Characteristics of Lileya potatoes
Different varieties of potatoes have their own advantages and disadvantages. Many of them have similar general characteristics. One of these varieties is the Belarusian Lileya potato.
Characteristics of Lileya potatoes
Lileya's potatoes have good marketability and taste. It is unpretentious to growing conditions, adapts well to weather changes. The productivity of the variety is always high, but it responds to the application of mineral fertilizers with an increase in yield.
Description of the Lileya variety
According to the description, the Lileya potato variety is early maturing. It is characterized by both early and mid-early tuberization. Yields vary depending on climatic conditions and the type of soil. On average, the indicator is 320 c / ha. The maximum productivity of the variety was 750 kg / ha.
Consider the general characteristics of the plant:
- Bush of medium height, semi-upright, intermediate type, medium spreading. The stem is of medium thickness, semi-vertical, branched.
- The bush is characterized by an abundance of green mass. Leaves are small, dark green in color, in between. The edges are slightly wavy.
- The inflorescence is compact, medium-sized, dense. The flowers are large, white.
- The root system is well developed, up to 15 root crops are formed on one bush.
- The tubers are large, weighing 100-200 g, oval-rounded. Usually neat, even, without bumps and grooves. Ties quickly and ripens at the same time. They are able to maintain their shape and quality under strong mechanical stress.
- The rind is medium smooth, light brown with a yellow tint.
- The pulp is firm, light yellow, almost white.
- The eyes are small, superficial, and grow to a depth of 1-1.5 mm.
Potatoes of this type are not only tasty, but also healthy. It contains protein, amino acids, carotene, organic acids and sterol. The amount of starch in one root vegetable averages 14%.
The Lileya potato variety belongs to culinary types A and B and has a table purpose. It is great for soups, mashed potatoes and salads. When cooking potatoes do not boil, retains their shape. It is also suitable for frying and is used for making French fries.
Advantages of the Lileya variety
One of the most important advantages of the Belarusian Liley potato is its high yield. According to the description, this variety is grown in almost all types of soil. Besides this, culture has other advantages:
- versatility in the use of tubers;
- drought resistance;
- the duration of storage of the crop without deteriorating the quality of root crops;
- the level of marketability is above 90%;
- good transportability.
A significant advantage of the variety is its resistance to common diseases of nightshade crops. The Lileya variety is not susceptible to potato nematode, potato crayfish, common scab. It is also resistant to late blight of tubers and leaves, almost never affected by viral infections.
Planting Liley potatoes
The yield of plants depends on the composition of the soil.
Lileya potatoes should be planted in mid-May. It can grow in almost any soil, but light to medium-sized soils are the most suitable. The more nutrients they contain, the higher the yield.
For planting this crop, they choose areas where perennial grasses, winter crops, legumes, annual grasses and flax previously grew. On sandy soils, seed is placed where lupine used to bloom. It is not recommended to grow potatoes on the same plot for several years in a row.
Tuber preparation
An important step in the process of growing potatoes is the selection of seed. The yield depends on the quality of root crops. It is better to start cooking them in the fall, right after picking vegetables. When choosing seed tubers, you should adhere to the following rules:
- small potatoes should be chosen from the entire harvested crop for future planting, and large ones should be left for eating or for other use;
- it is better to choose tubers from the bushes on which the most fruits have formed;
- ideal for planting potatoes 4-5 cm in size;
- you can choose tubers a little larger, since they will ripen earlier and give more yield;
- if there are few small-diameter roots, you can plant potatoes cut into several parts.
The option with cut potatoes is quite possible, but in order to get a good harvest from its parts, you need to carefully look after the seed before planting it in the ground. Before planting in the hole, pieces of tubers are dried in the sun, and then sprinkled with ash. This is necessary so that the material does not rot in the event of rainy periods and does not deteriorate from infection by viruses or fungi. It is important that the weather is dry and warm when planting cut potatoes.
About a month before planting in the ground, root crops are germinated by placing in a well-lit place. Periodically, the tubers are moistened by spraying with plain water on both sides. To minimize the risk of bacteria appearing on tubers and stimulate their germination, the fruits are sprayed with a solution of mineral fertilizers. After the sprouts grow 1-1.5 cm, the potatoes are planted in open ground.
Soil preparation
If there is sandy loam, loamy, forest or dried peat soil on the site intended for planting potatoes, you should not worry about the yield. But if the soil is acidic and heavy, be sure to fertilize the soil with manure to improve its performance. Natural fertilizers, especially humus, can be applied to any soil to make it more nutritious.
The first soil is fertilized in the fall, after harvesting, and again before planting the tubers again. For 1 sq. m, 10 liters of manure or 50 g of potassium-phosphorus fertilizers are applied. Acidic soils must be limed by adding 400-500 g of dolomite flour or lime per 1 sq. m of land.
The process of soil preparation involves the destruction of weeds and other vegetation residues, as well as deep digging and loosening of the soil both in the fall, after harvest, and in the spring, before planting potatoes. Dig 8-10 cm deep. Large clods of earth do not need to be broken: they themselves are washed away after the melting of snows and rains, due to which the soil will become softer.
Planting potatoes
Potatoes are planted in heated soil
Planting potatoes in the ground is carried out when the soil is warmed up to at least 10 ° C by 8 cm in depth.
When planting, choose a scheme of 60 × 35 cm.If the plot is large enough, the distance is increased to 80 cm per row. The main thing is that the bushes do not shade each other.
If the plot is small, you should not make the holes too close, since when the bushes grow, the air will not pass well, as a result it will be difficult to hilling. The option of planting root crops at a distance of 18 cm is possible, not 35. This is taking into account the fact that the tubers are small.
The seedling holes should be about 10 cm deep, but the depth depends on the type of soil and the size of the potatoes. Large tubers are planted deeper, and small ones closer to the surface. In light soil, the depth can be up to 10 cm, and in thick soil with clay - up to 5 cm.
Care features
The first step after planting root crops is to loosen the trampled soil, this will help prevent weeds. A harrow or heavy rake is used for loosening. They are loosened diagonally so as not to accidentally pull the tubers out of the ground. Such care of the beds not only helps to get rid of excess vegetation, but also improves the aeration of the soil and retains the right amount of moisture in it.
It is also necessary to huddle bushes to protect them from frost and allow plants that have been covered with earth to grow. After hilling, underground shoots will begin to grow faster, on which more tubers will form in the future. Thanks to this care, insects left over from the fall, as well as their eggs laid in the soil, are destroyed.
Watering
In order not to disturb the growth of roots, do not water the newly planted roots. Excess moisture prevents the roots from growing deeper, and the plant will not be able to develop normally. Watering the tubers should be done after the first shoots appear; with the growth of the bushes, they need water more and more. In this case, they should not be heavily flooded.
The bushes require the greatest amount of water during the formation of flowers. If the tubers are rarely watered, the future yield will be significantly reduced. The water temperature should be at room temperature. The best time to water is early in the morning or evening.
Fertilizer
Experts recommend foliar feeding twice a month. Sufficiently grown bushes are sprayed with a superphosphate solution, which contributes to the maturation of tubers, improving their quality and marketability. Growth stimulants are also used, but then the plant will need additional nutrition.
It is necessary to carry out and root top dressing 3 times during the entire growing season. The first time you need to fertilize the potatoes is when the leaves begin to form. The second time is when the bud formation process is in progress. Thanks to the third feeding, tubers are formed much faster.
Pest control
The most dangerous pests for Lileya potatoes are Colorado beetles, thrips and aphids. Spraying the bushes with insecticides is a reliable way to control these insects. It is better to pick off the affected leaves to prevent the spread of diseases.
Another threat to potatoes is wireworm. It mainly attacks tubers. To destroy it, use any pesticides to combat garden insects. To prevent the appearance of pests, the beds are regularly weeded and hilled.
Conclusion
According to the description, Lilia is a high-yielding potato variety with good taste and marketability. It is easy to grow, it is unpretentious to weather conditions and care, therefore it is popular with private gardeners, farmers and industrial and agricultural producers. These potatoes are delicious, healthy, nutritious and versatile to use.