Arizona potatoes: variety characteristics, taste, reviews

Description of the Arizona potato variety

Arizona potatoes are a variety imported from Holland. Included in the Russian State Register in 2013. Passed successful tests and was approved for cultivation in most regions of Central Russia:

• middle lane;
• Chernozem region;
• North Caucasus.

Refers to unpretentious crops, but is demanding on moisture. Arizona potatoes can be grown in other regions (southern Urals, Siberia) provided that they are regularly watered, especially during drought periods.

Main characteristics of the variety:

• mid-early – ripens in 70–80 days;
• table – starch content from 13% to 16%;
• medium height – 50–60 cm;
• leaf type plant.

The Arizona potato bush is semi-erect, rather spreading, so when planting, leave at least 70 cm between furrows. The leaves are large, green, and closed. Corollas are medium or large. The flowers are white.

The tubers are elongated oval in shape, large in size, reaching 5–7 cm in diameter, weighing 110–150 g, but they can be larger. Each Arizona potato bush produces 8–10 root crops. The skin is smooth, yellow, the eyes are small, barely noticeable. The pulp is light yellow, does not darken when cut, boils moderately, and tastes pleasant. Score based on tasting results - at least 4 points out of 5.

Arizona potato tubers weigh more than 100 g

Attention! Product yield ranges from 88 to 97%. The tubers store well, so the variety can be grown both for personal consumption and for sale.

Description and characteristics

The variety was developed in 2013 and is the result of breeding work (Netherlands). Belongs to early varieties of table type. The bush is medium-high, leafy in type, the stems are straight, spreading, and during ripening - with large brooms. The leaves are large, green, closed in shape. The root system is well developed.

Find out why potatoes are green and how harmful they are.

The potato is oblong, oval, with small eyes and yellow skin. There are 10–14 potatoes on one bush. The pulp is light yellow in color and contains 13–16% starch, which gives the potatoes a neat appearance when boiled and prevents excessive overcooking.

Taste qualities

The taste is good, the variety is culinaryly versatile, can be used in preparing a wide variety of dishes: mashed potatoes, fried potatoes with mushrooms, soups, baked potatoes, etc. Separately, it should be noted that the flesh does not darken when cut, mechanically damaged, or heat treated.

Did you know? Potatoes were declared
an edible product only in 1772. The Paris Faculty of Medicine decided to take this step.

Ripening time and yield

The ripening period of the variety is 70–80 days; it can be collected for testing 55–60 days after planting. The average yield ranges from 225–408 centners per hectare, the maximum yield is up to 577 centners/ha. The harvested crop, under proper storage conditions, is able to maintain its commercial quality within 92–96%.

Characteristics of the Arizona potato variety

Arizona potatoes are moderately drought tolerant. It tolerates frosts down to -5 °C well if treated with a growth stimulant (for example, Epin) before planting. The shelf life indicator is high - from 92% to 96%. Root vegetables are transportable. The scope of application is universal: boiling, frying, stewing, can be added to salads, okroshka and other dishes.

Productivity

Arizona potatoes mature within three months of planting. If you follow agricultural technology, you can achieve good yields:

• 1–1.5 kg from 1 bush;
• 2.3–4.0 kg per 1 m2;
• 230–400 kg per 1 hectare.

The maximum yield is 577 kg per hundred square meters. You can get a large number of large tubers by following the basic growing rules:

1. Stable moisture - watering during drought at least twice a week.
2. Feeding - three times per season.
3. Hilling - 2 or 3 times per summer.
4. Loosening and weeding - as needed.
5. Preventive treatment against diseases and pests.
6. Treatment with a growth stimulator.

Advantages and disadvantages

Arizona potatoes are valued for their good yield, attractive appearance and excellent preservation. Suitable for summer residents and farmers, does not require special care.

The originator's description states that Arizona potato tubers can be stored until spring

pros

• consistently high yield;
• pleasant taste;
• universal scope of application;
• good keeping quality and transportability;
• marketable condition;
• immunity to certain diseases;
• resistance to return frosts.

Minuses

• no immunity to late blight and scab;
• requires regular watering.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages of the Arizona variety:

• excellent taste;
• keeping quality;
• universal use in cooking;
• attractive appearance of tubers;
• high productivity;
• optimal starch content;
• high transportability;
• resistance to cancer, golden nematode, viruses, mechanical damage;
• drought resistance.

Disadvantage: predisposition to late blight of tubers and foliage, common scab.

Landing rules

Arizona potato planting can be planned for the first half of May. The soil should have time to warm up to +8–10 °C. When choosing a site, several criteria are taken into account:

• sunny place;
• fertile and light soil (sandy loam or loamy);
• the reaction is neutral or slightly acidic;
• no stagnation of water after rain;
• last year no other Solanaceae (tomatoes, eggplants, peppers) were grown in the field.

Advice! The best predecessors of potatoes: legumes, winter crops, melons.

In the fall, the field needs to be dug up and fertilized. If the soil is depleted, add up to 7 kg of compost or humus or complex mineral fertilizer 30–40 g per 1 m2. If the soil is clayey, you can expect Arizona potatoes to produce a smaller yield. But you can grow root crops in such soil if you first add 1 kg of sawdust or sand for every 2 m2 of territory.

Pre-planting preparation of Arizona variety tubers begins a month before the start of work. The seed material is sorted and dried, damaged specimens are discarded. The remaining tubers are poured onto the floor or into boxes in a bright and cool room. The temperature for germination should not be higher than +15 °C. Periodically, Arizona potatoes are sprayed with water. Before planting, pickle in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate or use any fungicide:

• "Fitosporin";
• "Matador";
• "Quadris";
• "Prestige".

Only those Arizona potato tubers that have produced sprouts 1–2 cm long are selected for planting. The instructions are standard:

1. Make several furrows at a distance of 70 cm.
2. Form holes 10 cm deep.
3. Arizona potato tubers are laid, keeping 35 cm between them.
4. Dust with ash. If the soil has not been fertilized, you can add peat with humus. Covered with earth.

Important! The beds should be high enough (10–12 cm). If the soil is clayey, then this figure is reduced to 8 cm.

On sandy soils, Arizona potatoes can be buried 12 cm deep.

Tips for growing the Arizona variety

When starting planting, it is worth remembering once again about the agricultural technology of growing potatoes.

Preparing seeds for planting

Preparation for planting potatoes begins 25-30 days before planting the tubers in the ground. It is recommended to follow this sequence:

1. Seed tubers are removed from storage. The room where potatoes will be germinated should be light and relatively warm, about 15-18°C.
2. It is best to germinate in cardboard boxes with holes in the sides or mesh plastic boxes into which potato seeds are poured in one or two layers. To prevent late blight, lightly spray the tubers with a phytosporin solution prepared according to the instructions.
3. To save space, boxes can be stacked on top of each other, but no more than 3 tiers. During the germination process, the boxes are swapped several times for more uniform heating and illumination of the germinating eyes.
4. The sprouts should not stretch much, maximum 2-3 cm. If they have grown more, then the room temperature is reduced to 10-12°C
5. A few days before planting, the boxes are taken out into the sun for greening and disinfection under the sun.

Now the potatoes are ready to be planted in the ground.

Preparing the soil for planting

Arizona potatoes can be grown in any soil except clay. But the highest yield is obtained on loose, light, well-cultivated soil. If the site is located on virgin land that has not been cultivated for a long time, then it is better to prepare it for planting in the fall.

If the soil is heavy loam, then per 1 sq.m. add half a bucket of peat and sand. Fertilizers are also applied - double superphosphate in the amount of 30 g for the same area and 15 g of potassium sulfate. Now they dig up the soil well onto the bayonet of a shovel and leave it until spring. Over the winter, the soil will be further loosened and saturated with moisture.

In the spring, the area is additionally dug up, and if the soil is loose enough, it is simply loosened with a rake. You can start planting.

Landing

Furrows with a depth of at least 15 cm are made on the surface of the plot. To further deoxidize the soil, summer residents pollinate the furrows with sifted ash. A distance of 60-70 cm is left between the furrows. Seed tubers are laid out at a distance of 40 cm, because The Arizona variety produces large tubers that require a lot of space for normal development.

At this stage, nitrogen fertilizers are applied for the first and only time. Approximately 1 teaspoon of ammonium nitrate is scattered between the arranged tubers. You can’t apply fertilizer under the tubers, much less on them, only between them.

Now the furrows are covered with soil, forming small ridges. Shoots appear in 12-15 days. By this time, weeds also begin to grow, which need to be pulled out, preventing the paths between the ridges from becoming overgrown.

Watering

If there is sufficient rainfall, watering is not necessary. If the summer turns out to be very hot and dry, then the potato plantings are watered at certain phases of plant development. The periods before budding and 2 weeks after flowering are considered the most critical for tubers in terms of moisture supply.

Water the bushes only at the roots, trying not to get it on the leaves. For this, the best solution would be to organize drip irrigation. Water that gets on the leaves can cause an outbreak of fungal diseases.

Hilling

Before hilling, it is necessary to weed the rows. It is advisable that the soil be moist at this moment. This will create good conditions for the growth of additional stolons, at the ends of which tubers are formed.

Potato bushes are earthed up for the first time when they reach a height of 18-20 cm. At the same time, the soil is loosened, which will provide the growing roots with oxygen and delay the evaporation of moisture from the lower layers of the soil.

Arizona potato bushes have an average height, so a second hilling is carried out only if necessary (for example, if the wind has ruffled the grown bushes). This is done after 2-3 weeks, but before flowering, when the potato rows close.

Top dressing

Nitrogen was added when planting potatoes, and phosphorus even earlier, during autumn soil preparation. In order not to create conditions for the appearance of excess nitrates, these nutritional elements are excluded from feeding. In addition, the taste properties of potatoes overfed with nitrogen significantly deteriorate. But such an organic fertilizer as an infusion of green grass will be completely useful. It is applied when the bush reaches a height of about 20 cm before the first hilling of the plants.

In the future, before butanization begins, only potash fertilizers are used, combining them with irrigation. Take 20 g of potassium sulfate or 15 g of potassium monophosphate per bucket of water and apply 0.5 liters of fertilizer solution under one bush. All fertilizers are applied only on wet soil.

Diseases and pests

The Arizona variety exhibits immunity to many fungal and bacterial diseases. It is moderately affected by scab. This disease develops when temperatures are too high during potato growing. In addition, if too much ash was added to the soil during planting, this can also cause scab to appear on the tubers.

Late blight does not bypass the Arizona variety. Tubers are affected to a lesser extent, and the green part has moderate immunity to the disease. Preventive treatments with biological products based on Bacillus subtilis (Fitosporin, Gamair, Bactogen) significantly slow down the growth of the disease.

Disease outbreaks occur especially often when average daily temperatures drop in autumn. Compared to later varieties, Arizona has a good chance of avoiding this disease.

Harvesting

If the harvest time has come and the stems are still green, you can speed up the ripening of the tubers by mowing the tops. This is done 10 days before the expected harvest. The tops are immediately removed from the site and burned to prevent pests and potato diseases from developing on them.

Dig up tubers on sunny, non-rainy days. Leave on the bed for 1-2 hours for final drying. Then they are collected in a heap under a canopy. You cannot keep the tubers in the light for a long time; you need to cover the potatoes with a light-proof cloth to prevent greening. The exception is seed tubers selected for planting next year. They are even recommended to be greened for better preservation. They are gradually sorted out and lowered into the basement for further storage.

Features of cultivation

The variety is undemanding to care. To obtain large root crops, it is necessary to ensure normal conditions:

1. Watering - weekly until buds form (one bucket for 3 bushes), in drought - 2 times more often. Additionally, sprinkling can be carried out.
2. After each watering or heavy rainfall, the soil must be loosened to prevent compaction.
3. Hilling up potatoes: after the tops reach 20 cm, then twice more with an interval of 2-3 weeks. Water the day before to keep the soil moderately moist.
4. Weeding is carried out as needed, usually together with hilling.
5. Feed Arizona potatoes three times. After emergence, give mullein (500 ml per bush) and urea (15 g per bucket of water - this amount is enough for 20 holes). During the formation of buds, use superphosphate and potassium salt (15 g each), wood ash (100 g) per 10 liters of water (also for 20 bushes). During the flowering period, you will need 200 g of mullein and 30 g of superphosphate per bucket of water. The calculation is for 20 holes.

When growing Arizona potatoes, water can be poured both at the root and between the rows

Reviews

Reviews about growing Arizona potatoes are more than positive.

Ivan, Kizlyar: “I’ve been growing potatoes for sale for a long time and sometimes experiment with varieties. I purchased Arizona seeds three years ago and have been growing it constantly since then. The variety is adapted to our climatic conditions, tolerates drought, is undemanding to care and bears fruit abundantly.”

Zoya, Voronezh: “I recently became acquainted with this variety. The sister shared her harvest, which included Arizona potatoes. Everyone at home liked its taste and, most importantly, its yellow flesh. We don't like white potatoes. Last year I decided to plant a couple of bushes at my dacha, and in the fall I reaped a big harvest.”

Vera, Tula: “I’ve been planting this new Dutch variety for two years now. The result is always excellent. The tubers lie in the cellar for a long time and do not rot. Last year, the bushes became ill with late blight, but I treated them in time with the preparation “Bravo” and additionally with whey with iodine. The harvest was clean, without signs of infection.”

Pests and diseases

The variety has average immunity. The culture is not susceptible to cancer and is resistant to golden nematode. However, it may suffer from late blight (on tops) and scab. As with other varieties, Arizona yields may be reduced by Colorado potato beetles, aphids, mole crickets, slugs and other pests.

Since it is difficult to save damaged bushes, it is better to prevent the spread of diseases using proven methods of prevention:

1. Treating tubers before planting.
2. Treatment of seedlings with fungicides, insecticides or home remedies.
3. Maintain crop rotation: the field should be changed every 3 years.
4. Planting fragrant plants near the site. This could be tobacco, calendula, lemon balm, wormwood, marigolds and many other plants with a pungent odor.

In order not to use drugs to kill insects, you can use folk remedies:

• periodically dust Arizona potato bushes;
• spray the seedlings with a solution of soap and ash;
• treat with infusion of garlic, mustard powder or marigold decoction;
• mulch plantings with straw;
• water the row spacing with a weak tar solution.

If the invasion is severe, then the pests are destroyed with insecticides:

• "Spark";
• "Fufanon";
• "Match";
• "Agravertine";
• "Decis".

Preparing for landing

The tubers are prepared before planting: they are germinated several weeks in advance.
The planting material is taken out into a bright and warm room so that the fruits begin to sprout. Also, before planting, potatoes are sprayed with a growth stimulator: this helps increase yield. Tubers should be beautiful and healthy in appearance, without damage. Damaged fruits must be discarded immediately, as they impair the formation of root crops. The soil in which the vegetable is planted should not be acidic, so wood ash is added to it. The planting area should be well lit. For Arizona, a place where various herbs or onions and cabbage used to grow is suitable.

Harvesting and storage

The first digging of Arizona potatoes can be done 2 months after emergence, i.e. already in mid-July. The main collection is planned for the end of the month or the first ten days of August. 2 weeks before this, the tops can be mowed down to 10 cm so that the tubers ripen faster.

To harvest, you need to choose a fine day without rain. The dug up tubers are laid out in a furrow and dried.

In winter, Arizona potatoes are stored in basements in boxes or bags at a temperature not exceeding +4 °C

Root crops are sorted and packaged in containers. First, keep in a cool room at a temperature of +15 °C. After 2–3 weeks, they are sent to the cellar, where they are stored at a temperature of +2–4 °C and a humidity of 70–80%. The largest and smallest, as well as damaged root vegetables, are best consumed first.

FAQ

Is the Arizona variety suitable for planting in more northern areas, for example, in the Leningrad region?

There are other equally good varieties for this region. But, given the early ripening period, as an experiment, you can plant several rows of Arizona and compare it with others.

Can you plant Arizona potatoes unsprouted?

You can plant unsprouted seeds for any variety. This agrotechnical technique is needed to accelerate the germination of tubers in the ground. Potatoes planted directly from the basement will germinate in 35-40 days.

Large tubers and good taste make the Arizona variety increasingly popular among Russian potato growers. If agricultural techniques are followed, the variety pleases with its harvest and practically does not get sick.

Diseases and pests

To obtain a voluminous and high-quality harvest, it is important to notice signs of disease in time and use the right means to combat dangerous insects.

Late blight (brown rot) easily affects the plant. In favorable conditions, when the weather is warm and humid, it quickly attacks the entire planting. The source of rot can be soil, infected tops, or affected neighboring plants (especially the nightshade family). The initial signs are darkening of the lower leaves on the bushes. The entire plant (aerial part and root system) is gradually affected. It is necessary to start fighting for the harvest when the first symptoms appear - planting is sprayed with fungicides: Skor, Ditan, Bravo, Reglon super. Preventive measures are of particular importance - the rules of crop rotation are observed, Arizona potatoes are not planted in the lowlands, thickening of the beds is not allowed, and bushes are hilled.

Common scab is a fungus that attacks the skin of tubers. The disease leads to the loss of presentation of Arizona variety tubers, the taste of potatoes deteriorates, the amount of starch decreases, and the shelf life of root crops is reduced. The disease develops in dry, hot weather. Control methods: use of physiologically acidic fertilizers (manganese sulfate, ammonium sulfate), culling of infected tubers during planting, regular soil irrigation (especially after the budding phase).

The Colorado potato beetle and its larvae eat the green part of the potato, which leads to the destruction of the bush. The insect overwinters in the ground and as soon as warm weather sets in, it comes to the surface. If your Arizona potato plantings are small, you can collect insects and larvae by hand. A more effective method is the use of biological agents. The beds are sprayed with Agrovertin, Bicol, Colorado. Popular folk remedies include treating bushes with a solution of birch tar (100g of the product is diluted in a ten-liter bucket of water), and an ash-soap solution.

Rules of care

Potatoes are easy to care for, but several mandatory rules must be followed. Gardeners recommend the following procedures:

• form high beds.
• water only in hot weather conditions;
• mulch the soil to retain moisture longer;
• the plant is fed during the formation of root crops; For this purpose, potassium and phosphorus are taken, but nitrogen substances are not used;
• 1 week before harvesting, cut off the tops: this way the root crops receive more moisture and nutrients;
• the harvested crop is given time to dry, and only then the potatoes are put into the cellar for storage.

Diseases and pests

As mentioned above, the Arizona potato variety has average resistance to scab and late blight. Common scab usually develops during the hot summer months. The fungus damages the surface of the tubers, after which they lose their presentation. The best prevention of scab is regular watering of potato plantings during dry periods. But if, despite the measures taken, symptoms of the disease still appear, then the problem will have to be eliminated by other methods. For example, using fertilizers such as ammonium sulfate or manganese sulfate.

Late blight most often occurs at high humidity in warm weather. First, the lower leaves of the affected plant darken - this is the first sign of the disease. After some time, the entire above-ground part, root system and tubers become infected. This disease spreads quickly, so crop rescue should begin as soon as the first symptoms are detected. Vegetable growers fight late blight on potatoes by treating the plantings with fungicides. The most effective are Bravo, Skor, Reglon super and Ditan.

As for insects, the only serious enemy of the variety remains the Colorado potato beetle. If you allow it to multiply, the larvae will quickly eat the leaves on the bushes, which will negatively affect the quantity and quality of the harvest. In small areas, striped pests and the larvae they deposit can be collected by hand, taken away and burned by dousing them with any flammable liquid. In vast fields you cannot collect beetles by hand; other methods are needed here. On farms, insects are successfully combated by spraying potato plantings with various insecticidal protection products. Bicol, Karbofos, Agrovertin, Regent, Colorado are suitable for such purposes.

Agrotechnics of cultivation

Before planting, you need to make sure the quality of the potatoes is good. It is unacceptable to use those that have mechanical damage.

Before planting, you need to make sure that the soil is not too acidic. If it needs to be adjusted, then one way to improve the properties is to mix the soil with wood ash.

Sometimes growth stimulants are used. One of the common options is “Epin”. If you take one ampoule of the drug and dilute it in 400 ml of water, then this amount is enough to treat 200 tubers. This procedure is carried out a day before planting.

In order for this potato variety to grow well, it needs good lighting in the area.

If onions or cabbage previously grew at the planting site, then this area is suitable for growing potatoes.

Planting time for Arizona potatoes is early to mid-May. Before starting work, you need to make sure that the soil is suitable for its characteristics - it is already quite dry

It is important that at the time of planting the soil temperature is not below 12 degrees

Related article: Potato variety “Kiranda (Chinese miracle)” - description and photo

Of course, before starting work, you need to clear the area of ​​weeds and debris. After this, the ground is loosened.

Important! It is recommended to treat the soil with a solution of potassium permanganate on the day of planting potatoes. Root crops should be sprayed with pest control agents

During planting, soil is poured into previously prepared holes, which is pre-mixed with humus and peat.

The holes for this variety are made less deep than usual - only 10 centimeters. Their dimensions are 30 centimeters in length and width. Planting is done in beds, the distance between which should be approximately 30 centimeters. Moreover, the width of the bed is taken equal to 70 centimeters.

Arizona potatoes in the beds

This variety is considered to be relatively unpretentious in care.

But you must follow certain rules:

1. It is recommended to make the planting beds relatively high;
2. It must be remembered that watering is only required in hot weather;
3. It is recommended to mulch the soil to help it retain moisture;
4. Nitrogen fertilizers are not used for fertilizing; potassium and phosphorus fertilizers are used;
5. Fertilizing is done at the time when root crops are being formed;
6. No later than a week in advance, it is necessary to trim the tops. In this case, the roots will receive more nutrients;
7. After harvesting, you need to spend some time drying the potatoes. This will help him survive the winter better.

Part of the harvest

Preparing for landing

The tubers are prepared before planting: they are germinated several weeks in advance. The planting material is taken out into a bright and warm room so that the fruits begin to sprout. Also, before planting, potatoes are sprayed with a growth stimulator: this helps increase yield.

Tubers should be beautiful and healthy in appearance, without damage. Damaged fruits must be discarded immediately, as they impair the formation of root crops. The soil in which the vegetable is planted should not be acidic, so wood ash is added to it. The planting area should be well lit. For Arizona, a place where various herbs or onions and cabbage used to grow is suitable.

Methods for planting tubers

Tubers are treated against pests before planting

Planting begins in early or mid-May, when the ground is warmed to a temperature of at least 12°C. Before planting, the soil is loosened and cleared of weeds and tops. On the day of planting, the soil is treated with potassium permanganate, and the fruits themselves are treated with pest control agents.

To increase the yield, the soil is mixed with peat and humus. The hole should be 10 cm deep, row spacing should be 30 cm, and the row width should be 70 cm.