Potatoes Latona

Dutch potato varieties are distinguished by high yields, excellent appearance, and also unpretentious care. Latona potatoes are considered the standard of European breeding, which is very popular in Russia.

The originator was the Dutch company HZPC Holland B. V. The crop was bred in 1990 and approved for use in 1996. The purpose of the variety is table. Good yields are achieved in the Central Black Region, North-West and Central regions.

Bushes are tall, erect, not creeping. The tops are dense, lush and slightly spreading. The stems are strong and powerful, there are few of them in the bush. The leaves are medium, dark green with a slight ribbed edging.

Corollas are small, inflorescence is white. The berries on the tops are small, rounded, deep green in color.

Summer residents note the fast ripening period, high yield and good presentation of the potatoes. The culture perfectly tolerates a short drought, and is also unpretentious in care. Due to its good keeping quality, potatoes can be transported over long distances without loss of quality.

Tubers are oval, large and medium in size. Weight varies from 85 to 135 g. The color of the peel is yellow, it is smooth and thin. The pulp is dense inside, not watery, light yellow. The color of the flesh does not darken during cooking. Many eyes are formed, but they are all shallow in depth.

9-12 tubers of different sizes ripen on one bush.

Latona potatoes can be used to prepare first and second courses, as well as for cooking soup. The digestibility of the variety is average, so it will take a little more time to make mashed potatoes.

Many people find it difficult to fry these potatoes due to their high starch content.

The tasting grade is 4.9 points. The fruit taste is pleasant and rich.

In terms of ripening, potatoes belong to the early ripening groups. On average, the growing season takes 80 to 90 days.

Latona potatoes are renowned for their yield. On one bush, from 9 to 12 tubers can form, sometimes more. On average, one bush yields up to 2 kg of potatoes.

The average yield is 291-300 c / ha, and the maximum - 462 c / ha.

Correct planting is the key to the future harvest, so it is worth paying a little more attention to this.

Potatoes are best planted when the daily air temperature warms up to + 10 ° C. This time falls in May. 2 weeks before planting, the selected area is dug up and fertilized. Holes or trenches are formed. The depth of the fossa is chosen at half a bayonet shovel or 15 cm. The distance between the bushes is 30-40 cm, and between the rows - from 60 cm. It is not worth planting the culture more densely, since there is a risk of infection with fungal diseases.

Further care of the culture should be as follows.

• Watering. The main irrigation occurs at the beginning of bud formation and flowering. The rest of the time it is worth watering as needed.

• Top dressing. It is not worthwhile to carry out this procedure too intensively. Potatoes take all useful minerals from the soil. Therefore, it is best to pay attention to the ground. But if a shortage of useful elements was noticed, then you need to spill the bushes with urea diluted with water, and also add potassium at the time of flowering, and periodically feed with superphosphate, if this has not been done earlier.

• Hilling is an important stage in the formation of the future harvest. At the moment of loosening, the earth is broken and supplied with oxygen, and the bushes develop and stretch out. Hilling removes various weeds that can cause fungal diseases or pests (such as wireworms). The first hilling is carried out when the growth of the bush is 15-20 cm, the second - after 2 weeks.

Although Latona potatoes have good immunity, it is not uncommon for the plant to get sick with improper care.

Most often, the culture is exposed to late blight. This is the most dangerous disease that appears in extreme heat and excessive moisture. Formless dark spots are characteristic. If you do not start prevention, then over time, the disease will spread to all the bushes, as it shares spores.

Common scab affects fruits, leads to deformation and impairs taste. After harvest, tubers quickly flabby and lose their shape. The insidiousness of this disease lies in the fact that it is almost impossible to understand and determine whether the plant is sick, since the scab does not leave its marks on the tops. It appears due to the increased acidity of the soil. Therefore, it is necessary to periodically lower the pH level with watering.

Among insects, the Colorado potato beetle causes great harm. He feasts on tops and tubers. You can fight it by spraying (with urea) or collecting it by hand. And also some gardeners recommend setting traps. Finely chopped potatoes are used as bait.

The wireworm eats fruits and stems. You can get rid of it with the help of nitrogen-containing fertilizers.