An amazing variety of potato “Vitalot” with purple skin and pulp

Vitalot (in French Vitelotte) is a unique potato variety with dark purple, almost black, skin. Its tubers are distinguished by their rich lilac-colored flesh, which does not lose its exotic color during the cooking process. This variety is expensive and is not grown on an industrial scale in the Russian Federation.

Description of potato variety

Vitalot is a late-ripening colored variety. Since landings It takes 100 to 110 days before harvest. The yield is low: no more than 15 tons can be harvested from 1 hectare. Thanks to the thick peel, Vitalot has good shelf life, so it is suitable for long-term storage.

Vitalot tubers absorb three times less nitrates from the soil than average varieties. They are rich in antioxidants (lutein and zeaxanthin) and anthocyanins, which give them their unique color. 100 g of Vitalot potatoes contains from 9 to 40 mg of these substances.

Reference. Purple potatoes are high in vitamins E, C and carotenoids. Two potatoes contain as much vitamin C as one lemon.

Thanks to its rich composition, Vitalot is good for health. Its nutrients contribute to:

• lowering blood pressure, so the variety is recommended for inclusion in the menu of hypertensive patients;
• slowing down the aging process of the body and strengthening the immune system due to the increased content of antioxidants;
• improvement of vision due to the carotenoids contained in the tubers, which are involved in the synthesis of vitamin A;
• strengthening and increasing the elasticity of vascular walls;
• preventing the development of cancer and atherosclerosis.

Origin and development

There is little accurate information about the origin of the Vitalot variety. There is a version that purple potatoes were bred in South America (Peru, Bolivia), where they are widespread today.

Vitelotte means “alive” in French. The name was first mentioned in 1812. It also appears in Notes on Agriculture (Paris edition, 1817). According to them, the Royal Society of Agriculture ranked Vitalot among the six most famous potato varieties in Paris.

Distinctive features, appearance

Tubers of this variety, due to the high content of anthocyanins, are characterized by a rich purple color of both the peel and the pulp. They are distinguished by an oblong irregular shape with a bumpy surface. The length of the potato reaches no more than 10 cm. It weighs between 70 and 100 g.

The pulp has a dense consistency. When boiling, frying and stewing, it does not lose its unique purple color and cooks well.

Reference. Vitalot's starch content is 8-10%. These potatoes have a pleasant, rich, sweetish taste with a slight nutty note.

Description and characteristics of the plant and crop

The bush is medium-sized, slender, multi-stemmed. Young stems and leaves of Vitalot are characterized by the same purple color. Over time, the green color appears, which in adult plants predominates in the color of the leaves. The lower part of the stem remains purple. The flowers are white.

Vitalot has a low yield.From 100 sq. m yield about 150 kg of harvest. Due to this circumstance, potatoes are not grown on an industrial scale.

For which regions is it best suited?

In the CIS, Vitalot potatoes are not grown on an industrial scale. It can only be found in the beds of small farms. The climate of the southern and eastern regions of the country is considered more suitable for growing this crop.

How to grow this variety

The variety is whimsical and loves a lot of light. Requires light soil: thrives in sandy loam soil, soddy-podzolic soil, and light chernozem.

Dates, scheme and rules of planting

To grow Vitalot potatoes at your dacha plot, you will need to prepare the soil in advance. A well-lit area where they plan to plant colored potatoes is dug up in the fall and fertilized with potash fertilizers and superphosphate. It is advisable to add humus: per 1 sq. m 0.5 kg.

Reference. Proper preparation of tubers for planting is important. If the planting material is properly germinated, germination will be fast and uniform, and the tubers will set on time. This will also reduce losses if the planting is affected by late blight.

For planting, select tubers that have developed eyes and sprouts up to 1 cm in length. 4-6 weeks before the expected date of planting in the ground, potatoes begin to sprout. Suitable tubers are placed in 8-10 kg boxes and left in a room where the temperature is maintained at +10...+15°C. When the first shoots appear, the temperature is reduced to + 5 ... + 7 ° C and the planting material is provided with good lighting. Light will prevent excessive elongation of shoots.

Sprouted tubers are planted in the second half of April, when the soil temperature is +6...+8°C.It is important that there are no frosts - Vitalot does not tolerate them well.

Healthy tubers are planted in open ground to a depth of 7 to 10 cm. Before planting, they are treated with a fungicide to prevent fungal diseases.

Important! The rows are arranged from north to south. Plants require even light throughout the day.

Vitalot bushes spread out greatly in width, forming many long stolons. Therefore, when planting, maintain a large distance between holes and rows: to grow one bush, up to 1 square meter is required. m area.

Care

When caring for purple potatoes Proper watering is important. It is first produced when the sprouts reach a height of 5-10 cm. The second time the plants are watered during the budding period in order to increase the number of tubers. Water the third time at the end of flowering.

Important! Over-watering the soil harms potatoes. The amount of water for irrigation is determined by soil type and weather.

The first hilling begins when the shoots appear. It will protect the plants from possible frosts and conserve moisture. In the future, hilling will be required to prevent the bushes from “falling apart” and to pull the tubers to the surface. Weeding will also be required to get rid of weeds.

Diseases and pests

Purchased preparations such as Bankola, Bushido, Gulliver, Zubr, Calypso, Karbofos, Karate, Commander, and Prestige will help protect plants from late blight and scab, Colorado beetles and other pests. " and "Regent".

You can fight late blight by disinfecting the soil with strong fungicides, for example, Thanos, Ridomil, or the microbiological agent Fitosporin-M. The planting material is also treated with the Maxim 25 fungicide on the eve of planting in open ground.

Nuances of cultivation and possible difficulties

Vitalot is more demanding to care for compared to other potato varieties. It is susceptible to scab and late blight, and suffers from attacks by the Colorado potato beetle, which is attracted to purple potato plantings.

Reference. Gardeners do not recommend propagating colored potato varieties, including Vitalot, using eyes. This leads to the tubers becoming very small.

The yield indicator when growing the Vitalot variety is determined by the quality of care and the type of soil. Low yields are obtained when tubers are planted in loamy soil.

When growing, Vitalot requires at least four hillings per season. Otherwise, many new stems will appear, but tubers will not form. Hilling allows you to increase the yield of the bush. Mechanical processing of beds is inconvenient and requires a lot of manual labor, which increases the price of potatoes of this variety.

Collection, storage and use of crops

The Vitalot variety matures later - within 100-110 days from planting. The tubers have a thick skin, which allows the vegetable to be stored all winter without loss. The harvest should be kept in a dry, dark and cool place.

This potato variety is appreciated by gourmets. There are practically no rejected tubers; everything goes to the table. Thanks to their bright sweetish taste and dense texture, potatoes are suitable for preparing various dishes. It is used for cooking, frying, baking. As the potatoes cool, they acquire a nutty flavor.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

In addition to its unusual appearance, the Vitalot variety has other advantages:

• tubers have an average marketability (approximately 80% of the total harvest);
• good transportability and resistance to mechanical damage;
• high percentage of shelf life - up to 94%;
• potato cancer resistance;
• excellent tasting characteristics;
• universal use.

The main advantage of this colored potato is the large amount of antioxidants it contains.

Disadvantages include poor protection of the plant from fungal and viral infections.

Farmer reviews

Despite the fact that the variety is rare, it can be found on the plots of experienced gardeners. Reviews about it are mostly positive.

Oksana, Tver: “In 2012, I purchased purple potato seed called Vitalot on the Internet. They sent 16 small tubers. Each one had sprouts. Before planting, I washed them in warm water. The variety turned out to be productive - there are about 20 potatoes in the bush. They are shaped like an elongated, clumsy spindle. Harvested at the end of September. Digging is very inconvenient. The color of the potatoes blends with the color of the earth, and the tubers themselves are located at a considerable distance from the bush. The 16 planted pieces turned into a large bucket with a heap of harvest.”

Alexey, Penza: “I grow the Vitalot variety in beds with other potato varieties. There are no problems with care. After cooking the color of the tubers becomes a little lighter. The taste is not much different from regular potatoes.”

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Limonka potato variety: description, characteristics and reviews.

Is it possible to eat potatoes if you have high cholesterol?

Conclusion

Vitalot potatoes have an exotic appearance, but caring for them is not much different from caring for ordinary late varieties. Properly selected soil for planting and adequately implemented agricultural technology will allow you to get a good harvest.