What kind of potato variety “Drova” is this and does it really exist?
The Internet is full of a wide variety of information about unusual varieties, hybrids and varieties of familiar vegetables and fruits. For several years now, photographs of huge long potatoes called “Firewood” have been circulating on the Internet.
Does such a variety really exist or is it a hoax? A detailed answer to the question is further in the article.
What type of potato? Firewood
The variety is not registered in the official register of selection achievements approved for use. Under the guise of this variety, other crops are often presented that are similar in appearance, but have nothing to do with “Firewood”.
Unscrupulous sellers pass off completely different varieties as tubers or seeds, increasing the price of seed due to the hype.
Its features
The main feature of the mythical variety is its size and the number of tubers on one plant.. According to reviews from those who “saw and tried” the tubers, the crop does not have high taste characteristics and is more suitable as a feed base for farm animals.
What does he look like
There is no official data on what tubers of the Drova variety look like. If you rely on photographs of tubers floating on the Internet, they look like elongated logs of wood. The skin is light brown with dark spots and a small number of eyes located on the surface. On a cut it is light yellow, loose.
Important. Under the guise of potatoes, Firewood can sell completely different varieties.
Where did the rumor about this variety come from?
There is no exact information about where the rumor about Drova potatoes came from. There is a version that the unusual potatoes were brought from the United States of America by some Old Believers, who grew it during the USSR on the territory of the Altai Territory and the Altai Republic. However, this information is very doubtful, since there is no mention of the existence of such potatoes in official sources.
Take note:
Choosing potatoes depending on the cooking method
Does it really exist and how to find the seeds of this potato
It is generally accepted that varieties not included in the state register of breeding achievements approved for use either do not exist or have not been accepted into circulation. It is impossible to find seeds or tubers of the variety on the official seed market. In theory, seed material can be purchased secondhand, but there is no guarantee that completely different potatoes will not be sold under the guise of Firewood.
Maybe this is a meme?
Most likely this is really a meme. Many photographs that supposedly confirm the existence of such potatoes raise doubts about their authenticity, or they depict completely different varieties.
What real potato varieties exist that are similar to the Drova variety?
Of the varieties and hybrids that are similar in appearance and fit the description of mythical Firewood, the most suitable are considered:
Lapot has long been removed from the register of breeding achievements and has been forced out of the market more modern and promising varieties and hybrids. It is almost impossible to find seeds or tubers on the official seed market.It is not known who and when bred this potato; it is believed that it was bred by amateur gardeners in Siberia or the Far East. The variety was intended for regions of risky farming. It has long oblong tubers weighing up to 200 g with thin yellowish skin. Some tubers can weigh up to 800 g.
Platinum potatoes are included in the register for use in the central region of Russia and is currently in use. It has oval elongated tubers with yellow skin and a small number of eyes. The average weight of one tuber ranges from 110-170 g, the weight of individual specimens can reach up to 500 g.
Fritella is a mid-season table potato, bred by breeders of the All-Russian Research Institute of Potato Farming named after A. G. Lorch.. The tubers are oval, often irregular in shape, elongated, with smooth transparent beige skin. The eyes are small and shallowly located. Used in the North-Western and Central Black Earth regions.
The German hybrid Queen Anne is very popular in Belarus, however, it has also found its place in vegetable gardens on the territory of the Russian Federation. The tubers are oblong, oval-elongated, large, weighing on average about 90-120 g, individual specimens can weigh up to 400-450 g. They are distinguished by high yield - up to 450 c/ha.
The Scarb variety was developed in 1997 and is still popular today.. One bush can produce from 12 to 15 tubers weighing 160-250 g. The tubers themselves have a rectangular elongated shape, the skin is dark yellow, slightly brown or golden. Scarb is distinguished by bright yellow pulp and relatively high sugar content.The variety has a number of certain disadvantages - instability to late blight and ring rot, which limits its use.
One of the most suitable varieties for the photographs and description of Firewood is American. - an old variety, bred back in 1861. Currently it may be known as Olkhovka, Turka, Skorospelka. The plant produces up to 15 tubers per bush. The tubers themselves are elongated, with yellowish-pink skin, weighing up to 200 g, individual specimens - up to 600-700 g.
Reviews from gardeners
The following reviews are left about purchasing seeds and growing potatoes:
Olga, Volgograd: “I bought potatoes secondhand and they said they were the old Drova variety. The tubers are long and large; it seemed tempting to grow such a miracle. They tasted very bland and tasteless - this is only for livestock feed, nowhere else.”.
Anton, Penza: “I saw photos on the Internet many times with the caption “Firewood Potatoes” and was looking for something similar. There is nothing on the seed markets anywhere, some have never even heard of it. I bought it second hand, but in the end it turned out to be completely wrong. The neighbor said that the variety is more like Lapot, also old, but still not Drova.”.
Sergey, Balashov: “I’ve always been wary of things like buying seeds or tubers secondhand. I bought into the hype around this very Firewood, but in the end it turned out to be not Firewood at all, not even logs. The variety was good, but it’s not known whether it’s really the same or just similar.”.
Conclusion
Even if such potatoes once existed on the seed market, they have now become just another Internet myth and a source of various “phototoads.” When buying seed, you should think twice about whether an unscrupulous seller is trying to sell something completely different for the variety you need.