Viability of Red ( Ribes rubrum L.) and Black ( Ribes nigrum L.) Currant Cuttings in Field Conditions after Cryopreservation in Vapors of Liquid Nitrogen

One of the prospective ways to safely preserve the genetic resources of red and black currant for breeding needs is the cryopreservation of cuttings with dormant buds. Vegetative cuttings of 12 varieties of red and 11 varieties of black currant were harvested in various regions of Russia: North, Northwest, and Central. Their viability after cryopreservation in nitrogen vapors (about −184 °C) under field conditions was studied. For red currant samples, it ranged from 61.2 ± 1.2% to 72.3 ± 3.0%, black currant—from 58.9 ± 1.1% to 73.5 ± 1.9%. In the group of red currant varieties, there were no significant differences in viability between varieties after cryopreservation. In the group of black currant varieties, “Chereshneva” and “Georgiy” had lower viability after storage in liquid nitrogen vapors than the others, 61.1% and 58.9%, respectively. On red currant, dry growing conditions of the experiment year significantly decreased the viability after cryopreservation. Neither black nor red currants revealed the influence of the place of harvesting on the survival of cuttings after cryopreservation. These results indicate the possibility of using cryopreservation to preserve cuttings of red and black currant with dormant buds collected in regions with different climatic environments.