Potato Tornado

Tornado is a selection novelty developed by Dutch scientists and is characterized not only by its beautiful appearance, but also by delicious fruits. Despite the fact that the variety is high-yielding, certain requirements must be observed in cultivation and care, which significantly affect the amount of the crop.

A relatively young hybrid. Listed in the State Register in 2017. Early maturing potatoes from the Netherlands have a number of advantages:

• high yield: with proper agricultural technology, the vegetable pleases with an excellent result;
• excellent taste;
• persistent immunity to most diseases;
• long storage time;
• unusual and expressive appearance.

Among the disadvantages, vegetable growers note the following.

• High price. Tornado is an elite variety.
• Weak resistance to late blight and porous scab.
• Demanding care.
• High sensitivity to metribuzin. The herbicide is used commercially to control weeds.

The bushes grow small, the stems are formed straight, non-sticking, however, requiring abundant watering due to rapid drying. The crop is capable of producing 2 crops per year when cultivated in warm climates.

Large fruits are oval in shape. On one bush, an average of 10 to 15 root crops are formed. The peel is smooth, with a shallow bed of small eyes, with an unusual bright crimson color. The pulp is white, with a high dry matter content (about 18%).

Tornado has excellent taste characteristics. A pleasant sweetness is inherent in the taste. Potatoes are suitable for preparing a variety of dishes (side dishes, salads, soups, mashed potatoes, etc.).

Early ripening variety. Full technical ripeness of tubers occurs 80-90 days from the day the first shoots appear. On day 50-60, you can dig in young potatoes.

Quite productive yield, especially with intensive growing method.

Tornado grows well on sandy loam soils. In the southern regions, the variety is capable of producing 2 crops per season in the open field. In the Central Black Earth Region and in the North Caucasus, it is possible to get a second crop using abundant irrigation or a greenhouse method.

To get a good harvest, you need to choose the right seed potatoes. Tubers of the first or second reproduction are best suited. But they need to be changed every 5 years.

In the southern regions, the variety is planted in late April - early May, when the ground warms up to 10 degrees Celsius. It is impossible to rush to land, since Tornado is a thermophilic species that categorically cannot withstand frosts. You should not plant the tubers in wet soil, you must wait until the soil dries out.

The landing site is prepared in advance. In September, the soil is carefully dug up and ridges are cut, while composting or humus is added. In the event of their destruction in March, the earth is again dug up and furrows are formed to a depth of at least 20 cm. Before planting in the spring, the soil can be fertilized with dolomite flour, rich in magnesium.

It takes 20 to 30 days for root crops to germinate.Select them carefully, rejecting the damaged ones. Seed material must meet certain characteristics: the weight of the tuber is 70-80 g, the height of the shoots is no more than 10 cm. When planting, they adhere to the scheme of 70 cm between rows and 25 between the holes. For 1 sq. m should grow no more than 6 bushes. The potatoes are buried to a depth of 10 cm.

They start caring for the site within a week after disembarkation. It must be remembered that this type of potato is very sensitive to drying out of the soil, therefore, in order not to violate the integrity of the microclimate in the ground, the main agrotechnical measures must be carried out with caution, without deep processing. Do not delay the weeding procedure, remove weeds at an early stage of growth.

Tornado mulching is an effective technique both in terms of keeping warm and enriching additional food. You need to be careful with hilling, since this procedure greatly dries up the soil, which negatively affects the development of the bushes. They spud them 1 time, from the moment the first shoots appear.

The composition of the soil and its acidity are very important conditions for obtaining a good harvest. The soil should be rich in humus, and the pH should be between 6 and 6.8. In the event of an increase or decrease in the pH level, the plant will be in a state of constant stress, due to which the root system will consume less micro and macro elements from the soil, which will negatively affect the yield.

As many gardeners note, the culture staunchly resists most of the infectious diseases inherent in potatoes. In order to prevent, the bushes can be treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate before planting.