Potato Favorite. Every gardener knows that growing the same potatoes on the site leads to the fact that the variety gradually degenerates and has to be changed. Which one to try? To date, breeders around the world have bred a huge number of hybrids.
It is sometimes difficult for potato lovers to make a choice, because the sellers of seed material praise all varieties, describe in detail their advantages and only casually mention the shortcomings. To be honest, any variety has the latter, no matter how good it is. Take, for example, potatoes with the loud name Favorite. Is he really the first among his own kind, or is this a clear exaggeration? Let’s try to figure it out.
Description of the variety, main characteristics
Favorite is a mid-season variety, bred by specialists from VNIIKH them. Lorkha by crossing Romano and Good Luck. The growing season is 90-110 days. Included in the State Register of the Russian Federation in 2014. Recommended as an originator for cultivation in the central regions of the country. The aboveground part of the plants of this variety outwardly differs little from most other hybrids. The bush is medium in size, leaves of a rich green hue, also medium-sized.
The oblong-oval tubers of Favorite have distinctive features. They are covered with a light red, slightly rough skin. There are few eyes, so large potatoes are not suitable for planting, which must be divided into parts. The pulp is of a pleasant creamy color, does not darken on the cut and after heat treatment, it keeps its shape well. Starch content, depending on growing conditions, ranges from 14 to 17%. Experts estimate the taste of this potato at 4,2-4,6 points, culinary type – AB. This means that the tubers are not boiled or slightly boiled during cooking, which makes them suitable for preparing salads. In addition, you can make a delicate puree from them, bake in the oven in slices or boil in a uniform. And also, thanks to the dense structure of the pulp, Favorit potatoes are excellent for cooking chips.
To get the maximum yield of Favorit potatoes, which is as much as 420 c / ha, you need to choose the right planting site and follow all the rules of agricultural technology. But even if it is limited only to the removal of weeds and a minimum of fertilizers, you can count on 300 c / ha. This is a very high indicator, achieved as a result of the painstaking work of E.A. Simakov, A.V. Mityushkin, G.V. Grigoriev. and other employees of VNIIKH them. Lorkha.
One plant gives from 6 to 12 tubers of a marketable type, the weight of which reaches 140 g. The average weight is 80-100 g, there are few small potatoes. Preservation (keeping quality) of Favorit potatoes is 93%. Like other medium and late ripening varieties, it is suitable for long-term storage. If all the rules are observed, keeping quality can significantly increase, and the tubers will not lose their taste until spring. It is advisable to store the crop in a cellar or basement, the walls and ceiling of which are pre-treated with a solution of copper sulfate or another substance with a similar effect.
Features of growing Favorit potatoes
Agrotechnology is standard, you don’t need to invent anything new. Planting is carried out in the last days of April or the first half of May, when the soil warms up to 10-12 degrees. Warming up the earth to the desired temperature is the most important condition on which the final result largely depends. The planting material must be germinated and disinfected. For treatment, prophylactic fungicides Fitosporin, Acrobat, Kuproksat are suitable, and if there are no such at hand, you can use a solution of potassium permanganate. Favorite potatoes are planted according to the scheme familiar to most gardeners:
- distance between plants – 30 cm;
- distance between rows – 60 cm;
- seeding depth – 8-12 cm (depending on the soil structure).
If the soil is poor in nutrients, you can throw a handful of mullein or other organic fertilizer into each hole when planting. This will support young plants in the early growth phase.
The favorite is grown according to the general rules adopted for potatoes. When young plants reach 15 cm in height, they can be hilled for the first time. The procedure is repeated after 2 weeks, and also if the wind and precipitation destroyed the previously made piles. Together with hilling, weeds are removed from the potato beds. The first watering is carried out 10 days after the sprouts appear on the surface. You can further moisten the soil as needed if there is prolonged dry weather.
In addition, you need to know that potatoes need a lot of moisture during the budding period and at the end of flowering, when the active growth of tubers begins. You can water the last time about a month before harvesting. It is recommended to loosen the soil surface in the area under the potatoes periodically, especially after prolonged rains, due to which a dense crust forms on the soil. By loosening, the plants will receive the required amount of oxygen.
Immune protection
The Favorit variety has a high resistance to such common crop diseases as mosaic, cancer, leaf twisting. This potato is moderately susceptible to scab, rhizoctonia and late blight of tubers. A problem during cultivation can be the defeat of the aerial part of the plants by late blight. As a result of the activity of the fungus, first dark brownish spots appear on the stems, then the leaves wither. The tops look like they’ve been burned. This should not be allowed, because it will be very difficult to cure late blight. To prevent the development of the disease, all necessary preventive measures should be taken. Namely:
- use only healthy tubers for planting;
- process the seed with special preparations;
- use crop rotation (for example, do not plant potatoes after tomatoes).
Collection and storage
Harvesting Favorit potatoes begins when the tubers reach technical ripeness. The dug out potatoes are dried in a shaded place for 2-3 hours, sorted, damaged and diseased specimens are rejected, and stored in a cellar or basement. Optimum conditions must be created in the storage facility to ensure the safety of the crop: temperature within 2-4 degrees, humidity 70-80%, good ventilation. Only in this way will he last until next season.
In conclusion
From all of the above, we can conclude that Favorit potatoes have only one serious disadvantage – weak immunity to phytophthora tops. In all other respects, it is in no way inferior to other popular varieties, including many elite ones. It fully justifies its name.
