Description of the variety
As a rule, gardeners are primarily interested in the description of a variety, because it allows them to assess the prospects of cultivating a plant in their own plot.
Potato bushes "Ballad" are very powerful and are characterized by strong growth, as well as good foliage. The average height of one bush is about 0.8 m. The tubers are uniform in shape, oval, medium in size or quite large, covered with a smooth, light, whitish skin. The eyes are superficial. Potato tubers have pale yellow, creamy flesh.
Ausonia potato variety. Methods for growing potatoes of the Ausonia variety
The early, very productive Ausonia potato from Agro produces even medium and large tubers with good marketability and is suitable for cultivation in homestead and small farms.
Characteristics of the variety
Potatoes of this variety are characterized by the formation of oval or elongated oval, aligned tubers. Potato peel and pulp are light yellow, closer to beige, in color. The eyes are superficial. The taste is excellent.
The description of the variety states the presence of high resistance to damage by the golden potato nematode. Among other things, the value of the Ausonia variety lies in the high yield of marketable tubers for universal use. The variety belongs to the category of being in demand for sale and forms a harvest in a very early period.
How to grow potatoes under hay (
Planting rules
There are only three traditional methods of planting potatoes: smooth planting, ridge method and planting seed material in trenches. Regardless of which method is used, basic rules should be followed. Mandatory operations for preparing seed potatoes for planting are warming up, germination in the light, sorting and calibration of tubers.
- Of great importance for potato yield is the selection of tubers for planting, which should be of medium size and not show signs of disease or pest damage.
- It is recommended to germinate potatoes not in the dark, but in the light, laying them out in a layer of no more than two tubers, then the resulting light sprouts will be green and as strong as possible.
- To stimulate the appearance of sprouts, as well as speed up the readiness of the material for planting, you should treat the tubers in a solution prepared based on a mixture of ash, microelements and copper sulfate.
- A good result is shown by treating the tubers in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate for 45 minutes, followed by soaking in the Epin-extra solution at the rate of 2 drops per glass of water.
- It is recommended to apply the universal fertilizer for potatoes, nitrophoska, when planting directly into each planting hole at the rate of 1 tbsp. l. per plant.
- Potatoes can be grown in a wide range of soil pH reactions, from 4 to 8, since this plant is a calcium-phobic vegetable crop and tolerates increased soil acidity quite well.
Advantages and disadvantages
Potatoes called “Ballad” are very productive and form a powerful nest in the soil, filled with a large number of large one-dimensional tubers. The variety has other advantages:
- excellent taste: potatoes are perfect for cooking in various ways, including frying;
- complex resistance to late blight and many viral diseases;
- high productivity from each square meter of sown area;
- excellent shelf life of the harvested crop without reducing taste and marketability.
On average, with proper care, from each bush it is possible to collect from 8 to 20 large tubers, the weight of which most often exceeds 115 grams.
Advantages and disadvantages
Most gardeners give the variety positive characteristics, noting its productivity, endurance and unpretentiousness. The most important advantages that Lada demonstrates:
- high yield - with high-quality fertilizing you can get from 350 to 550 c/ha;
- resistance to harsh climatic conditions - potatoes will not die due to minor frosts and temperature changes;
- excellent marketability - the share of full-fledged marketable tubers in the variety's harvest is 95-96%;
- Excellent keeping quality - potatoes can last almost until the next harvest without serious losses.
Lada did not find any serious shortcomings. However, it is worth paying attention to the following negative qualities:
- vulnerability to parasites – potatoes will require thorough prevention against insect pests;
- high moisture requirement - plantings of the variety require frequent watering and tolerate drought very poorly, unlike heat-resistant potatoes such as Minerva.
Lada f1 is capable of growing in shaded areas, but is very sensitive to heat - in particularly hot summers the variety will have to be additionally protected from the scorching sun by hilling.
Timing and features of planting
When planting varietal potatoes “Ballad” in May or the first ten days of June, the main harvest will occur in August or early September. It is advantageous to propagate the plant using true or botanical seed material, which reduces the cost of preserving planting material.
Planting botanical seed material in the form of tuber sets allows you to obtain potatoes that are completely free from various diseases. The tubers obtained in this way for the next year provide a yield of about 250 kg per hectare of land when using 12 kg of potatoes as planting material. Tubers should be planted at a distance of 25-45 cm, deepening them by about 5-6 cm.
In the autumn, when digging up an area for growing potatoes, it is necessary to add rotted manure to the soil. In the spring, it is very important to apply a mixture of peat and sand for planting at the rate of 10 kg per square meter of area. Potatoes of the "Ballad" variety can be cultivated in such ways as trench, smooth and ridge.
Timely and correct measures for caring for potatoes after planting are a prerequisite for obtaining a large and high-quality harvest. Caring for potato plantings is not at all difficult, but there are several mandatory rules that help you get a high yield.
- On large planting areas, it is best to harrow the soil a week after planting potato tubers.
- Watering is one of the important factors that have a significant impact on the yield and quality of potatoes. In dry summers, only three waterings are sufficient.
- Potatoes are very responsive to mixed fertilizing with both organic matter and various mineral fertilizers. It is advisable to carry out three feedings during the season.
- When pollinating potato tops with ordinary wood ash, gardeners have an excellent opportunity to reduce the risk of bushes being damaged by the Colorado potato beetle, as well as prevent plant rotting in high humidity conditions.
It is very important to keep the potato planting clean and carry out regular weeding followed by shallow loosening. If you hill up potato plantings correctly and on time, you can improve the yield by almost 30%. In the Non-Black Earth Region, it is most profitable to harvest this potato variety no later than the first ten days of August, which allows you to obtain a high, and most importantly, high-quality harvest.
After reading the corresponding article on our website, you can learn about how to grow purple potatoes on your plot.
Growing and care
Agricultural techniques are traditional. Watering is carried out in the absence of precipitation up to 2-3 times per season. Young bushes need moisture after germination after 2 weeks, as well as throughout the flowering period. The liquid rate is from 20 to 40 liters per 1 m2.
The bushes are hilled when the stems grow to a height of 12-15 cm and 20-24 cm. They use hand tools and mechanized equipment (disc hiller, walk-behind tractor, cultivator). Nitrogen compounds such as urea, ammonium nitrate, and urea are suitable for fertilizing during the growing season. When flowering, phosphorus-potassium mixtures are needed.
Harvesting and storage
Potatoes are harvested in mid-August, but you can start digging from the first days of the month. Before harvesting (7-8 days before), the tops of the potatoes are mowed down. After digging, the Lada tubers are laid out for 2-3 days in the sun to dry, and covered with film at night. According to the characteristics, the variety is stored in a cool, well-ventilated and shaded place, so that the potatoes scatter freely and the tubers do not press on each other.
Diseases and parasites: treatment and prevention
The presented potatoes have a fairly high immunity to bacterial and viral diseases. However, Lada is vulnerable to fungi and insect pests. To avoid problems, the seed material of the variety is treated with fungicides or treated with a saline solution before planting.
Blackleg
The disease infects potatoes during warm and rainy summers. The disease can be detected by darkening and rotting of the root part of the variety's stem. To cure Lada from blackleg, the beds are sprayed with a solution of milk and iodine. If the fungus is very widespread, potatoes are treated with Fitosporin or Topsin. Affected bushes of the variety are pulled out and burned.
Rhizoctoniosis
This most dangerous disease attacks potatoes in stuffy greenhouses, or when plantings are thickened. Often occurs already at the storage stage. According to the characteristics, rhizoctoniosis manifests itself as dark rotting spots on tubers of the Lada variety. Only strong drugs can save you from black scab - Emesto Quantum, Maxim, Prestige. They are used to treat potatoes before storing them in the cellar, or Lada seed tubers before planting.
Chafer
A danger to potatoes is a beetle larva called Khrushchev. They eat the roots and young tubers of the variety. Spraying with an infusion of onion peels or mulching with pine sawdust helps against these parasites. If Lada is heavily populated with Khrushchi, the beds are treated with Bazudin or Medvetox. It is also good to place a birdhouse next to the plantings - the birds will save the potatoes from pest beetles.
Lad
General characteristics: table, mid-season Belarusian potato variety with large tubers. Resistant to mechanical damage. Adapts to soil and climate and is easy to care for.
Ripening period (vegetation): 80-95 days.
Starch content: 15.5-18.5%.
Weight of marketable tubers (grams): 94-148.
Number of tubers in a bush: 10-14 pieces.
Productivity (c/ha): 239-409.
Consumer qualities: good taste, average cooking ability, culinary type BC, suitable for processing into dry potatoes and chips.
Keeping quality (storage ability): 98%.
Peel color: yellow.
Flesh color: light yellow.
Preferred growing regions (RF): Central, Volga-Vyatka.
Disease resistance: the variety is resistant to potato canker, viruses and nematodes (Ro1), relatively resistant to blackleg, moderately susceptible to late blight of tops and tubers, rhizoctonia, dry rot.
Features of cultivation: standard agricultural technology, the variety is characterized by uniform germination and intensive growth of tops.
Other: the originator of the Lad potato variety is the Scientific and Production Center of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus for Potato and Fruit and Vegetable Growing.
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