Relatively recently, or rather in 2007, the Riviera potato variety, bred by Dutch breeders, appeared in the national State Register of Breeding Achievements.
It was declared as super early and recommended for cultivation in the Central regions, but in the southern part of the country it is also successfully cultivated. He fell in love with many summer residents. What is the secret of its popularity?
🥔 Potatoes Riviera: variety description
This is a very early vegetable crop, the tubers of which ripen 45 days after planting the seed in the soil. Full maturation occurs within 2 months from the date of planting. This allows you to get a “fast” harvest for home use and for sales. The yield indicator of the variety is 450 c / ha. From one bush, you can dig 8-12 tubers with an average weight of 100-175 grams. They contain starch from 12 to 16%.
The bushes of the Riviera potatoes are slightly above average, about 70-90 cm in height. Stems are thick, erect. The leaves are larger than most other varieties, they have a rich green tint. The flowers are painted in a pale pink color, but they appear too rarely, since the plant does not have time to bloom due to its early maturity. The root system is well developed, it forms up to 12 potatoes.
🥔 Riviera potatoes: description of tubers
The variety’s tubers have the following characteristics:
- oval or slightly rounded shape;
- the peel is dense, light beige, smooth to the touch;
- eyes are small, shallow;
- the pulp is creamy, decomposes well when cooked, tasty;
- tubers are resistant to mechanical damage;
- keeping quality is high – 94%;
- potatoes are used in cooking and for preparing baby food.
This variety is rich in minerals, amino acids, vitamins and other useful substances.
Due to the fast ripening period, Riviera practically does not suffer from any diseases and is not attacked by pests. But it is better not to overexpose tubers in the ground longer than necessary, otherwise they may be affected by scab or late blight.
🥔 Pros and cons
The Riviera variety has its positive characteristics and a couple of negative qualities.
➕ The advantages include:
- Very early ripening of tubers.
- Excellent protective properties of the skin, which protects the pulp from damage during digging, transportation and storage.
- Drought tolerance (can produce high yields even in the driest periods).
- High taste indicators (4,7 points out of 5).
- Long shelf life of tubers, allowing them to be used in cooking until the next harvest.
- Resistance to the most common diseases of this culture.
- Wide range of applications.
➖ Disadvantages:
- Can’t be left in the ground for a long time. Full cleaning must take place no later than 80 days after boarding.
- If the summer is rainy, there is a risk of damage to the tubers by scab, macrosporiosis and late blight.
🥔 Features of cultivation
Like any crop, this potato has a number of requirements that must be met when growing.
🌿 Germination
To obtain early and friendly shoots, Riviera seed potatoes must be germinated before planting in the ground. To make the eyes hatch faster, the tubers are placed in small boxes, which are placed in a room with a constant air temperature of at least +15 degrees. In this state, they are kept for 3-4 weeks. During this period, the potatoes can be turned over several times so that the sprouts form evenly.
You can also germinate planting material in transparent plastic bags, if you make holes for ventilation in them and hang them in a sunny place. The greenhouse effect will allow you to get good sprouts in 2 weeks.
🌿 Landing
The Riviera potato site should be flat, well-lit, with deep groundwater. When planted in damp shaded areas, the tubers will be affected by various fungal diseases, as a result of which the yield will noticeably decrease.
It is advisable to prepare the soil in the fall, namely to dig up and sow mustard, thanks to which the place reserved for the potatoes will not be attacked by weeds. In the spring, the site is dug up again, and the mustard greens will perform the function of organic fertilizer.
It is necessary to plant seed in the ground no earlier than May. By this time, the earth, as a rule, warms up to +12 degrees. Planting material is laid out in prepared holes with a distance of 30 cm between bushes and 80 cm between rows. Seed potatoes before planting are recommended to be sprayed with a solution of potassium permanganate and sprinkled with ash. This is an excellent prevention of many diseases.
You should not hide the sprouted tubers too deeply in the soil, a depth of 5-6 cm is enough. So a new crop can be harvested even earlier.
If planting is carried out before the arrival of May (in poorly heated ground), then the site must be mulched. For these purposes, a special covering material or any plant alternative is used: hay, sawdust, fresh cut grass, dry leaves, etc. Mulching allows you to retain moisture and heat, and also prevents mass weeds.
🌿 Care
Riviera potatoes received reviews from all over our country due to their unpretentiousness. After planting, it only needs to be weeded, spud and watered a few times, and after 1,5 months you can enjoy the results of your labor.
Pest and disease control. If the weather conditions are unfavorable or the tubers are not dug out in time, the Riviera can be damaged by late blight, scab and macrosporiosis. Therefore, in the arsenal of every gardener, there should always be protective equipment against these diseases. Copper sulfate, copper oxychloride, Bordeaux liquid, Maxim, Metaxil and other store-bought preparations copes well with the problem.
🌿 Harvesting and storage of crops
Full harvesting of Riviera potatoes must be carried out no later than 2,5 months from the date of planting. By this time, the stems have already sunk to the ground, the peel will harden, and the tubers will stop growing. It doesn’t make sense to keep them in the ground any longer. Collecting potatoes is carried out manually with a shovel or a pitchfork.
After digging, the tubers are dried in the sun for several hours, periodically turning them over. The next step is sorting. First, seed potatoes are selected for planting the next year, then spoiled specimens are removed from the total mass. If they are sick, then they should be disposed of. Mechanically damaged potatoes are immediately used for cooking. High-quality tubers are stored in special boxes or poured in a slide in the cellar.
📖 Riviera potatoes: reviews
Due to its rapid ripening, the Riviera is often grown on their plots by summer residents who want to eat young potatoes in mid-June. The tubers have a pleasant creamy pulp, which, when cooked, gives a delicious crumbly puree. You can cook soups, salads, and casseroles from this variety. Potato lovers are sincerely grateful to Dutch breeders for this variety, many simply cannot praise them enough.
