ORBERRY FEMALE CULTIVAR
Mara sea buckthorn variety
The sweetest and most aromatic fruit in the Orberry range. Mara combines vigorous, upright growth and high, consistent yields with large intense-orange berries, the highest sugar content (15.1 °Brix) and the highest oil content (6.2%) of the four female cultivars — and it is the one best suited to mechanised harvesting.
PLANT TYPE
Female cultivarPORTFOLIO POLLINATOR
AndrosPROCESSING PROFILE
Fruit processingAT A GLANCE
A closer look at Mara.
Vigour — high · Ripening — mid-season, Clara + 10 days · Harvest window — 25–30 days, the longest in the range · Fruit colour — intense orange · Main strength — sugar and oil; exotic taste and aroma
Vigour
high
Ripening
mid — Clara + 10 days
Harvest window
25–30 days
Fruit colour
intense orange
Processing profile
sweetest and richest in oil; exotic taste and aroma — juice, frozen fruit, oil
COMMERCIAL CHARACTERISTICS
A variety for professional orchards.
FRUIT & PROCESSING
Purpose-led genetics.
Mara is suited to juice, purée, frozen fruit and oil, and to any product where taste and aroma matter. Its strengths are the highest sugar (15.1 °Brix) and oil (6.2%) content in the Orberry portfolio, a large fruit of 8–10 mm and 0.65 g, and a long peduncle that detaches easily. Ascorbic acid is 380 mg per 100 g of juice; carotenoids 12.84 mg.
ORCHARD PROFILE
Grow with intent.
High vigour, erect habit and a compact crown. Annual growth of 200–220 cm, strongly vertical, which makes Mara the cultivar of choice for mechanised harvesting. Economic yields from year 3 after planting; yield potential of 20–22 t/ha in mature irrigated orchards at 3.5 × 1.25 m. Good crown regrowth after cutting-harvest.
HARVEST
A distinct harvest position.
Mid-season, ten days after Clara, with a harvest window of 25–30 days — the longest in the range, which spreads the harvest load. Large, oblong, intense-orange fruit with a slightly pubescent skin; 78% pulp and juice.
WATCH-OUTS
Plan for the site.
Strong suckering in the first 4–5 years. Susceptible to fusarium and verticillium wilt: Mara needs well-drained soil; on heavy soils or sites with a history of fusarium we recommend Cora as the resistant reference.
Juice composition: irrigated culture in Arad, five-year averages; oil is measured in fresh fruit. Yield potential: irrigated mature orchard at 3.5 × 1.25 m; results depend on site, season and management.
POLLINATION
Designed with Andros in mind.
Sea buckthorn is wind-pollinated. Andros is integrated according to planting geometry, pollination needs and field layout; its final number and placement are planned for your orchard.
POLLINATION IN THE ORCHARD
The orchard layout determines the number and placement of Andros plants.
CULTIVAR CHARACTERISTICS
The details that matter.
The Orberry variety profile shows the key botanical, fruit and processing characteristics for professional orchard selection.
| Sex / role | female |
|---|---|
| Registered | 2010 |
| Vigour | high |
| Growth habit | erect, compact crown |
| Annual growth | 200–220 cm |
| Thorns | few, 4–5 cm |
| Flowering time | early |
| Ripening | mid — Clara + 10 days |
| Harvest window | 25–30 days |
| Fruiting onset | economic yield from year 3 |
| Yield potential | 20–22 t/ha |
| Fruit size | large |
| Average berry mass | 0.65 g |
| Fruit length | 8–10 mm |
| Fruit shape | oblong, elongated |
| Fruit colour | intense orange |
| Peduncle | long, 4 mm |
| Pulp + juice / skin / seeds | 78 / 10.2 / 11.8 % |
| Total sugar | 15.1 °Brix |
| Total acidity (as tartaric, in juice) | 5.15 % |
| Ascorbic acid (per 100 g juice) | 380 mg |
| Total oil (fresh fruit) | 6.2 % |
| Carotenoids (per 100 g juice) | 12.84 mg |
| Fusarium wilt | susceptible (also verticillium) |
| Suckering | strong, first 4–5 years |
| Crown regrowth after cropping | good |
| Mechanised harvest | suited — vertical growth |
| Pollinator | Andros |
| Processing profile | sweetest and richest in oil; exotic taste and aroma — juice, frozen fruit, oil |
| Watch-outs | suckering; fusarium and verticillium — needs well-drained soil |
Juice composition: irrigated culture in Arad, five-year averages; oil is measured in fresh fruit. Yield potential: irrigated mature orchard at 3.5 × 1.25 m; results depend on site, season and management.
Data source: Cultivar characteristics: Pomologia României, Editura Ceres. Figures describe documented observations, not guaranteed results. Pomologia României. Values revised 30 September 2026.
PROFESSIONAL PLANTING MATERIAL
Plan your Mara plant order.
Mara is an Orberry female cultivar. Propagated from the certified mother plantation of the varieties. Commercial planting material is supplied with phytosanitary passport documentation.
SPECIFY YOUR PROJECT
Share your preferred specification and project scale for a current commercial offer.
PLANNING AN ORCHARD WITH MARA?