'Afganski' is also known as 'PI 483106', 'Russian 26', 'DPUN 71', Afganskij.
This cultivar was test grown in Russia at the 'Kara-Kala Turkmenistan Experimental Station', that 'Experimental Station' collected a cutting of 'Afganski' 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 'Afganski' which were imported to the USA 'by the USDA' on January 1982. 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 'Afganski' 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.
'Afganski' is self-pollinating, it has experienced no freeze-back when grown in Central Texas. It is classified as viable in USDA zone 6a through 11.
This cultivar produces bright reddish orange skinned fruit, which is considered one of the sweetest, one of the most succulent pomegranate fruits around.
This cultivar produces medium-sized fruit with a sweet-tart flavor. It's tasty dark red arils are sweet with a Brix of about 17.5%, are low in acidity, and have a slightly biter after taste. The seeds inside those arils are very-hard making it better for juicing, than for fresh eating. The juice of it's fruit is red. This cultivar's fruit is good for juicing.
'Afganski' produces well every year, even in the high humidity areas of the southeastern US!
'Afganski' is about as cold hardy as ‘Salavatski’, it might be even more cold hardy than ‘Salavatski’.
