Unpretentious early ripening potato variety "Lyubava" for long-term storage
Domestic potato varieties delight gardeners with excellent taste, ease of care, and high yields. The Lyubava variety is no exception. It is ideal for growing in any climate zone and attracts vegetable growers with its early ripening: tuber harvesting begins 60 days after planting. Moisture, heat and soil are the three main components to producing firm, neat, delicious potatoes.
The article will tell you what features the variety has, how to grow it and care for it.
Description of the variety
The Lyubava variety was created by domestic scientists. Breeders from the Federal State Budgetary Institution “VNII Potato Farming named after. A.G. Lorch" and the Kemerovo branch of the Siberian Federal Scientific Center for Agrobiotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences presented it to farmers in 2003. Then he was included in the list of the State Register of the Russian Federation.
Chemical composition, trace elements and vitamins
Tubers at the stage of technical ripeness contain:
- macroelements - potassium, magnesium, phosphorus;
- microelements - zinc, boron, vanadium and others;
- vitamin C, B vitamins;
- starch - from 11 to 17%.
The amount of starch depends on the type of soil. On soil rich in nutrients, Lyubava accumulates a large percentage of polysaccharides, so the tubers have a crumbly structure. On poor soil there is a minimum percentage of starch, the tubers become more watery and rough.
Ripening period
Lyubava - an early table variety. The growing season is 60-75 days.
Productivity
Variety characterized by high yields. Farmers will be able to collect from 300 to 520 centners per hectare.
Disease resistance
Breeders claim that Lyubava potatoes exhibit excellent resistance to tuber late blight and common scab. However, it has low immunity to golden potato cyst nematode.
Characteristics of tubers, description of appearance
Culture parameters:
- bush is medium, compact;
- stems ribbed, semi-erect;
- the leaves are small, dark green, rich, with a slightly wavy edge;
- flowers are bright, lilac-violet, collected in corymbs, corollas five-parted, medium in size;
- tubers are oval, neat, with red skin, with slight roughness;
- ocelli are medium-sized, slightly deepened;
- the pulp is dense, white;
- the weight of one potato is 120-200 g.
Other potato varieties:
Early ripening potato variety Rosara for the northern regions
Potatoes "Ilyinsky" for any soil and climate
Early ripening potatoes with high keeping quality "Red Sonya"
One bush produces up to 20 smooth, juicy potatoes. After heat treatment, the pulp becomes crumbly and tasty.
For which regions is it best suited, climate requirements?
The variety is suitable for growing in any climate, even in unfavorable ones, with prolonged drought or rainy seasons. Lyubava is perfect for regions with short summers - Siberia, the Urals, and the Far East.
Reference. Thanks to the early ripening of the variety, residents of the middle zone and southern regions harvest two full-fledged harvests in one summer.
The main advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Advantages:
early ripening;- attractive presentation of tubers;
- suitable for long-term storage and transportation due to its dense peel;
- tubers do not wither, do not crack, do not rot during the entire storage period;
- excellent keeping quality - up to 98%;
- rough leaf blades that the Colorado potato beetle larvae do not like to eat;
- high starch content - good taste and consumer properties.
Flaws:
- requires compliance with crop rotation if plants are affected by nematodes;
- sometimes suffers from late blight when grown in lowlands and poorly ventilated areas;
- needs careful prevention against fungal diseases.
What is the difference from other varieties
Lyubava differs from other varieties in its high starch content, dense tuber pulp and ease of care.
Features of planting and growing
Potatoes are a labor-intensive crop to plant, grow and maintain.
Preparing for landing
Equipment needed for planting potatoes:
- equipment - walk-behind tractor, cultivator, mini-tractor;
- hand tools - shovel, rake, hoe and pitchfork.
The type of equipment depends on the size of the site and financial capabilities. Hand tools must be selected correctly in size and weight, sharpened well, and preferably disinfected. Shovels, rakes, hoes and pitchforks should have comfortable handles and handles.
Germination of seed material begins 1-1.5 months before planting into open ground. The tubers are placed in a dry container treated with a solution of potassium permanganate. The container is sent to a bright, warm room at a temperature of +10…+15°C.
Tubers are considered suitable for planting when they form green sprouts 8-10 mm long.
Soil requirements
When choosing soil, the following rules are taken into account::
- choose a site that is sufficiently illuminated, moderately moist, with deep groundwater;
- soil - light, enriched, loamy, slightly acidic or neutral;
- the best predecessors are legumes, cabbage, cucumbers, green manure - mustard, rapeseed, radish, lupine, beans;
- It is not recommended to plant potatoes after tomatoes, peppers and garlic.
Properly prepared soil is the key to a rich harvest. Compacted soil must be plowed or dug up to create a loose layer.
To saturate the soil:
- in the fall, add 1.5-2 kg of double superphosphate and potassium sulfate per hundred square meters;
- in spring, in light soils - rotted manure, compost in the amount of 600-800 kg per hundred square meters;
- additionally fertilized with ammonium sulfate or urea at a dosage of 2-4 kg per hundred square meters.
It is not recommended to apply fresh manure before planting potatoes.. Otherwise, the area will be heavily overgrown with weeds, the sprouts will get burned, and pests will appear - mole crickets and May beetle larvae.
Dates, scheme and rules of planting
Boarding times vary by region:
- in the middle zone - the first ten days of May;
- in the Urals - the second half of May;
- in Siberia and the Far East - late May or early June;
- in the southern regions - early April.
Planting material is placed in beds according to the following scheme:
- the distance between future bushes is 30 cm;
- between ridges - 60-70 cm;
- embedment depth - 8-10 cm.
Landing rules:
- preliminary selection of seeds - select tubers with a diameter of 4-6 cm, without damage or symptoms of disease;
- the seeding rate depends on the size of the planting material; if you choose tubers weighing 80 g, you will need 28-29 kg of planting material per hundred square meters;
- soil temperature - +9...+10°C, birch buds begin to bloom.
Compliance with planting technology will allow you to get a rich harvest of tasty tubers.
Advice! In summer cottages, they follow the principle of 3-3.5 buckets of planting material per hundred square meters.
Features of cultivation
Growing healthy potatoes is not difficult if you take into account the nuances of caring for the bushes. The main enemies of the variety are weeds, pests and infections. Timely measures will improve the quality of tuber formation.
Nuances of care
Any vegetable crop needs careful and professional care. Lyubava needs extra attention.
Watering mode
Lyubava is drought resistant. But if necessary, watering is not excluded. It is better to water the plants at the same time as fertilizing.
Read also:
Unpretentious, mid-late potato variety “Nikulinsky”
Potatoes "Lileya" with even, smooth tubers and excellent taste
Top dressing
Three feedings are required throughout the entire growing season.:
- 30 days after planting. Nitrogen fertilizers are applied - a mixture of 15 g of urea and 0.5 liters of mullein, diluted in 10 liters of water;
- During the budding period, potassium-phosphorus fertilizers are needed. Recipe - 15 g of potassium sulfate, 15 g of superphosphate and 2 cups of wood ash;
- 2 weeks after flowering. Special complex fertilizers are applied - “Mag-Boron”, superphosphate.
After each feeding, water the bushes, avoiding water getting on the leaves and stems. Otherwise, the plants will get burned from the scorching sun.
Weeding and hilling
Weeds destroy potato plantings, attracting pests. The gardener chooses the frequency of weeding independently. Hilling improves oxygen access to the potato root system, stimulates the formation of new side shoots - shoots increase yield.
The first hilling is performed when the bush will reach 10-15 cm in height. Subsequent ones - every 2 weeks until flowering begins.
Disease and pest control
Vegetable the crop is often affected by infections and attacked by insects. Here are some tips:
- If late blight and common scab are detected on bushes, it is recommended to spray them with fungicides and a solution of copper sulfate. Follow the instructions. Destroy damaged plants.
- Collect wireworms and Colorado potato beetles by hand. Then treat the plantings with modern preparations against insect pests.
Effective pest control methods — compliance with crop rotation, timely weeding and destruction of diseased plants.
Harvest and storage
Lyubava is an early variety with a ripening period of 60-75 days. It is advisable to harvest in dry, warm, windless weather.
How and when to collect
Potatoes are dug up at the end of August or mid-September. The timing depends on the time of landing. 1-2 weeks before harvesting the tubers, it is advisable to remove the tops, leaving 15 cm from the stems. The procedure will speed up ripening and ensure good shelf life.
Collect tubers, separating large from small. Potatoes the size of a chicken egg are chosen as seed material. Large ones are left to dry in the sun for 1 day. Then they are placed in sand boxes or fabric bags. The tops are burned.
Storage features and keeping quality of the variety
Potatoes are stored in the cellar at temperatures from 0 to +4°C. Thanks to their excellent keeping quality (98%), the tubers are stored until spring, do not crack, rot or turn black.
What difficulties may there be when growing
It is not difficult to grow Lyubava and get a rich harvest of tasty potatoes if you follow agricultural practices.Gardeners claim that the variety can withstand prolonged drought and rainy summers.
The following problems may occur:
- damage by late blight and insect pests if crop rotation rules are not followed;
- low germination in case of violation of the germination procedure.
Advice from experienced gardeners and reviews about the Lyubava variety
Farmers It is recommended not only to follow the rules of crop rotation, but also to fertilize while planting potatoes. Add 3-4 g of superphosphate, a glass of wood ash and the same amount of humus to each hole. Fertilizers will saturate the young roots with nutrients.
Reviews about the Lyubava variety are only positive. Here are some of them.
Evgeny Fedorov, Saratov: “I tried many varieties of potatoes. And none of them pleased me with the results. Recently I was advised to purchase a new variety - Lyubava. I read the description on the Internet, looked at the photo and bought planting material. The variety surprised me - under each bush there were 15, 17 or 20 large, neat, unspoiled potatoes. Great for frying".
Ivan Korovin, Baranovichi: “I’ve been growing Lyubava for a long time. Personally, I identified three advantages: productivity, early maturity and taste. If you carefully care for the plantings, you can get two harvests in one season. At the same time as Lyubava, I grow Rosara. The first variety is inferior in terms of fruit weight, but its taste is much better.”.
Conclusion
Potatoes Lyubava are an early ripening variety with many positive qualities. It is unpretentious in care and undemanding to climatic conditions. Therefore, every gardener can grow potatoes.
Following the recommendations and advice from experienced farmers is the key to a rich harvest of large tubers with a rich taste.