Content
Jewel potatoes are grown on an industrial scale in the southern and southwestern regions with mild climatic conditions, mainly for the sale of early potatoes to the population in the northern regions. It is planted at the end of March or beginning of April, and after 2 months (May-June) the harvest is dug up. The Jewel variety cannot be stored for a long time, but it completely eliminates the shortage of this product in places where potatoes ripen no earlier than September. Vegetable growers in northern latitudes who are interested in growing early potato varieties also do not refuse this variety, because even in cool climates it ripens a month earlier than conventional varieties.
Jewel potatoes are an excellent product for a profitable business. In all its parameters, it deserves to occupy not the last place in trade: it has an excellent presentation, excellent taste, and a high percentage of safety during long-distance transportation. We want to tell our readers in more detail about the Jewel potato, describe its excellent (or not so excellent) qualities, and reviews of vegetable growers who have already planted this potato variety will complement our story.
Originator
The main originator of the Jewel potato variety is the company Bavaria-Saat GbR, which unites several enterprises for the development of new potato varieties, but is not the legal patent holder. In 2003, the Bavaria-Saat Vertriebs GmbH partnership was founded as part of the company, which is engaged, among other things, in the sale of seed material in Germany and abroad. Thanks to the successful activities of the partnership, Jewel potatoes have become popular in European countries, as well as in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and many others.
Description
Potato originator Jewel Renata Bettini (full name) declares the following characteristics of the variety:
- bushes are of medium height, dense, slightly prone to lodging, tubers form quickly, flowers are dark purple;
- tubers - have an oval or elongated oval shape, the eyes are superficial, not deepened, the skin is smooth, without roughness, the color is light yellow, the flesh inside is a shade lighter;
- resistance to diseases - to scab, late blight and rotting of tubers is good, to nematodes - average;
- productivity - at early harvest dates you can get an average of up to 400 centners of potatoes per hectare, at later dates (usual) - up to 750 centners / g;
- Jewel potatoes are not crumbly, tasty, they contain from 10 to 13% starch, the root crops are even, mostly of the same size, the percentage of substandard tubers is insignificant.
Advantages and disadvantages
We have already noted the two main advantages of the Jewel variety above: high yield and early ripening:
- from one potato bush you can get from 10 to 20 root crops; potato growing enterprises get at least 750 centners per hectare when all technological growing conditions are met;
- early periods (growing season 50-65 days) are advantageous in that on fertile lands and in a warm climate, you can grow two potato crops per season on one plot;
- Jewel potatoes have a wonderful presentation: smooth, uniform-sized tubers with small, shallow eyes;
- During transportation, the tubers are well preserved, they are resistant to minor damage, the wounds dry quickly without becoming infected with fungus that causes rotting.
The downside for potato growers is that the Jewel variety is demanding on soil moisture, it requires additional watering during the dry period, only by meeting this requirement can significant yields be achieved; in dry soil, tubers stop growing, which leads to weight loss.
Landing
Before planting potatoes, germination of tubers begins 20-30 days in advance; this will ensure their earlier germination in the soil and increase the yield, since during this procedure other measures are also carried out simultaneously:
- After storage, all seed potatoes are removed from dark and cold cellars to lighter and warmer rooms.
- The tubers are sorted, removing damaged and non-viable ones.
- The tubers are disinfected in a boric acid solution.
Jewel potatoes are planted in furrows 50-70 cm apart from each other; tubers are placed in the furrows every 25-30 cm. The planting depth is no more than 20 centimeters.
Care
Potatoes of the Jewel variety, except for additional watering (if necessary), do not require special growing conditions; they are the same as for ordinary potato varieties.
Hilling and feeding
The main fertilizers that potatoes need for normal growing season are applied in the fall or a month before planting: manure (preferably rotted), complex mineral fertilizers (phosphorus, potassium, magnesium) and a small amount of stimulants for tuber growth. After flowering, potato bushes are sprayed once with liquid fertilizers; these are the same fertilizers, only less concentrated.
The soil between the rows and near the bushes must be loosened and hilled up at least 2 times per season: once, as soon as the first few stems and leaves appear, and again after flowering has ended.
Diseases and pests
Preventive treatment of tubers before planting in the ground helps to successfully combat diseases and pests of Jewel potatoes. Stores offer a wide variety of special chemicals used for these purposes.
Harvesting
Jewel potato harvesting begins at the end of June if planting was done early (in April), but when planted at a later time, the tubers ripen and gain the required weight and size a month or two later.Harvesting potatoes in June is beneficial for generating income from its sale during the off-season shortage of potatoes in the markets. Harvesting later has advantages in obtaining a fuller harvest. In general, it turns out that harvesting is profitable both earlier and later.
One important fact should be taken into account: potato tubers of the Jewel variety lose their quality during long-term storage; the longer it is stored, the higher the percentage of losses becomes. The originator claims only 94% out of 100 possible, and we think this figure is a little overestimated; the manufacturer will not underestimate the quality of its product.
Immediately before digging up potatoes, the tops of the plant are mowed, burned or removed by hand if they are already sufficiently dry and well separated from the roots. In small dacha and garden plots, potatoes are dug up with shovels or pitchforks, but craftsmen are able to make simple devices with their own hands from available materials that make this tedious work easier. An example of such a device is shown by a vegetable grower in the attached video.
Conclusion
If you need early potatoes, feel free to plant the Jewel variety. You will not be disappointed with the results, we all know that German goods and products are of excellent quality. Start with a small plot, the cost of varietal potatoes is above average, but if you like it, you can always increase your planting material by setting aside a few tubers for planting next season.
