The Blue Danube potato was developed in Germany in the early years of the 21st century. Within a few years, it gained recognition around the world, and in 2005 it was included in the Russian national register. The uniqueness of this type of root crop lies in the fact that it shows high yields in all regions of the country. It does not depend on climatic conditions.
Breeders have created this variety, which ripens in the middle period. From the beginning of the appearance of the first shoots to the complete end of the growing season, only 100 days pass.
This potato variety was based on the species Sarpo Mira , which differs from other brethren in its high resistance to common diseases. That is why the Blue Danube is popular among amateur gardeners and long-time farmers.
Breeding history
Blue Danube in the section
The variety was bred by specialists from the Sarvari Research Trust in North Wales. Since 2002, the Foundation has been breeding potatoes that are resistant to infections and pests.
The organization owes its appearance to the breeding program of the Hungarian scientist Istvan Sarvari. Using unique material from the Leningrad collection of Nikolai Vavilov, in the 1950s Sarvari created potatoes with immunity to late blight . In Great Britain they became interested in his research and continued it, and the varieties developed received the prefix Sarpo (from Sarvari Potatoes) in their names.
Blue Danube (Sarpo Blue Danube) was created on the basis of Sarvari's most famous work - the variety Sarpo Mira . The unique color of the peel and the Hungarian ancestry became the reason for the sonorous name of the variety. Blue Danube quickly spread throughout Europe and is today one of the most popular members of the Sarpo potato family.
Description of tubers
Tubers Blue Danube
The fruit has an oval ideal shape. Each of the fruits is covered with a purple peel of a high degree of density. The description of the variety indicates the presence of medium-sized eyes. The eyes are presented in small quantities, which only increases the commercial qualities of the root crop.
When cut, a light shade of flesh is observed. The description suggests that this is a high-yielding variety of root crops. From 1 hectare, farmers collect about 400 centners of ideal quality fruit. The average weight of an individual root crop reaches 200 g. The amount of starch in the Blue Danube is average. Only 10-13%.
These potatoes are table grade. It has a high taste and commercial quality. During cooking or frying, it is not subject to cracking and rarely becomes soft. This is an ideal option for preparing any salads. This is a universal type from which dishes of any complexity are prepared. Culinary experts classified this species as categories A and B.
Description of the variety
The Blue Danube potato variety, or Blue Danube, is a medium-early ripening vegetable crop. When creating this variety, a potato called “Sarpo Mira”, well known for its high resistance to most diseases, was used. The bushes are very powerful, medium-sized, leafy. The tubers are oval-oblong in shape, large, with a dense dark blue skin and white pulp.
Blue Danube potatoes are high-yielding varieties. Individual tubers reach a mass of 250 g or more. At least 8 tubers are formed in each bush.
Description of the tops
Potato Blue Danube flowering
The stem of this potato variety is distinguished by its powerful structure. Its height is average, and reaches a maximum of 1.2 m in height. The bushes always stand straight and do not fall apart throughout the garden. There is a high foliage characteristic, which does not allow weeds to grow through the tops.
The leaves are predominantly green. You can find tops that have a rich green color. There is slight ribbing and waviness along the edges of the foliage, which makes the leaves more beautiful. The flowers have a rich yellow color, and the corollas are presented in purple shades.
Characteristic features of the variety
The Blue Danube variety is known in Ukraine as Smuglyanka; in Russia it is called Black Baron. These variegated colored potatoes are created in the UK using Sarpo Mira potatoes. It belongs to the mid-early varieties. If the weather is warm, dry, tubers ripen approximately 70 days after planting.
The bushes are powerful, of medium height, with rigid stems through which weeds do not grow. The tops do not fall for a long time, which is very convenient for gardeners. The potato field looks beautiful during flowering, reminiscent of a blue sea. The flowers are purple with a yellow corolla.
This mid-early ware potato surprises with its tasty, snow-white flesh and smooth, blue-tinged skin. The shape of the tubers, which give an excellent harvest, is oval. For those who love mashed potatoes or just boiled potatoes, it will be useful to take a closer look at the Blue Danube variety.
Advantages of the Blue Danube potato variety
Advantages of the Blue Danube potato variety
The main advantages of growing such an unusual potato for Russian latitudes are as follows:
- this grade is resistant to mechanical damage and cracking; one of the leaders in taste;
- high and stable productivity is noted;
- if stored properly, it does not spoil for a long time and does not sprout;
- presence of great germ potential;
- can grow and bear fruit well in depleted soils;
- resistant to most of the most harmful microorganisms and is practically not affected by black leg, tuberous scab, black scab, potato Y-virus, fusarium, leaf curl virus, nematodes and potato anthracnose.
The variety can be cultivated without the use of chemicals that protect against diseases and pests.
Correct fit
Proper planting of Blue Danube potatoes
Basic rules for planting the variety:
- The area for growing potatoes should be sunny, without stagnant water;
- Medium-sized specimens, without damage, with many strong sprouts, are selected as seed material;
- After selecting the planting material, treatment is carried out using a growth stimulator, as well as disinfectants;
- Tubers are planted in soil heated to +12 °C. A distance of 20 cm is maintained between the bushes, the row spacing should be at least 50 cm. Planting material is buried 12 cm.
Landing Features
Blue Danube is part of the Sarpo series. As a rule, all potato varieties included in this series do not require processing; thanks to their long hibernation, the tubers are perfectly preserved under normal conditions and do not require special refrigeration units.
The growing conditions for this potato variety are as follows:
- The area for planting potato tubers should be fertile, sunny, without stagnant moisture.
- It is recommended to place planting rows in the direction from north to south, which will provide adequate lighting for all plants.
- About two weeks before planting in open ground, the planting material is placed in a warm place. It is necessary to carry out a pre-planting visual inspection of the seed material, since only healthy potato tubers with varietal characteristics are selected for planting.
- Potato tubers should be planted in soil heated to at least 8° C.
- Caring for potatoes after planting involves watering, hilling, and fertilizing. It is advisable to water potato plantings in the evening, which will allow the moisture on the foliage to dry out until the morning. It is very important to completely stop watering about a month before the mass harvest, since excess moisture negatively affects the shelf life of the resulting crop.
A technique that is very effective is breaking the potato stem at a height of 15–20 cm from the ground, which inhibits the growth and development of the tops after flowering and promotes the redistribution of nutrients to the potato tubers.
Watering, fertilizing and hilling
Hilling up potatoes
Watering mode
Caring for plants involves constant monitoring of soil moisture. If there has been no precipitation for 10–15 days, the seedlings are watered with warm water
Irrigation is especially important during budding and after flowering. It is necessary to avoid stagnation of water in the soil.
When an earthen crust forms, it is thoroughly loosened.
Top dressing
Purple potato varieties require periodic feeding: during budding and after flowering. Organic and potassium fertilizers are used. Before planting, it is advisable to add humus at the rate of 0.5 kg per 1 m2.
Weeding and hilling
The first hilling is carried out after the appearance of friendly shoots. This will protect young bushes from return frosts and retain moisture. The procedure is repeated when the plants reach a height of 30–35 cm.
Weeding is carried out several times during the summer as needed.
Diseases and pests
Fusarium potato blight
Blue Danube potatoes are practically not susceptible to disease, so they can be grown without the use of chemicals. However, information about the main diseases of nightshades may be useful to you: Alternaria , Fusarium, Vetricillium wilt, scab , cancer, late blight .
As for pests, no one is immune from attack, for example, by the Colorado potato beetle. The fight against it is a certain system of measures.
Potatoes of this type are one of the leaders in taste.
The Blue Danube potato variety, the characteristics of which we have studied, can grow in poor soils, does not spoil or germinate during long-term storage, and its unusual appearance will delight your eye.
As you know, there are many ways to grow potatoes. Read all about Dutch technologies, about growing under straw, in bags, in barrels, in boxes, early varieties, without hilling and weeding, from seeds.
Harvesting
Harvesting Blue Danube potatoes
A month before harvesting, stop watering, since excess moisture has a negative impact on the shelf life of harvested potatoes . Harvest at the end of the growing season. Most even novice gardeners with little experience know that the potato variety needs to be replaced every 3-4 years.
That is why experts recommend growing elite seed material. Thanks to only positive reviews from gardeners, Blue Danube potatoes are currently in great demand in household plots.
Blue Danube potatoes are appreciated by gardeners around the world for their resistance to diseases and pests. Due to its high quality yield, the Blue Danube variety is grown for sale.
It is easy to care for, but do not forget about timely hilling and watering to obtain the desired harvest.
Prevention
The Blue Danube is believed to be free from known diseases and pests. Breeders made sure that farmers did not worry about their harvest. But, do not forget that the invasion of parasites can never be predicted. At such moments, you should remember about preventive methods.
Before planting this potato variety, it is best to treat the seed material with special chemicals. You can use Fofatox or Admiral. During flowering, it is worth spraying the plant with substances that contain copper. This will protect it from the invasion of the Colorado potato beetle or aphids.
https://sortoved.ru/kartofel/sort-kartofelya-goluboj-dunaj.htmlhttps://dachadecor.ru/ogorod/kartofel-goluboy-dunay-belosnezhnaya-myakot-pod-sirenevoy-kozhuroyhttps://fermoved.ru/ kartofel/goluboj-dunaj.html
Reviews from summer residents
Reviews
Most even beginner and inexperienced gardeners know that once every three or four years, the variety of potatoes grown in their garden plots needs to be updated. In this case, experts recommend planting elite planting material. The description of the Blue Danube variety and positive reviews from gardeners make it very popular today in home gardens.
Many potato growers note the absolute unpretentiousness of the Blue Danube variety. Such potatoes are optimally suited for cultivation in our country and are adapted to unfavorable factors. Tubers, even in the absence of advanced agricultural technology, are formed very large. On unfatigued soils, gardeners often observe excessively active flowering of potato bushes followed by the formation of seed material.
Blue Danube potatoes are tasty and have proven themselves well after heat treatment. The pulp is very aromatic and does not overcook, which makes it possible to use it for making salads. When standard conditions are created, such potatoes are stored without loss of presentation and taste all winter.
Landing dates and rules
Potato yield depends on the planting date. Agronomists warn amateur gardeners against planting too early; there is also no point in delaying it. Typically this period occurs at the end of April - beginning of May. The earth should be warmed up to eight to ten degrees, at this temperature the tubers begin to grow. There is no point in planting them in cold soil; they will simply lie there uselessly.
Article on the topic: Potato variety “Bezenchuksky” - description and photo
Potato planting material should be the size of a chicken egg or slightly smaller. Tubers must be germinated before planting. This will make it possible to discard unsuitable planting material: tubers with thin thread-like shoots, as well as those on which small nodules have formed.
The rules for planting colored Blue Danube potatoes are the same as for light ones. Before planting, it is advisable to soak the potatoes in a solution of boric acid to protect the plants from fungal diseases that pose a danger to this particular variety.
When planting potatoes in order to obtain seed material, the distance between bushes in a row should be 20 cm. Commercial potatoes should be planted every 30 cm, the distance between rows should be 70 cm.
Colored potatoes need watering. “Blue Danube” under normal weather conditions should be watered at least three times; if the summer turns out to be dry, the number of waterings should be doubled. The main condition is that watering is not excessive, as this negatively affects the safety of the tubers. Potatoes need to be hilled and weeds destroyed in time.
