The beginning of May is the traditional time for planting potatoes in Belarus. How not to make a mistake with the variety and get a tasty and rich harvest, they told at the Academy of Sciences.
Due to their special nutritional properties, potatoes are often called “second bread”. Today, about 4 thousand varieties of potatoes are cultivated in the world, and about 45 in Belarus. Varieties differ in ripeness, color of the pulp and peel, as well as in purpose.
Yulia Gunko, Head of the Potato Breeding Department of the Republican Unitary Enterprise Scientific and Practical Center for Potato and Horticulture of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, told Sputnik correspondent Olga Demenchuk about the most popular potato varieties.
Palace
The specialist says that the “Palace” potato variety belongs to the early table varieties. “Distinctive external features of the variety are red skin and light yellow flesh. The variety “Palace” is resistant to a complex of diseases, and its yield is about 65 t/ha,” Yulia Gunko explains. Potato variety “Palace” has early tuber formation and rapid accumulation of the crop in the first half of the growing season.
Breeze
“Breeze” is a medium-early large-tuber variety of table potatoes with yellow flesh and skin. “This variety of potatoes has excellent taste qualities – it is equally good for the production of frozen vegetable mixtures and for cooking french fries,” the expert notes.
The variety is resistant to a complex of diseases, has early tuber formation and rapid accumulation of the crop in the first half of the growing season.
Manifesto
“Manifesto” is a medium-early high-yielding variety of table potatoes. “The yield of the variety reaches up to 73.0 t/ha,” Yulia Gunko points out.
You can recognize the variety by the red skin and light yellow flesh. “Manifesto” is suitable for the production of French fries, the manufacture of side dishes, as well as vacuuming.
This potato variety is quite disease resistant. It responds well to intensive growing conditions and is resistant to mechanical damage.
belongings
“Skarb” refers to mid-season varieties of table potatoes. The variety has yellow flesh and skin, suitable for the production of frozen mixed vegetables and french fries. Resistant to complex diseases. “This variety of potatoes effectively uses natural fertility and is characterized by a high payback of mineral fertilizers, and also has a long physiological dormant period of tubers,” the specialist notes.
Lel
“Lel” is a mid-season variety of table potatoes. Its skin is red and its flesh is yellow. Variety “Lel” is great for making crispy potatoes. It is resistant to a complex of diseases and is suitable for cultivation on light and medium soils.
Vectar
“Vektar” is a medium-late variety of table potatoes. The skin of this potato variety is red and the flesh is yellow. Variety “Vektar” is equally good for the production of french fries, and for the manufacture of garnish potatoes, as well as vacuuming – the starch content in it reaches 19.2%. The variety is resistant to a complex of diseases and is suitable for growing on all types of soils.
pershaflower
The specialist says that the ultra-early table variety Pershatsvet is becoming more and more attractive to consumers. Its peel is red, and the flesh is light yellow, the variety has excellent taste. The variety is resistant to a complex of diseases. It responds to an increase in the background of mineral nutrition by increasing the share of the marketable fraction. It has early tuber formation and rapid accumulation of the crop in the first half of the growing season.
Nara
Variety of potatoes “Nara” – another medium-late variety of table potatoes that is gaining popularity. The variety has yellow skin and flesh.
“The Nara potato variety has excellent taste qualities, suitable for making crispy, garnish potatoes, as well as dry mashed potatoes. It is resistant to a complex of diseases. The Nara potato variety is highly resistant to mechanical damage,” said Yulia Gunko.
