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It is difficult to imagine a more famous domestic potato variety than Ermak, because at one time it, along with many Dutch varieties, received recognition throughout the world. But precisely for this reason, this variety has acquired an incredible number of legends, rumors, and popular names, some of which have nothing to do with reality.
Origin story
Initially, in the mid-70s of the last century, scientists from the Omsk Agrarian Research Center bred a potato called Ermak using the method of clonal selection of the Early Rose variety. During testing, a new variety of this potato called improved Ermak was selected and obtained. It was under this name that this variety was included in the State Register of Russia in 1978. Although experts recommend Ermak potatoes for cultivation, primarily in the West Siberian District, this variety at one time successfully spread and conquered not only all of Russia, but also the near abroad. True, it was later forced out of the gardens by varieties of foreign selection, which many gardeners still regret.
Much later in the 21st century, with the light hand of an unknown gardener who received tubers of this potato variety of unprecedented size, he was nicknamed Laptem.And in recent years, the Ermak variety has received a new wave of recognition and is often distributed among gardeners under the popular name Lapot. And many do not even suspect that they are purchasing a long-known product under this name. variety of Siberian selection Ermak.
Description and characteristics
Ermak potato bushes are erect, the stems branch rather weakly. The corollas of the flowers are very beautiful - painted in a pale red-violet color.
And the tubers are distinguished by a pinkish skin color. The eyes are small in size; there are not very many of them on the smooth skin.
The flesh is white when cut, sometimes there may be reddish inclusions near the eyes. It does not darken when cut and cooked.
The tubers are large in size from 90 to 120 grams each and have an oval-round shape. In this case, from 8 to 20 tubers are formed in each potato bush. In addition, the tubers of this variety have a fairly high marketability, which means the percentage of marketable tubers compared to all others grown on the bush. Marketability is about 88-90%.
Therefore, the Ermak potato variety is considered high-yielding - from one bush you can collect from one to two kilograms of tasty tubers.
On an industrial scale, where yield is measured in tons per hectare, this value is 35-47 t/ha.
The Ermak potato variety can safely be classified as early ripening - the tubers ripen already 70-90 days after the appearance of the first shoots.
At the same time, potatoes are stored very well, especially for such early ripening periods. The safety percentage is 94%.
The taste qualities of Ermak potatoes are recognized by most experts as excellent - the potatoes are really very tasty, which is important in comparison with many modern varieties, especially of imported origin. The purpose of the variety is table, the use is universal - delicious vegetable salads are made from Ermak tubers, it is suitable for frying and baking.
The Ermak variety exhibits average resistance to the main potato scourge - scab, as well as to most fungal, bacterial and viral diseases. But its resistance to potato cancer is very low.
But the Ermak variety tolerates heat well and responds with large yields to regular fertilizing and irrigation.
Advantages and disadvantages
Potatoes of the Ermak variety have the following advantages and disadvantages.
| Advantages | Flaws |
| Excellent taste | Weak resistance to cancer |
| High yields | Moderate susceptibility to disease - needs protection |
| Heat resistance | |
| Good preservation of tubers | |
| Responsiveness to watering and fertilizing | |
| Resistance to mechanical damage |
Landing
When planting early potato varieties, it is especially important to pay attention to the pre-planting treatment of tubers, since it allows you to get the harvest at the earliest possible date.
One of the main methods of such preparation is vernalization of tubers - greening them in the light and in relative warmth. It usually starts a month before planting. Ermak potato tubers are laid out in boxes on plastic film in a bright and relatively warm room. You can use a veranda or a frost-free balcony.Tubers are regularly sprayed to maintain moisture and uniform growth of strong shoots.
Vernalization helps to obtain an earlier and higher-quality harvest, but the most important thing is to discard diseased and weak tubers with thread-like sprouts.
Tubers that float during this procedure are discarded. But after this procedure, healthy potatoes should be rinsed under running water.
An area for planting potatoes is allocated after growing onions, garlic, peas, and pumpkin crops. If wireworms or nematodes bother you on your site, then the best way to get rid of them is to sow oats or rye immediately after harvesting. And in the spring, having cleared the place of straw, plant potatoes in this soil.
Considering that Ermak potatoes have early ripening periods, it makes sense to plant them as early as possible. In the middle zone, it is best to meet the first ten days of May. In the southern regions, potatoes can be planted a month earlier. In the Urals and Siberia, the deadlines may shift a week later. The main thing is that the soil has had time to warm up to a temperature of +8°+10°C.
It is best to plant Ermak potatoes using a two-line method. That is, two rows with a distance of 50-60 cm make up a strip. Make gaps of 90-100 cm between the stripes. And the tubers themselves in each row are laid out at intervals of 10-15 cm (small) and 18-20 cm (large).
Care
Caring for Ermak potato varieties is fundamentally no different from caring for other potato varieties: watering, fertilizing, hilling and protection from pests and diseases.
This potato variety is especially susceptible to additional irrigation and demonstrates maximum yields under these conditions. Watering is especially important during tuber germination, at the time of first hilling and when potatoes are flowering. If during these periods there is dry weather without rain, then it is highly desirable to provide additional artificial watering to the Ermak potato plantings.
Hilling and feeding
Hilling in potato care plays a primary role for three reasons:
- It helps remove weed.
- Helps loosen and saturate the top layers of soil with oxygen.
- Helps retain soil moisture.
The larger the potato bush, the greater the height it should be hilled. On average, bushes need to be covered with soil or organic materials up to a third of their height.
The first hilling is traditionally carried out when the sprouts reach a height of 15-20 cm only the next day after a good rain. Only in this case will it make sense. Otherwise, potato plantings are watered abundantly and only then hilled up.
The second hilling is carried out ten days before flowering, while the bushes have not yet closed in the rows.
It is most advantageous to combine fertilizing of the Ermak variety of potatoes with its irrigation if you have small plantations. The most optimal fertilizing is an infusion of manure and chicken droppings with the addition of wood ash. You can also use a herbal cocktail - pour a double portion of water into a mixture of any weeds, add a little droppings and ash and leave for a week until a specific smell appears.
Diseases and pests
The main diseases of potatoes are late blight and scab. As a preventive measure, before and after flowering, spray the potato plantings with a solution of Fitosporin or a mixture of Alirin and Gamaira.
Bushes infected with viruses usually have small, curly and twisted foliage with light spots. At the same time, their growth is greatly inhibited. When digging, they need to be separated - the tops should be burned, and the tubers can be used as animal feed. No drugs have yet been invented to treat viruses.
To combat the Colorado potato beetle, it is first good to use biological preparations: Fitoverm and Agravertin.
If their numbers are large, heavy artillery can also be used - systemic insecticides - Aktaru, Konfidor, Mospilan.
Harvesting
Ermak potatoes, due to their early ripening, are most often used for summer consumption. Tubers can begin to be dug up for food within two weeks after flowering. But since it is stored well, it is recommended to bring part of the harvest to full maturity. This happens about a month after flowering, when the tops begin to turn yellow and dry out.
Conclusion
Ermak potatoes are one of the most popular domestic potato varieties. Some time ago, the variety was almost lost due to total infection with viruses - the nursery in the Irtysh region, where it was produced, closed. But thanks to the efforts of enthusiasts from the people, the variety continues to live, albeit under different names.
Reviews about the variety
For many gardeners, the Ermak potato variety is associated with almost the best domestically produced potatoes.
I planted Ermak potatoes, low bushes, strong thick stems, and hilled them once. The flowers are purple, dripped after flowering, the medium-sized potatoes are beautiful pink-red, the eyes are a little small, a pleasure to peel. The flesh is white and slightly creamy. Does not boil over, pleasant taste and aroma. I planted 1/2 a bucket (April 26, started digging in early July) and dug up almost 4 buckets. Wow size.Digging is inconvenient, we had to extract it from under a bush, a lot of it was left in the ground, cut during plowing, but this is not upsetting because... good potatoes do not require much care: planting, watering, loosening, there were no Colorado potato beetles and digging up a lot of potatoes!!! The variety is amazing!