Mid-season, high-yielding potato variety "Lugovskoy", ideal for mashed potatoes

The Lugovskoy variety is successfully cultivated by farmers both on their personal summer cottages and on large farms. The choice of gardeners in favor of this particular crop is due to its high yield, taste, resistance to unfavorable climate and diseases characteristic of the crop. Read about other advantages of the variety and the features of its cultivation in our article.

Description of the variety

Lugovskoy potatoes are table varieties. His tubers are good are boiling over and are ideal for stewing, preparing baby food, salads and soups. Growing this variety for industrial purposes involves processing root vegetables into freeze-dried puree.

Origin and development

The variety was bred by Ukrainian breeders in 1987 based on the Sineglazka potato. Patented by the Ukrainian Institute of Potato Growing, the selection department of the Academy of Agrarian Sciences.

Chemical composition, trace elements and vitamins

Root vegetables, depending on soil fertility, contain 12-19% starch, a lot of protein and amino acids, carotenoids and vitamins B and C.

Ripening period

Lugovskoy is a mid-season potato variety. Between landing It takes an average of 70-80 days for tubers to be ready for harvesting.

Productivity

Consistently high yield is the main value of the variety.You can collect 10-15 tubers from a bush, and during varietal testing a figure of 514 c/ha was officially recorded.

Disease resistance

The variety is resistant to fungal diseases and is extremely rarely affected by potato canker, blackleg or scab, and due to its early ripening period, the plant is not afraid of late blight. Moreover, in case of excessive soil moisture, there is a risk of infection with Alternaria and Fusarium.

Characteristics of tubers, description of appearance

The bushes are erect, compact, with a well-developed root system, moderately spreading stems and an average number of leaves.

The leaf blades are small, dark green, have clearly defined veins and slight pubescence. During a short flowering period, large white or cream flowers appear on the bushes, forming a compact corolla. The berries are large, light green, but they rarely set and fall off quickly.

The tubers are large, weighing on average 100-130 g each, oval, the apex is blunt and rounded. The skin is thin, glossy, light pink. There are a small number of small, recessed eyes on the surface.

The pulp is white, has a pleasant taste, and boils well when cooked.

Which regions are best suited and climate requirements?

Lugovskoy potatoes adapt well to climatic conditions and are suitable for growing in the Northern, North-Western, Central, Volga-Vyatka, Central Black Earth, North Caucasus, Lower Volga, Ural, West Siberian, East Siberian and Far Eastern regions.

The main advantages and disadvantages of the variety

The Lugovskaya potato variety has a number of undeniable advantages, among which the following stand out:

• excellent taste;
• early maturation;
• good keeping quality and transportability;
• the content of many useful elements in root vegetables;
• resistance to characteristic diseases;
• consistently high productivity;
• resistance to mechanical damage;
• frost resistance;
• low maintenance and weather conditions;
• lack of tendency to degeneracy;
• a minimum number of small and ugly fruits.

The variety has practically no disadvantages. Farmers note only its sensitivity to soil nutrition and watering - excess moisture leads to potato rotting.

What is the difference from other varieties

Features of planting and growing

For planting and growing Lugovskaya potatoes, standard agricultural technology rules are generally applied.

Preparing for landing

For planting, it is necessary to select high-quality seed: medium-sized sprouted tubers that have no traces of rot, spots or any other defects.

Reference! To germinate, the tubers need to be placed in a warm, well-lit place with a temperature of +20 ... + 25 ° C for 30 days.

24 hours before planting in the soil, the tubers need to be disinfected and treated with fungicides (Bordeaux mixture, copper oxychloride, Maxim), dipping them in the selected solution for 30 minutes. It would be useful to treat tubers with Epin or Kornevin for yield and resistance to diseases.

In the fall, the selected plot of land is dug up and fertilized with organic matter, and in the spring it is loosened and freed from weeds.

Soil requirements

Lugovskoy is undemanding to the soil. In heavy loamy soil it will not be possible to obtain a bountiful harvest, but in soil lightened with sand, enriched with humus and fertilized with humus, wood ash or peat, the yield increases noticeably.

Dates, scheme and rules of planting

Tubers are planted when the soil warms up to +10...+12°C, otherwise the risk of their rotting increases. In the south it is the end of April - mid-May, in the Urals and Siberia - the end of May - the beginning of June, and in the Moscow region and the Middle Zone - the beginning - end of May.

Lugovoy’s planting scheme is standard:

• draw even deep rows on the site at a distance of 70 cm from each other;
• dig holes 10-15 cm deep along the rows every 35 cm;
• pour 0.5 kg of humus and 0.5 cups of wood ash into them;
• lay seed in the holes to a depth of no more than 15 cm;
• fill and level the soil.

Reference! When planting potatoes in regions with a warm climate, the depth of the hole can be 10 cm, in cold regions - 15 cm.

Features of cultivation

Basic rules for cultivating the Lugovskoy potato variety:

• choose a well-lit place for planting, where there are no drafts or stagnant moisture, and groundwater lies at a depth of at least 2.5 m;
• change the planting location annually, and if this is not possible, then sow the soil after harvesting with green manure;
• give preference to light, fertile soil, despite the unpretentiousness of the variety.

Nuances of care

The key to high yields and obtaining high-quality, large fruits is compliance with agrotechnical norms and rules.

Watering mode

Water the potatoes with settled water, the temperature of which is equal to the ambient temperature so that the soil is moistened to about 50 cm in depth.

Under favorable weather conditions and sufficient precipitation, it is enough to water the plants three times during the entire growing season:

• when the green part rises 10-15 cm above the ground, with earlier moistening, the growth of surface roots begins, causing a constant moisture deficit (4 liters of water for each bush);
• at the beginning of flowering;
• right after it.

Reference! It is necessary to water the potatoes fractionally, pouring out the water in portions after the previous part has been completely absorbed by the soil.

Top dressing

You need to apply fertilizer to potato bushes at least twice a season. During budding, foliar feeding with “Bitoxibacillin”, “Lurastim”, “Fitoverm” or “Akarin” is useful - this helps to increase the yield and immunity of the plant.

During the season, mullein, bird droppings, potassium and magnesium sulfate, superphosphate and complex mineral fertilizers are also used.

It is important to ensure that the fertilizer does not contain urea and that the nitrogen content is a maximum of 10%. These substances promote the growth of green mass and inhibit the development of root crops.

Weeding and hilling

The first hilling of the bushes is carried out after the emergence of seedlings, and then after each watering or rain. This helps eliminate weeds and create favorable temperature conditions, humidity levels and oxygen, which has a good effect on the development of root crops.

Weeding begins after the appearance of strong and strong shoots. Till the soil between the rows, repeating the procedure approximately three times every two weeks if necessary.

Disease and pest control

How to avoid diseases and pest attacks:

• carefully select tubers for planting and use only healthy, undamaged potatoes;
• before planting, disinfect and treat tubers with insecticides;
• take into account crop rotation, follow watering rules and harvest crops in a timely manner;
• Place onion peels and wood ash in the planting holes.

In case of disease development, the bushes are treated with fungicidal preparations “Fitosporin”, “Maxidom”, “Kuproksat”, “Artsedil”.

Among the pests, the greatest danger to Lugovsky are Colorado potato beetles, aphids, spider mites, cicadas, potato flies, mole crickets and wireworms. Insecticides “Commander”, “Fitoverm”, “Vermitek”, “Calypso”, “Karbofos”, “Lepidotsid”, “Regent”, “Aktellik” will help in the fight against insects.

Harvest and storage

Harvest immediately after the tops turn yellow, wither and fall off. Approximately 7-10 days before digging up the potatoes, mow them down - this will increase the nutritional value of the tubers.

How and when to collect

The first root crops are dug up already in mid-summer, but full harvesting takes place in late August-early September, in warm and dry weather. It is important to dig up the tubers on time, otherwise they may lose their taste or become infected with late blight.

Storage features and keeping quality of the variety

The dug up tubers are laid out in the sun for 2-3 hours to dry, and then sorted, getting rid of damaged and rotten potatoes.

The best root vegetables are placed in boxes, bags or nets and stored in a dark room with good ventilation, humidity 80-90% and temperature +13-18 °C. The temperature is gradually lowered until it reaches +2...+4°C. Under these conditions, the potatoes do not wrinkle or soften until the next harvest. Lugovsky's keeping quality is up to 97%.

What difficulties may there be when growing

When growing Lugovsky, the following problems are most likely:

• rotting of root crops due to excessive watering;
• development of Alternaria and Fusarium due to untimely harvesting;
• low yield when growing potatoes in heavy loamy soil.

Such problems can be minimized or completely avoided by following the rules for caring for potatoes.

Reviews about the Lugovskoy variety

The advantages of the variety make Lugovskaya practically the number 1 choice for Russian gardeners and collect only positive reviews:

Alexander, Orsk: «An excellent variety, I have been growing it for more than 5 years, and every year it pleases me with an abundant harvest and the quality of the tubers, which grow large and even. The only negative is that it is affected by Colorado potato beetles, but this is a problem with all varieties of potatoes.”

Larisa, Volzhsk: “We grow potatoes not only for ourselves, but also for sale. There are only 6 varieties, among them Lugovskaya. At first we planted it quite a bit, but we are constantly increasing the volume, because it is in demand - the tubers are tasty, look perfect, store well and can withstand transportation.”

Mikhail, Tver: “I’ve been growing only Lugovskaya for about 10 years. A neighbor recommended this variety to me, for which I thank him very much. I didn’t even think about replacing the variety with some other one - I don’t see any need for it. Of course, fighting Colorado potato beetles gets boring, not without it, but in my memory there is no variety that these insects would not be interested in.”

Read also:

The hardy Lapot potato variety is not afraid of bad weather.

Why is solanine dangerous in potatoes?

Conclusion

Lugovskoy is one of the most popular potato varieties.Consistently high yield, pleasant taste, immunity to a number of diseases and ease of care with good keeping quality and excellent commercial qualities of the tubers are not all the advantages of the variety, thanks to which gardeners prefer it.