Potato Empress

Empress is an innovative variety that gives every gardener a chance to grow elite potatoes. The variety was bred by the "SeDeK" agrofirm and has not yet been included in the State Register.

Empress is a compact, early maturing variety with excellent pulp and beautiful narrow tubers. Unlike many varieties, Empress can be grown from seed and are easy to find commercially. The cost of seeds is much lower than that of seed nodules.

Elite potatoes are grown from seeds, which are more productive than those propagated vegetatively. It will be better adapted to the conditions of a particular farm, and endurance has a strong effect on crop yield. In addition, regular potatoes degenerate after 6-7 years. It is optimal to sow vegetative material no older than 3 years, but when buying it is impossible to determine the age of the nodules. Under the guise of the elite, you can get material for 5 or even 7 years old. Growing from seed reliably produces high quality potatoes.

The bush is compact, with moderate vigor, but long-lasting: the ground part does not dry out and does not lie down all season.

Tubers are elongated-oval, medium-sized - 70-145 grams each, fit well in the hand. The peel is yellow, smooth, slightly glossy, elastic and thin in appearance, with shallow and medium-sized eyes. The pulp is yellow. The starch content is average - 14-16%.

Table variety, universal purpose, with excellent taste. The starch content in tubers is just in the golden mean. Such potatoes are quite dense, but at the same time tender, without soapiness. The Empress is ideal for any fresh food: salads, soups, frying, mashed potatoes.

The empress ripens early, 55-65 days after germination, or 70-90 days after planting. Keeping quality is good, 95% of tubers remain without losses until spring.

The yield is very high, with good agricultural technology at 300-400 c / ha. One bush gives from 7 to 10 dense, tight potatoes with a total weight of up to 1.5 kg. The output of marketable tubers is excellent - 91%.

The bushes of the variety are small, so the Empress is planted more densely than other varieties: in the aisles - 60 cm, between the plants - 20 cm.

Features of growing the Empress from seeds.

1. Sowing in late February, early March, April - it depends on the region. Soak the seeds in a weak potassium permanganate for 1 hour. Dry.

2. Prepare containers with a mixture of peat (3 parts), humus (2 parts), garden soil and sand (1 part each).

3. Sprinkle the seeds on well-compacted soil, sprinkle with a thin layer of earth.

4. Place in a warm place with a temperature of + 20 ... 25 ° С.

5. After 3 weeks, when the seeds appear, move the containers to a very bright place.

6. In the phase of 2-3 true leaves, the potatoes dive, deepening to the cotyledons.

7. Landing in the ground - in the middle to the end of May.

8. In the fall, the first nodules are dug up.

9. Table potatoes can be obtained from these nodules in the 2nd year.

In the 1st year, the plants are quite sensitive, more demanding than eggplant seedlings, therefore, high agricultural technology and close attention will be required. What difficulties are possible.

1. Excessively dense soil. Adult potatoes also love loose soil, but they are more hardy. Seedlings begin to hurt, the black leg is especially dangerous.

2. Plants freeze and do not grow. The soil must be nutritious, the plants grow roots very slowly. Regular fertilization - 1 time per month solves the issue.

3. The seedlings are pulled out. Young potatoes are very sensitive to lack of light.

The main attention when sowing seeds should be given to the choice of soil and place for seedlings. If there is not enough light, phytolamps are used. Before planting, the soil must be sterilized, the plantings are periodically treated with Epin and spilled with Zircon. Water regularly, but in moderation.

From an adult Empress, you can get two crops in a year. How to do it:

1. 60-70 days after the emergence of shoots, gently rake the ground under the bushes;

2. select all large tubers;

3. sprinkle with earth to the previous level;

4. dig out a re-crop a few weeks before frost.

Otherwise, the Empress requires usual care: removing weeds, loosening, hilling, loves moderate watering in dry summers and fertile, fluffy soil.

The variety is resistant to common scab, golden nematode, late blight of roots and leaves. This applies to adult plants from the 2nd year of life.

Reviews are conflicting. The variety attracts attention, but growing from seed is challenging. The harvest from young plants is varied and uneven, and the bushes themselves are strongly affected by late blight. Growing potatoes from seedlings, indeed, requires skill - in the 1st year, it is better not to plant seedlings in open ground, grow optimally in a greenhouse.

The rest of the variety is pleasant.He has very beautiful tubers. The elongated shape also makes them exotic. The variety has excellent taste, impeccable, excellent consistency. Early maturity is also a bright plus, especially for regions where plantings begin to suffer from diseases by the end of summer.