acik' is a very cold hardy cultivar, down to at least -17.78 Celsius '0 degrees Fahrenheit', it's most likely more cold hardy than that. It's disease resistant! Very fruit rot resistant.
This cultivar produces fruits with a red skin. pink-yellow fruits. Green with red blush
It's spherical fruit are large, 300-400 grams. It's dark-red large arils provide a dark colored juice. The juice and the flesh have a very good sweet-sour-acid balance, having a very good sweet taste with little acidity, 16% sugar verses 1.4% acidity. It's fruit is resistant to cracking, fruit transports well, fruit stores for a long time in cold storage. Fruit starts to mature in mid-October, or even late September. This cultivar's yield is high, approximately 50 kilograms (110.23 pounds) annually.
This cultivar flowers from May to June.
This cultivar has been grown in Georgia since the 70's.
