Unpretentious in care and high-yielding potato variety "Agatha"
Few people know that potatoes were once a wild plant that they tried unsuccessfully to domesticate for five thousand years. Today it is a traditional cultivated vegetable that grows in almost all gardens and summer cottages.
Agata potatoes captivate not only with their taste (for this reason, the variety is widely used for the production of chips), but also with its high yield. The culture does not belong to Russian developments, but quickly took root in our country and successfully adapted to its climatic characteristics.
What kind of potato is this?
Let us consider in detail the characteristics and features of this variety.
Origin and development
The Agata potato variety arrived to us from Holland. Dutch breeders instilled in it high productivity and early ripeness. In Europe, the culture has become widespread not only among summer residents, but also among entrepreneurial farmers.
The crop has not yet been included in the Russian State Register of Breeding Achievements, but this does not detract from its popularity among summer residents and farms.
Historical reference. The homeland of potatoes is South America. For more than 10 thousand years, Indians tried to cultivate wild potatoes. A lot of effort and time was spent, but there was no result. The plant was tamed only after five thousand years. This happened in Peru: the Peruvians idolized the vegetable, making sacrifices to it. Today, up to 1,000 potato varieties can be seen in Peruvian markets.Moreover, local residents sell the vegetable not only in its raw form, but also pamper customers with unique ready-made dishes.
Description of the variety, appearance
The fruits are oval, slightly elongated, with small eyes. The average weight is 80-130 g. The starch content is not higher than 14%, therefore, during heat treatment, potatoes retain their appearance. The peel is smooth, pale yellow, the flesh is quite dense, with a yellow tint. The taste is sweetish.
The photo shows Agata potatoes.
The crop is designed for long-term storage and can withstand long-term transportation. During long-term storage, the main thing is to ensure the fruits have optimal humidity and air temperature: the room should be cool and dry.
Ripe vegetables are suitable for preparing all dishes, potatoes are ideal for frying, mashing and baking. It also makes great chips and frozen mixed vegetables.
Reference! Many companies use this particular potato variety to make chips.
Plant characteristics
This table variety, early ripening, fruit ripening occurs 80-85 days from the moment of sowing. But the first excavation is carried out after 50-55 days.
The bushes are low, spreading, medium foliage. The leaves are small, dark green, the flowers are large, white. The root system is powerful and well developed, so the fruits grow quickly. There are practically no small potatoes.
Disease resistance of the crop is above average, the plant is immune to Alternaria, verticillium and potato blight, but is affected by late blight and fusarium.
Productivity
The variety has high fruiting rates, up to 400 centners are collected from 1 hectare. One seedling produces 10-15 potatoes.The tubers retain their marketable appearance until spring and have a high shelf life. For stable and rich fruiting, plants must be planted in fertile, well-fertilized soil, although seedlings can grow in heavy clay soil.
Other potato varieties:
Adretta potatoes from German breeders
How to grow Agata potatoes
Another positive feature of Agatha is the possibility of early sowing. Seed material is sown into the soil as soon as it warms up to +10°C.
Dates, scheme and rules of planting
The tubers are prepared a month before sowing, carefully sorted, leaving only healthy specimens without visible damage. Potatoes are placed in prepared boxes in two rows and exposed to light for germination. The room temperature during germination is maintained at +15°C.
Planting material is ready for sowing as soon as the shoots reach 1.5 cm and turn a soft pink color. The day before sowing, the tubers are treated with a growth simulator "Epin" for faster germination and "Fitosporin" to prevent fungal infections.
The soil is dug up two weeks before sowing with the addition of humus and wood ash.. The holes are made in advance - 10 cm deep and at a distance of 30 cm from each other. Humus is placed at the bottom of each hole and water is poured. The row spacing is at least 70 cm. This planting scheme provides the necessary nutrition for the seedlings for full growth and development.
Planting material is placed in the prepared holes with the sprouts facing up. Sprinkle water on top and moisten the top layer of soil.
Reference! The weight of potatoes for sowing should not exceed 100 g.
Further care for Agata potatoes
Planting and care are not complicated and are reduced to normal procedures. The main thing is to plant the potatoes in fertile soil and water them properly, especially on dry days.. Proper watering means drip irrigation. This is the best option for supplying moisture, since with drip irrigation the water goes directly to the roots of the plants without exceeding the humidity level in the beds.
Reference! Excess moisture is dangerous for the development of fungal diseases.
After watering, the soil is loosened, thereby improving the air permeability of the soil. The supply of oxygen is necessary for the development of the root system.
Removing weeds also contributes to the full development of seedlings. Weeds take a lot of useful substances from the soil and serve as carriers of dangerous diseases. Weeds are also a favorable environment for the development of parasitic insects.
Hilling of seedlings is carried out three times before flowering. The soil is raked from the rows onto the plants. This procedure is necessary to grow new roots. In the last procedure, straw is laid out between the rows. This is called mulching, and it prevents the invasion of ground pests and prevents new weeds from growing.
With timely introduction of fertilizers, productivity increases. For this purpose, not only basic, but also foliar feeding is used.
Reference! For the full development of Agatha and a rich harvest, fertile soil and fertilizing are necessary.
Full a complex of mineral substances alternates with organic matter. Two weeks after planting in the ground, the seedlings are fed with nitrogenous fertilizers to quickly increase green mass.
Organic matter is added during flowering: bird droppings or mullein infusion in a ratio of 1:10. Also from organic compounds, an infusion of weeds is used along with wood ash.
During the fruiting period they are fed with minerals., of which potassium and phosphorus are the most important. Also at this time, foliar feeding is carried out, for example, leaf treatment. To do this, 100 g of superphosphate is diluted in a bucket of water, this amount of solution is consumed per 10 square meters. m.
Important! Leaf feeding provides the potato with substances that, when they enter the tissues, are immediately absorbed.
Of the complex mineral fertilizers, they are mainly used "Giant", "Kemiru" and "Crystalon".
Nuances and possible difficulties
When growing potatoes on the plot remember the rules of crop rotation and distribute planting sites, according to expert recommendations. The best predecessors of potatoes are cucumbers and onions, but the plant cannot be planted after pepper, eggplant and tomato, as it will not fully develop.
These same crops are not recommended to be planted next to potatoes. - they suffer from the same diseases and if any one crop is affected, the disease will immediately spread to all other plants.
When applying fertilizers, do not overuse complexes containing nitrogen.. Oversaturation with such fertilizers contributes to the accumulation of nitrates harmful to health in fruits.
Diseases and pests
The plant is not immune to Fusarium leaf wilt and late blight.. There are also pests that can damage tubers and above-ground parts of the plant.
Fusarium (dry rot) and late blight are fungal diseases. They are dangerous due to the rapid spread of fungal spores and can destroy up to 70% of all plantings. To prevent fungal diseases, seedlings are sprayed with a manganese solution every two weeks. Potassium permanganate is diluted to a faint pink color to avoid burning the leaves. Also, for preventive purposes, the drugs “Ridomil” and “Oxychom” are used. These same remedies will help with plant diseases.
The most dangerous pests are the mole cricket and the Colorado potato beetle.. The mole cricket moves underground, disturbing the root system. It cannot be noticed, so preventive measures are carried out immediately when planting seedlings.
Fish heads or crushed garlic are dug into the rows, the smell of which the mole cricket smells long before approaching and avoids such beds.
The Colorado potato beetle is easy to spot. This is a large insect that damages the leaf blade, causing the plant to wither and die.
The pest is collected by hand and burned in glass jars. But don't forget that female beetles lay eggs on the inside of the leaf, which, like the larvae, cause irreparable damage to plants. Therefore, it is important when inspecting seedlings to turn over the leaves in order to detect orange clutches and pink larvae.
When there is a large concentration of the Colorado potato beetle, the drug “Prestige” or “Karate” is used.
Read also:
Collection, storage and use of crops
The final harvest is harvested in August, but the first diggings are carried out from mid-July. 2-3 days before harvesting, cut off the tops, leaving at least 10 cm.The fruits are dug up with a pitchfork or shovel and left to dry between the rows or put under a canopy if precipitation is forecast.
After drying, the potatoes are ready for long-term storage in dry and cool rooms.
Agatha grown not only in small summer cottages, but also on an industrial scale, on the fields. The shelf life of ripe fruits is high; 93% of the entire harvest retains its presentation. There are practically no small potatoes. All fruits are large and level.
Ripe vegetables are ideal not only for preparing first and second courses, but also for semi-finished products, chips.
Advantages and disadvantages
In addition to high taste, culture has a number of other advantages:
- possibility of breeding in all regions;
- unpretentiousness;
- high yield rates;
- versatility of use;
- long-term preservation of presentation;
- possibility of breeding on an industrial scale;
- attractive presentation and quick sale of finished products.
Negative qualities include weak resistance to fusarium and late blight.
For which regions is it best suited?
Below are the regions where Agatha has taken root best and showed the highest yield (300 – 400 c/ha):
- Central;
- Volgo-Vyatsky;
- Ural;
- West Siberian.
Farmer reviews
This section presents the opinions of those who grew the variety on their plots. Reviews from summer residents are mostly positive.
Sergey, Kuban: “I’ve been planting a hectare of Agata for 2 years now. I add humus to the fields in the fall. My harvest is rich. I harvest at the end of July and leave several rows for seeds. The taste of potatoes is unique, sweetish.There is little starch in the fruit, so you can cook any dish, the potatoes do not disintegrate. The puree is especially delicious: you’ll lick your fingers!”.
Margarita, Moscow: “First of all, I would like to note the simple care of seedlings. In addition, my plants practically do not get sick, although I have been growing the crop for more than one year. I fight the Colorado potato beetle well in advance of its appearance. I spray the seedlings with insecticides and potassium permanganate. I also plant mustard and marigolds between the bushes. Potatoes are very tasty and suitable for any dish. It’s especially good in baking and as a pie filling.”.
Conclusion
Many vegetable growers have long chosen the Agata potato variety. The crop is characterized by a high fruiting rate (up to 400 c/ha), disease resistance, early ripening and simple agricultural technology. Entrepreneurs involved in crop cultivation also note multiple advantages. The high keeping quality of the variety allows you to enjoy the taste of homemade fried potatoes until spring.