Talk:Blackcurrant/GA1

GA Review

Article (edit | visual edit | history) · Article talk (edit | history) · Watch

Reviewer: ColonelHenry (talk · contribs) 01:44, 1 September 2013 (UTC)

Looking forward to reviewing this article.--ColonelHenry (talk) 01:44, 1 September 2013 (UTC)

Thank you for taking it on. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 08:21, 1 September 2013 (UTC)

Initial comments

Typically, when I review an article I'll do a minor copyedit if it's just matters of commas or small rearrangements of a sentence, and any minor reorganization work. I see a few things ad incipit that I'd like to shift and revise. Just a few that I'll mention...and then I'll follow up with anything that needs major revision. Review/copyedit underway. --ColonelHenry (talk) 17:18, 6 September 2013 (UTC)

• I didn't get into a nuts and bolts stylistic copyedit because I first focused on content issues.--ColonelHenry (talk) 18:27, 6 September 2013 (UTC)

Content discussion

• Lede - per MOS, the lede needs to be expanded to include summaries of information in the article but not mentioned in the lede--like alcoholic beverages, medicinal usage, industrial uses

Done. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 06:13, 7 September 2013 (UTC)

• • Clarify the discussion in the article's usage of "shrub" and "bush" -- in the US, those terms usually connote decorative trees used in landscaping and almost infrequently are used for commercially-cultivated fruit-bearing crops.

Done. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 06:13, 7 September 2013 (UTC)

• Description - could use more information about the plant physiology and morphology. Describe the flowers...male and female flowers on the same plant? sure, you mentioned petals, but there are more parts to the flower...more important ones, too, like pistils and stamens, and other flower physiology that goes into the pollination and fruit production. How the seed develops, description.

Done. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 09:17, 8 September 2013 (UTC)

• Cultivation - there should be more discussion about growing conditions--growing days (typically 110), fertilizers (typically NPK of 10-10-10 here in NJ is recommended), macro and micronutrients that need to be in a soil profile, pesticides to be used or commonly used. You mention rootstock but neglect pollination--bees? by hand? self-pollinating? In harvesting...define ripeness? How much is produced a year (tons? dollar value) what countries/provinces/states produce the most (tons/dollar value)? Per acre fruit production yields? Costs to establish an orchard per acre? Costs to cultivate/harvest/produce/ship per acre? (these are things found in agricultural cooperative extension/research service crop production guides in the US).

"Manures and fertilzers" section added. Pollination done. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 09:17, 8 September 2013 (UTC)

• RE: Cultivars I think a little discussion of how and why the major cultivars were developed...by whom? universities? agriculture extensions? farmers? companies? How are some more cold-hardy than others? How are some more disease-resistant or pest-resistant than others? Hardier rootstocks? Better fruit sets? Fruit yields? That kind of comparison, that breadth of information, would be warranted here, per criteria 3a. We have the what, but the how and why is missing.
  • USDA has a zonal cultivation map...how does blackcurrant fit into that rubric?
• United States production and history...there is a lot more production in the US than is listed here...I'd check 2007 USDA Census of Agriculture for figures state by state, and notice that a lot more states' ag boards/cooperative extensions report black currant production (including in Alaska) than you listed in the article.

The USDA figures are for total currents and not just blackcurrants. They show 382 acres planted (253 acres harvested) with currants, and a smaller area of currants harvested in 2007 than 2002. The Alaska species is Ribes laxiflorum. I cannot find comprehensive information on which states still ban blackcurrants. Pennsylvania, for example, still bans them but apparently does not enforce the law. I have enlarged this section with some further information.Cwmhiraeth (talk) 13:42, 8 September 2013 (UTC)

• Uses
  • No mention of industrial uses in yellow, blue and violet dyes and textile production, how leaves are used to pack vegetables for transportation, or oil uses...see for more uses: [1]

Done. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 06:13, 7 September 2013 (UTC)

• • I think more discussion on blackcurrant wines and liqueurs is warranted.
  • Excellent job on the nutritional information, although it needs more citations.
  • the medicinal uses needs to be expanded beyond just Austrian traditional medicine. There are mentions in English, Russian and Baltic sources regarding its role in peasant medicines that are not discussed.

Done. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 09:17, 8 September 2013 (UTC)

• • More medicinal information, see: [2]
• Citations I think this could be beefed up with more cited materials. In the US, land grant colleges and their agricultural research/extension services tend to publish extensive crop guides that provide a comprehensive discussion of cultivation and other information. I'd recommend that some of the information be supported and expanded using information from these resources:
  • Virginia Cooperative Extension: Specialty Crop Profile: Ribes (Currants and Gooseberries) (from Virginia Tech)
  • Mid-Atlantic Berry Guide (from Penn State)
  • European Black Currant from UHawaii
  • several fruit articles (from Cornell Univ.)
  • several other US state universities, too.
  • Ribes Growers Guide 2013 from McGinnis Berry Crops
  • USDA Blackcurrant Plant Guide

This source is about the wild species Ribes americanum. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 09:17, 8 September 2013 (UTC)

• External links the description by the link to for "Are They Currants or Raisins?" is too long...perhaps that is an argument that needs to be brought into the article's body.

Done. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 09:17, 8 September 2013 (UTC)

Aesthetics

• I think the article needs a thorough copyedit to improve the quality and flow of the prose before meeting the GA criteria...but in my estimation, a thorough copyedit should be done after the content issues are addressed and the article becomes more comprehensive.

REVIEW STATUS: GA nomination on hold (06SEPT2013)--ColonelHenry (talk) 18:35, 6 September 2013 (UTC)

Thank you for your detailed review. It will take me a bit of time to deal with the points you raise. (Unless I decide that your requirements are so numerous and specific that fulfilling them would be too exhausting.) Cwmhiraeth (talk) 06:13, 7 September 2013 (UTC)

Final review

GA review – see WP:WIAGA for criteria

1. Is it reasonably well written?

   A. Prose is clear and concise, without copyvios, or spelling and grammar errors:

   Prose is clear and concise, no spelling or grammatical problems, no indications of or evidence of copyright violations.

   B. MoS compliance for lead, layout, words to watch, fiction, and lists:

   Complies generally with the MOS, and specifically with the five MOS guidelines mentioned in the GA criteria

2. Is it factually accurate and verifiable?

   A. Has an appropriate reference section:

   contains a list of references, complies with layout style for references

   B. Citation to reliable sources where necessary:

   adequately formatted in-line citations from reliable sources.

   C. No original research:

   no evidence of or indication of original research.

3. Is it broad in its coverage?

   A. Major aspects:

   sufficiently covers all aspects regarding blackcurrant, their morphology and taxonomy, cultivation, nutritionaly content, and usage.

   B. Focused:

   article adequately balances informative detail with summary style.

4. Is it neutral?

   Fair representation without bias:

   no evidence of or indication of any POV or bias, article is adequately neutral.

5. Is it stable?

   No edit wars, etc:

   no evidence of or indication of any edit war or content disputes.

6. Does it contain images to illustrate the topic?

   A. Images are tagged with their copyright status, and valid fair use rationales are provided for non-free content:

   images have appropriate copyright and licensing tags.

   B. Images are provided if possible and are relevant to the topic, and have suitable captions:

   images are relevant to the article's subject and are adequately captioned.

7. Overall:

   Pass or Fail:

   Excellent and delicious article on a much neglected fruit...often made me yearn to quench my thirst with a Cider and Black.

Thank you for the review. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 20:11, 17 September 2013 (UTC)