Reliable and beloved by farmers potato variety "Alvara" from German breeders

High yield and disease resistance distinguish the German potato variety Alvara. Its characteristics make it possible to plant it in most Russian regions and get an excellent harvest. Alvara is recognized by gardeners in foreign and domestic regions.

Description of the variety

Alvara is a mid-early variety with a 3-month ripening period. Repeated planting does not lead to degeneration, which gardeners immediately appreciated. Potato tops are distinguished by thick and large foliage and violet-red flowers. As the tubers grow, they are located compactly, shallow from the surface. The yield of the variety is high, and the taste is pleasant, since the tubers contain a high percentage of starch (13-15%).

Reference. Alvara is used to make the famous Lays chips.

Pictured are Alvar potatoes.

Origin and development

The variety was selected by German brothers Frank and Winfried Lange in 1975. Potatoes were obtained by planting and crossing, for which two mother tubers of the highest quality were used, from which the best were selected over a period of 10 years. The result was several harvests in a row with the best varietal characteristics remaining unchanged.

It took 10 years for the new breeding variety to be patented and registered. In 1999, the variety was included in the State Register of Vegetable Crops.

Distinctive features, appearance, productivity

Potato characteristics are presented in the table:

Plant is an intermediate type of potato: the main stem is erect, the rest are reclining. The leaves are small, with low-intensity waviness across the plate.

About 10 large oval-shaped tubers are formed on the bush, the average weight of which reaches 110 g. The pulp has excellent taste and does not darken. The eyes do not interfere with cooking - there are few of them, and they lie close to the surface. Suitable for preparing absolutely any dish. Taste qualities were rated by experts at 4.8 points out of 5.

According to the results of state tests in Russia a marketable yield of 295 quintals per hectare was recorded. In the Kaliningrad region, the variety performed best - 440 centners per hectare. The marketability of tubers is 81-90%, which is comparable to standards, and the shelf life is 90%.

Reference. Due to its high starch content (12.1-14.1%), Alvara is actively used for the production of chips, crackers, as well as starch and freeze-dried purees.

The average recorded yield of the variety ranges from 300 to 540 centners potatoes per hectare, marketability - up to 93%. For gardeners, this is 500 kg per hundred square meters.

How to grow

Growing these potatoes does not require special efforts and does not differ from agricultural technology of other potato varieties.

Dates, scheme and rules of planting

On personal plots they use the traditional method potato planting:

1. Before planting, tubers are selected according to the external and quality parameters of the seed material (medium size, smooth, without signs of spoilage).
2. The tubers are pre-sprouted so that the sprouts appear 2-3 cm.
3. Planting is carried out in heated soil at a temperature of +8...+10°C.
4. Potatoes are planted at a distance of 50-60 cm from each other. The depth must be appropriate to the weather.

The soil must be moist when planting, but do not stick to the shovel and crumble perfectly.

Reference. The variety is suitable for planting for hay.

Additionally, the following procedures are carried out:

• treating the soil with disinfectants;
• Sprinkling holes or furrows with ash and humus before planting.

Care

Alvara is guaranteed to produce a high yield even with minimal care. The following requirements must be met:

1. Hill up in a timely manner in the initial growth phase when the plant height is 15-20 cm. Hill up a second time after 2 weeks.
2. Apply fertilizers. Before planting, this is humus and ash, during the period of top growth - urea or mullein/bird droppings, before flowering - potassium sulfate or wood ash, after flowering - "Nitrophoska" or superphosphate.
3. Water rarely, but abundantly. During the entire growth period, it is enough to water the plants 4-5 times. The soil should get wet to a depth of 40-50 cm. The approximate amount of water is 12 liters per bush.
4. Remove weeds in a timely manner and loosen between rows.

Even with a one-time application of fertilizer, the yield and quality of tubers will be high.

Diseases and pests

Potato growing process complicates the fight against the Colorado potato beetle. Effective ways to destroy it:

1. Treatment of planting material to protect potato planting for a period of 40-60 days.Specialized products are sold in hardware stores.
2. Spraying tops and stems with beetle poison.

Spraying is necessary after the appearance of the larvae., repeat if necessary.

About other varieties of “red” potatoes:

Unpretentious and productive potatoes "Desiree"

Disease-resistant potatoes "Courage"

Unpretentious and productive potatoes «Labella»

Alvara resistant to most potato diseases, among which:

• scab;
• rhizoctoniasis;
• cancer;
• Alternaria blight.

The only thing to which the variety is not immune is late blight of the upper, ground part of the bush.. Tubers are partially resistant to it.

Collection, storage and use of crops

Harvest occurs at the end of August - beginning of September. By this time the tops should lie down and dry out. If it is still green, it should be mowed two weeks before harvesting. This will speed up the ripening of the tubers and the hardening of the peel.

Digging up potatoes is easy - tubers are located close to each other.

Important! After digging, it is necessary to dry the potatoes in the air for several hours, but not in the open sun.

Then the tubers are sorted into large, small, damaged and seeded. First of all, you will need to use damaged potatoes, then small ones. The sorted potatoes are put into boxes and put into the cellar. The storage temperature should be +2...+4°C and humidity 90–92%. In such conditions, the tubers are stored until the next harvest, without losing their presentation and taste.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

The Alvara variety is the majority of gardeners chooses for the following positive qualities:

• early harvest formation;
• high final yield;
• stable growth;
• a lot of tubers;
• root vegetables of excellent quality and taste;
• high resistance to diseases;
• wide range of applications;
• long-term storage;
• minimal spoilage;
• long-term cultivability without replacing seed potatoes.

Of the negative varietal qualities, the following are noted::

• instability to late blight;
• high price for planting material.

Read also:

Potatoes "Gypsy" with purple skin and white flesh

High-yielding purple potato variety "Cornflower"

For which regions is it best suited?

Potato perfectly adapted to cultivation in two regions of our country:

• North-West (Vologda, Kaliningrad, Kostroma, St. Petersburg, Novgorod, Yaroslavl);
• North Caucasus (Adygea, Dagestan, Ingushetia, Krasnodar Territory, Rostov, North Ossetia-Alania, Stavropol, Crimea).

Suitable for the middle and southern regions of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The variety is recognized as the best among red-skinned ones.

Farmer reviews

Potatoes have proven themselves among domestic and foreign gardeners.

Valentina, 54 years old, Voronezh: “We have sandy soil. We bought Alvara for planting, of course, fed it and tried to water it more often. The bushes tolerated the heat and sand well. We collected 4-5 large potatoes from one bush.”.

Sergey, 34 years old, Krasnodar: “The Alvara variety turned out to be resistant to our heat. This year I planted it in a fashionable way under hay, so as not to dig later. The potatoes began to grow well; I watered them abundantly, but infrequently. As for fertilizers, I only sprinkled ash during planting, but the Colorado potato beetle never started growing in the hay.”.

Kristina, 60 years old, Rostov region: “My dacha is located near Glevakha next to a pine forest, so the land is pure “pine” sand. We have been growing potatoes for about 15 years.We settled on the German variety Alvara. We try to renew the seed material - we collect the boxes and sow them, so we get a stable harvest from them. The only thing is that we can’t get rid of late blight; it’s rare, but it affects bushes.”.

Conclusion

European breeders recognized the German Alvar potato as the best red-skinned variety with yellow flesh. The plant is easy to care for and produces a stable and abundant harvest. Tubers do not become overcooked or darken during storage and cooking and have an excellent taste.