Useful properties, cultivation features and description of purple potato variety

The unusual purple color, the composition rich in minerals, vitamins and flavonoids, the delicious nutty taste of potatoes - all this seems incredible to the Russian gardener. However, purple potatoes are becoming increasingly popular in our country. Let's consider why this vegetable is so good and what are the subtleties of growing it in different climatic zones.

Description of the variety

Purple potatoes have a delicate, nutty flavor and are distinguished by interesting tuber colors: from pale lilac to bright purple. It is especially valued for its beneficial properties and chemical composition.

Origin and development

The lilac-colored peel and pulp are not related to genetic engineering. Presumably colored potatoes originated in South America, then they became widely used in many countries around the world.

Reference! About 120 intermediate potato samples are involved in the development of breeders, which will make it possible to obtain new varieties and hybrids in the future.

Culture appeared in Russia relatively recently. Scientists are working to improve potato keeping quality and disease resistance.

Varieties of varieties

There are a few purple potato varieties foreign and domestic selection. Some have an unusual color only on the skin, others are purple and purple inside.

Blue Danube

This mid-early variety of English selection is resistant to diseases, mechanical damage and drought. It has a dense peel of a lilac-violet hue. The yield of Blue Danube potatoes is about 350 c/ha. The white pulp is tasty and does not become overcooked. Used for soups, salads and frying.

Gypsy

Medium early variety does not tolerate drought well, is resistant to cancer, gray rot, and scab. The flesh is yellowish and tender. The tubers have thin skins, so it is recommended to dig them up by hand. Productivity is 200–250 c/ha, from 6 to 14 potatoes are produced in one bush.

All Blue

The name of the variety of this purple potato means “All Blue” in English. The tubers have an interesting color: the peel and the middle of the pulp are dark blue, and the top layer is light blue. If you cut a potato, a light ring is clearly visible on the cut. During heat treatment, the color of the pulp is preserved.

The oval tubers are large: some weigh up to 200 g. The harvest does not last long, about 3 months, and germinates quickly.

Lilac

Russian mid-season variety. Tubers are medium in size, yield is 150–180 kg per hundred square meters. The potato flesh is lilac with a slight almond flavor. Good for salads.

Miracle Man

The mid-season potato Chudesnik was created at the Ural Research Institute of Agriculture. The peel and pulp are violet-amethyst, the taste is more delicate than that of ordinary tubers. Vegetables are rich in vitamin C.

The culture is resistant to fungal diseases and unfavorable climatic conditions. Productivity is low: 100–180 c/ha.

Adirondack Blue

Mid-season potatoes of American selection. Productivity reaches 400 kg per hundred square meters of land. The crop is susceptible to scab and late blight. The harvest is poorly stored; already in the middle of winter it begins to germinate and becomes soft.The pulp is inky in color, does not boil well, is more suitable for frying.

Miami

A mid-early variety, resistant to late blight, suitable for growing in the Moscow region, Siberia, and the Urals. Productivity - 350–400 c/ha. The peel and pulp of large tubers (weigh up to 110 g) are blue-violet. Miami potatoes have a sweetish taste; the vegetable is suitable for mashing.

Vitelot (French truffle)

A late variety, the tubers produce small ones (no more than 10 cm in length). Under the bush, 6-8 vegetables are formed, weighing 60-75, less often - up to 100 g. Gardeners note low yields: even under favorable conditions, no more than 200 kg are harvested from 1 hectare of land.

Reference! Alexandre Dumas especially liked this variety.

Truffle potatoes have a pleasant nutty taste and have good shelf life due to their thick skin. It is considered a gourmet variety. The dark purple pulp contains a lot of anthocyanins and starch. Suitable for purees.

Purple Peruvian (Peruvian purple)

Medium-yielding and fairly late variety. The mass of the tuber is about 80 g; about 180 kg of potatoes are harvested from one hundred square meters of land. The pulp has a pronounced hazelnut flavor, so it is often added to salads, even raw. The vegetable is purple outside and inside.

Chemical composition

All purple potato varieties contain:

• anthocyanins;
• calcium and potassium;
• phenolic acids;
• vitamins B1, B2, B5, B6, A, C, E;
• carotenoids.

Tubers contain 12-13% starch, which is significantly lower than that of their white-yellow counterparts. Therefore, this unusual vegetable is classified as a dietary product.

Ripening period

Typically, 60–90 days pass from the appearance of the first shoots to full ripening. These values ​​vary depending on the variety.

Productivity

Most varieties of purple potatoes have high yields: up to 400 kg per 1 hectare of land. The exceptions are the Lilac, Vitelot and Peruvian Violet varieties. Their yield does not exceed 200 kg per 1 hectare.

Disease resistance

Lilac-purple potatoes are less resistant to diseases and pests than regular potatoes.

Main diseases:

• late blight;
• scab;
• bacterial cancer;
• all types of rot.

Characteristics of tubers

Depending on the variety, the pulp is white, yellow or inky in color, and the peel is always colored and quite dense. The weight of oblong tubers varies from 60 to 150 g.

Climate requirements

Potatoes with colored pulp are not yet grown on an industrial scale in the CIS. However, summer residents who are ready to experiment are equally successful in cultivating this vegetable in all regions of Russia, except Siberia and the Far East: due to the harsh climate, the crop grows poorly. Some varieties (Miami, Chudesnik) are more resistant to adverse weather conditions.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

The main advantages of purple potatoes are their nutritional value and rich composition. The main disadvantages are susceptibility to disease and poor shelf life.

Features of purple-colored potatoes:

• tubers and pulp of unusual color, nutty taste;
• the culture is more capricious in care and is stored worse;
• Potatoes remain colored even after heat treatment.

Beneficial features

Purple potatoes contain potassium, which contributes to the smooth functioning of the cardiovascular system. Anthocyanins and polyphenols have antioxidant activity and inhibit the aging of the body.

Ascorbic acid helps strengthen the immune system, vitamin E helps maintain water balance and beauty of the skin, and B vitamins strengthen the nervous system. Carotenoids are indispensable for the full functioning of the human endocrine system, calcium is important for the skeletal system.

Dietary fiber improves the functioning of the digestive system. Due to its low starch content, the vegetable is approved for feeding people with diabetes.

Features of planting and growing

When cultivating this vegetable, it is recommended to take into account some nuances. The culture is demanding to care for and requires patience and certain skills.

Preparing for landing

Tubers begin to be prepared 1.5 months before planting. They are transferred from storage to a warmer place and laid out in one layer.

Important! The ideal temperature for tuber germination is +10…+12°C. To speed up the appearance of sprouts, the seeds are periodically sprayed with water.

When the sprouts reach 2 cm, the potatoes are brought out into the light so that the sprouts do not stretch too much.

Soil requirements

The yield and taste of vegetables depend on the composition of the soil. The most unsuitable soil for purple potatoes is loam, the most favorable is light and fertile, saturated with air. The vegetable does not tolerate drought well, but stagnation of water must also be avoided.

Before planting, the soil is dug up twice: in the fall, before the first frost, and in the spring, immediately before planting. If the soil is too hard, add river sand.

Dates, scheme and rules of planting

The vegetable is planted in the spring, when the soil warms up to +5...+7°C, since the plant does not tolerate late spring frosts.

Holes about 10 cm deep are made in the dug up soil, and wood ash is added for disinfection.The holes are made according to a 35x60 cm pattern to provide enough space for rooting and formation of bushes. Potatoes are planted in the prepared holes using one of the selected methods.

Features of cultivation

Growing purple potatoes is no different from cultivating regular varieties.

There are two planting methods:

• traditional eyed;
• seedling

With the eye method, the prepared seed material is buried in the holes, sprinkled with wood ash. The first shoots usually appear 10–14 days after planting.

In the second option, the seeds are sown at home for seedlings. After this, the finished sprouts are transferred to a permanent place. Replanting begins in May, when the soil warms up to +5...+7°C.

Nuances of care

To successfully cultivate purple potatoes and obtain a rich harvest, you need to feed the plants, water and weed in a timely manner.

Watering mode

Caring for plants involves constant monitoring of soil moisture. If there has been no precipitation for 10–15 days, the seedlings are watered with warm water. Irrigation is especially important during budding and after flowering. It is necessary to avoid stagnation of water in the soil.

When an earthen crust forms, it is thoroughly loosened.

Top dressing

Purple potato varieties require periodic feeding: during budding and after flowering. Organic and potassium fertilizers are used. Before planting, it is advisable to add humus at the rate of 0.5 kg per 1 m².

Weeding and hilling

The first hilling is carried out after the appearance of friendly shoots. This will protect young bushes from return frosts and retain moisture. The procedure is repeated when the plants reach a height of 30–35 cm.

Weeding is carried out several times during the summer as needed.

Disease and pest control

Many varieties are resistant to major potato diseases, but precautions are never superfluous.

Attention! Before planting, the seeds are treated with a fungicide and treated with potassium permanganate. This will protect the plants from late blight and some pests.

It is important to change the planting location, alternating crops on the site with legumes and cruciferous vegetables.

For potato diseases, Bordeaux mixture, copper sulfate, Kuprikol, Kurzat R (preparations based on copper salts), Ditan M-45 (active ingredient - mancozeb), Shirlan, Thanos are used.

Colorado beetles and click beetles are the main enemies of the crop. They spoil the tops and appearance of tubers, reduce productivity and negatively affect the shelf life of vegetables. Pests are eliminated using insecticides.

Harvest and storage

The conditions for collecting and storing purple potatoes largely depend on the varietal characteristics.

How and when to collect

Some varieties of tubers have quite thick skin; vegetables are harvested using special equipment or a walk-behind tractor:

• Witelot;
• Blue Danube;
• Peruvian purple.

It is better to dig up more tender tubers by hand with a shovel or pitchfork. These varieties include:

• All Blue;
• Gypsy;
• Lilac;
• Adirondack Blue;
• Miracle Man;
• Miami.

Otherwise, the harvesting technique is the same as with regular potatoes. After ripening, the bushes are pre-pruned, leaving the stems at a height of 10–12 cm.

Tubers are dug up only in dry weather. Vegetables are dried in the sun or under a canopy.

Storage features and shelf life

Most varieties cannot withstand long-term storage. For this reason, summer residents allocate a small plot of land for the delicious vegetable.

Keep the harvest at a temperature of +2...+3°C, in a place protected from sunlight.

The Vitelot, Peruvian Violet, and Blue Danube varieties have good shelf life (4–6 months). The rest are stored for no more than 3 months.

Difficulties in growing

The main problem when cultivating purple potatoes is protection from diseases and pests. It is important to maintain the water balance of the soil and prevent waterlogging and drying out.

Advice from experienced gardeners and reviews

Summer residents like the unusual color of vegetables, the taste, and the yield of the crop.

Serafima, Stary Oskol: “Last year we planted Vitelot in our dacha. The tubers turned out interesting and attractive. The grandchildren liked the unusual color, and my husband appreciated the nutty taste.”

Sergey, pos. Otradovka: “My wife likes to experiment, so she suggested planting purple potatoes in the garden. I ordered the Lilac variety. We planted about half a acre and got one and a half bags of potatoes. I watered it twice over the summer. Overall I liked it, it was delicious. I will plant more."

This is interesting:

High-yielding purple potato variety “Cornflower” from domestic breeders

Mid-early table potato variety Gourmet purple

Classification of potatoes by type

Conclusion

Potatoes of lilac, lilac, violet colors are quickly gaining popularity among domestic amateur gardeners. Tubers are valued not only for the unusual color of the pulp, but also for their beneficial dietary properties.

The vegetable is not yet grown on an industrial scale due to the need for care and low shelf life. However, science does not stand still; breeders are working to improve these indicators.There is every chance that in the near future, dishes made from purple potatoes will become commonplace on the tables of residents of Russia and the CIS countries.