Content
Agata potatoes attract with their unpretentiousness to growing conditions and stable high yield. The variety is resistant to most potato diseases, is not afraid of short-term drought, and produces the first marketable tubers in a month and a half.
Origin story
Dutch breeders developed the Agata potato variety as one of the most productive. Agata potatoes have become widespread in Europe among farms. Recently, a resistant variety began to be grown in Russia. The Agata variety is suitable for planting in regions with short summers, in the central, Volga regions, the Urals and Siberia, because it ripens quickly and produces a rich harvest. The potato variety is recommended for growing on personal plots and on an industrial scale.
Description and characteristics of Agatha
Mid-season table potatoes Agata are sensitive to fertile soils and fertilizers. In the fields, the average yield is 250 centners/ha; with intensive technologies, up to 400 centners are harvested. The first tubers can be dug after 50-55 days, already in July, full ripening - in August, after 80-85 days. Tubers are well preserved until spring, their shelf life is 93%.
Low, erect Agata potato bushes are moderately spreading, with medium leafy stems. The leaf is small, the edges are slightly wavy.The flowers are white and are not produced on all bushes; fruits are produced rarely. A developed root system allows the bush to grow 10-15 large tubers. There are few small potatoes.
The oval-elongated tubers are uniform, neat in appearance, with small eyes. Weight 70-140 g, on average most tubers are above 100 g. The peel is smooth, light yellow, the flesh is dense, yellowish-cream. The tubers contain 12-14% starch, so the potatoes do not boil, but the mashed potatoes are tasty and airy. The variety is suitable for frying, baking, making chips, frozen vegetable mixtures, freeze-dried puree. During culinary processing, the Agata potato pulp remains light and the taste is rich.
Advantages and disadvantages
Agata potatoes are loved by farm owners for their productive potential. The variety performed well on any soil, but on more fertile lands the harvest is richer. The advantages of the variety are obvious:
- Ability to bear fruit on different types of soil;
- High and stable yield;
- Excellent consumer qualities;
- Commercial form of tubers;
- Transportability and keeping quality;
- Versatility of use;
- Resistance to common potato diseases.
Among the disadvantages of the Agata variety is the susceptibility of potatoes to late blight. But not a single variety has resistance against the disease.
Landing
For Agata potatoes, early planting is recommended, from the second ten days of April, when warm weather sets in. The soil should warm up to 10 OC at a depth of planting seed material - 8-10 cm. The Agata variety can also grow on heavy clay soils; tubers are planted shallowly - up to 6 cm.On sandy loam soils they are placed deeper - up to 8-10 cm. If no fertilizers were applied to the site in the fall, humus can be laid before cultivating the land - 5 kg per 1 sq. m. m.
Potatoes are taken out of the basement a month before planting and sorted, discarding diseased and damaged tubers. Lay out a thin layer in 2-3 rows in boxes for germination. Light sprouts of the Agata variety are oval, pink, pubescent. On the day of planting, the tubers are sprayed against possible fungal infections with Fitosporin; Prestige is used to repel Colorado beetles or other drugs are used for these purposes according to the instructions. Tubers are also treated with growth stimulants.
Agata potatoes are planted in a spacious sunny area on high ridges or form ridges. The tubers are provided with sufficient area for nutrition: row spacing is 70-75 cm wide, the distance between Agata bushes is 25-30 cm.
Care
The plot with Agata variety potatoes is loosened after emergence. When there is a threat of return frosts, the sprouts are spudded, completely covering the tops with soil. During the season, the bushes are weeded and hilled three times before flowering. Simultaneously deleted weeds. Be sure to loosen the soil after watering so that it is more breathable.
For the Agata variety, it is recommended to use a drip irrigation system to ensure uniform soil moisture. Early potatoes develop intensively and require enough moisture.
- In dry summers, Agata potatoes are watered for the first time when the seedlings reach 15 cm.It is necessary to supply each bush with at least 3 liters of warm water;
- In the budding phase, the required amount of water doubles;
- When the Agata variety tubers gain weight, each plant is given up to 12 liters of water.
The yield of the Agata variety increases on fertile soils and with timely fertilizing.
- Before the first hilling, fertilize with urea: 20 g of the product per 10 liters of water - 0.5 liters per bush;
- In the rows, water with a solution of mullein 1:10, infusion of bird droppings 1:15 or herbal infusion with wood ash;
- Apply solutions of complex mineral fertilizers Kemira, Kristalon, Omu, organomineral preparations Bulba, Ispolin and other fertilizers after heavy watering according to the instructions.
The following foliar feedings are effective for the Agata variety:
- 15 days after germination, spray with a mixture of 100 g of urea, 150 g of potassium monophosphate, 5 g of boric acid in 10 liters of water. After 2 weeks, the treatment is repeated, but the amount of drugs is diluted in 5 liters of water;
- A month before digging the potatoes, they treat each leaf with superphosphate: 100 g is diluted in 10 liters of water per 10 square meters. m.
Diseases and pests
The Agata potato variety does not suffer from potato cancer and scab. Has moderate resistance to Fusarium wilt and late blight tops To prevent the disease, the bushes are prophylactically treated with manganese and the drugs Oxychom, Ridomil, and Arcedil. The same means are used, upon noticing a disease, to save tubers. After harvesting in the area where late blight was noticed, the seed tubers are treated with Immunocytophyte and kept in the air for a long time without being stored.
Agata potatoes resist nematode infection, and against other pests on the site they use “Medvedtox”, “Gromoboy”, and special insecticides against Colorado potato beetles.
Harvesting
Tubers of the Agata variety are dug in August. Early harvesting prevents late blight infection of potatoes. Within a week, the stems and leaves are mowed down and removed from the area. On a sunny day, the tubers are left in the garden for 2-3 hours, and then dried for several days under a canopy. The potatoes are sorted out and whole, undamaged tubers are brought into the basement. Seed material is placed separately.
Conclusion
Many people like this productive variety for its unpretentiousness to soil composition and weather changes. A wonderful bonus to the characteristic is resistance to diseases. By feeding the plant on time, you get more than 1 kg per bush.
