Mid-season unpretentious potato variety "Arizona": description of the variety, advantages and disadvantages

Arizona potatoes are among the high-yielding varieties. According to the originator, from 1 m² you can collect about 577 kg of selected tubers with yellow skin and pulp. Despite the short time of existence on Russian markets, these potatoes managed to win the love of farmers and consumers due to their presentation, keeping quality, pleasant taste and optimal starch content.

Origin and description of the variety

The mid-early variety Arizona was bred by Dutch breeders of the Agrico company. It was included in the Russian state register in 2013. The crop received permission for cultivation in the Central, Central Black Earth, and North Caucasus regions.

Pictured are Arizona potatoes.

The distinctive features of the culture are presented in the table.

How to grow

The Arizona variety is completely unpretentious in care. It needs to follow the regime of watering, loosening the beds, removing weeds, hilling bushes, and applying organic and mineral fertilizers.

Dates, scheme and rules of planting

The timing of planting potatoes depends on the climatic conditions of the region. In areas with a warm climate, planting work begins in mid-April. In regions characterized by a late arrival of spring, planting is planned for the first ten days of May.

For potato beds, open, sunny areas where they were previously grown are best suited. onion, cabbage, beans, peas, greens, lupine, winter crops. The most favorable soil is sandy loam, loamy or black soil.

In autumn, the soil is dug up and fertilized with humus. In spring, the plot is sown with green manure (flax, oats, wheat, rye, mustard), and after 3-4 weeks they are mowed and embedded in the ground. Plants prevent the spread of pathogenic fungi and saturate the soil with nitrogen and air.

River sand, peat, and sawdust are added to the heavy, forgotten soil. Using litmus strips, a special device with a long probe, which can be purchased at gardening stores, the acidity of the soil is determined. Optimal pH = 5.2-5.7. Excessively acidic soil (pH less than 4.5) is deoxidized with dolomite flour, slaked lime, chalk, and ash.

Three weeks before planting, the tubers are taken out of storage and taken out into the sunlight for greening and germination. 24 hours before planting, potatoes are soaked in growth stimulants.Such products not only increase productivity, but also prevent infection by pathogenic microflora. The most common stimulants are Epin and Zircon.

On the day of planting, the prepared holes are spilled with a strong solution of potassium permanganate, and the tubers are treated with the Matador fungicide to protect against the Colorado potato beetle.

The depth of the holes should not exceed 10 cm. A handful of peat mixed with the same amount of humus is added to each of them. The distance between the holes is 30 cm. The row spacing is 60–70 cm.

Reference. The optimal soil temperature for planting Arizona potatoes is +10°C.

Care

Rules for caring for potatoes:

1. Watered once a week until the buds appear, 3-4 liters per bush using the fractional method: first pour out part of the water, and after complete absorption, the rest. During the dry period, the frequency of watering is doubled and sprinkling is arranged. Water consumption - 12-14 l. The best way to regulate moisture is to install a drip system.
2. The soil is loosened after each watering, avoiding the appearance of a dense earthen crust.
3. Hilling combined with weeding. This procedure provides additional ventilation of the root system and facilitates access to moisture. The first hilling is carried out when the sprouts grow by 10-20 cm, the second - after 15-20 days. The soil must be moist.
4. Mulching - an additional, but not mandatory procedure. Hay, straw, sawdust, and pine needles are laid out on the beds to retain weeds in the soil, promote the growth of weeds, and repel insects.

Fertilizing is applied three times per season according to the following scheme:

Nuances of cultivation and possible difficulties

New potato varieties do not cause any difficulties in growing even for beginners. Arizona potatoes are no exception. The culture gives the same result in different regions and on any type of soil. In addition to the classic method of planting tubers, the method under straw is used.

Advantages:

• no need to dig the ground;
• rotted straw serves as an excellent fertilizer;
• instead of constant loosening and hilling, pour a new layer of mulch;
• plantings are rarely affected by fungal and viral infections;
• Colorado beetles and slugs avoid bushes;
• tubers do not need to be cleared of soil after harvesting;
• increasing plant productivity;
• reduction of labor costs.

Potato planting technology:

1. In the fall, the area is weeded and dug up.
2. Green manure is sown, followed by mowing and embedding into the ground.
3. The top layer of soil is loosened, furrows up to 7 cm deep and row spacing 70 cm wide are formed.
4. The prepared tubers are placed in the recesses with the sprouts facing up and sprinkled with ash and soil.
5. The straw is distributed throughout the area in a layer of up to 40 cm.
6. To protect against rodents, black root is planted on the site.

There is no need to water such plantings; natural precipitation is sufficient. During dry periods, a drip system is installed on the site.

After the potatoes have sprouted 5-7 cm, another 20 cm layer of mulch is placed on top. The plants do not need feeding; they receive all the vital substances from straw.

Interesting fact. Potatoes are capable of accumulating solanine, a substance poisonous to humans. To get poisoned, it is enough to eat 1-2 potato berries, formed at the site of the flower, or 1 kg of raw, unpeeled, green tubers.

Diseases and pests

The Arizona variety is not resistant to the causative agent of late blight of foliage and tubers. The fungus begins to actively multiply in warm and humid environments, spreading throughout the entire planting. The first sign of infection is brown spots on the leaves and a whitish coating on the back side. When digging, dark spots with rot are found on the tubers.

The source of infection is unharvested tops and weeds, proximity to tomatoes and eggplants. The fight against the fungus begins at the first symptoms, but it is better to carry out preventive treatment with Fitosporin, copper sulfate or whey with iodine in advance. It is prepared from 15 drops and 1 liter of fermented milk product per 10 liters of water.

To treat plants, fungicides are used: “Skor”, “Ditan”, “Ridomil Gold”, “Bravo”, “Reglon Super”.

Prevention measures:

• compliance with crop rotation rules;
• removal of weeds and plant residues;
• sparse landing;
• control of nitrogen levels in the soil;
• fertilizing with potassium-phosphorus solutions;
• hilling bushes;
• mulching beds with straw, hay, sawdust.

There is evidence that Arizona is affected by a fungus that causes scab. The disease can be detected only after digging potatoes, since the pathogen exclusively affects tubers. Rough dark spots of irregular shape appear on the skin. Root crops lose their presentation, their taste deteriorates due to a decrease in the percentage of starch.

Scab develops in dry, hot weather, with a lack of moisture in the soil.

Help fight fungus:

• mineral fertilizers (2 tbsp. ammonium sulfate per 10 l);
• culling of tubers with signs of infection during planting;
• regular soil moisture at the budding stage;
• crop rotation;
• sowing green manure;
• disinfection of tubers during germination;
• spraying of plantings with “Maxim”, “Albit”, “Acrobat MC”, “Mankozeb”, “Ordan”.

In addition to fungal diseases, farmers have to deal with the invasion of Colorado potato beetles and their larvae, which eat the above-ground part of the plant. When massively infested, the pests completely destroy the bushes.

Insects overwinter in the soil and, after warm weather sets in, come to the surface. In case of minor damage, larvae and beetles are collected manually into a jar with soap or saline solution; in case of large-scale, biological agents “Agrovertin”, “Bikol”, “Colorado”, “Taboo”, “Prestige”, “NO Colorado potato beetle!” will be used.

Folk remedies that have proven effectiveness:

• dusting with birch ash, corn flour, gypsum;
• treatment with a solution of birch tar (100 g per 10 l of water);
• spraying with a solution of ash and tar soap (200 g of ash and 50 g of soap shavings per 10 liters of water);
• treatment with walnut infusion (1 kg of green fruits and leaves per 10 liters of boiling water).

Collection, storage and use of crops

7-10 days before harvesting, the tops are mowed to stimulate the ripening of tubers. The collection is carried out in sunny, dry weather. Potatoes are cleared of soil, sorted, and the best medium-sized specimens are left for planting next season. Rotten, infected root vegetables are thrown away.

The crop is left to dry for two hours in the open air in cloudy weather or under a canopy in sunny weather.Then they are laid out in prepared boxes made of wood, plastic, linen bags or mesh. The optimal temperature for storing potatoes in the cellar is +2...+4°C with a humidity of 70-80%.

In a city apartment, the harvest is stored on an insulated balcony or loggia. To do this, use double boxes inserted into each other like a nesting doll. The space between them is filled with sawdust or foam. There are thermal containers on sale - “balcony cellars” with heating.

Arizona potatoes are good in any form - boiled, baked, stewed, fried. The tubers do not darken after cooking and do not overcook, maintaining the structure and rich taste.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages of the Arizona variety:

• excellent taste;
• keeping quality;
• universal use in cooking;
• attractive appearance of tubers;
• high productivity;
• optimal starch content;
• high transportability;
• resistance to cancer, golden nematode, viruses, mechanical damage;
• drought resistance.

Disadvantage: predisposition to late blight of tubers and foliage, common scab.

Reviews

Reviews about growing Arizona potatoes are more than positive.

Ivan, Kizlyar: «I have been growing potatoes for sale for a long time and sometimes experiment with varieties. I purchased Arizona seeds three years ago and have been growing it constantly since then. The variety is adapted to our climatic conditions, tolerates drought, is undemanding to care and bears fruit abundantly.”

Zoya, Voronezh: “I recently became acquainted with this variety. The sister shared her harvest, which included Arizona potatoes. Everyone at home liked its taste and, most importantly, its yellow flesh. We don't like white potatoes.Last year I decided to plant a couple of bushes at my dacha, and in the fall I reaped a big harvest.”

Vera, Tula: “I’ve been planting this new Dutch variety for two years now. The result is always excellent. The tubers lie in the cellar for a long time and do not rot. Last year, the bushes became ill with late blight, but I treated them in time with the preparation “Bravo” and additionally with whey with iodine. The harvest was clean, without signs of infection.”

Conclusion

Arizona is a Dutch variety with high productivity, adaptability to dry climate conditions, resistance to cancer, viruses and potato nematodes. Susceptibility to late blight and common scab does not cause difficulties with cultivation with proper preventive work. Compliance with the rules of crop rotation, pre-planting treatment of tubers, treating plantings with copper-containing products, and sowing green manure prevent the spread of fungi.

The optimal starch content (13-16%) allows you to prepare a variety of boiled, stewed, and baked dishes from potatoes. The pulp retains its structure and does not darken after cooking. The harvested crop is stored in a cool place until the next season without losing its presentation.