Potato Lapot: variety description, photos, reviews

Content

1 Origin
2 Characteristics and properties
- 2.1 What determines the love of farmers
3 Agrotechnical techniques
- 3.1 Planting tubers
- 3.2 Nuances of agricultural technology
4 Review
5 Conclusion

Everything old, sooner or later, comes back: and this rule applies not only to fashion trends. An ancient potato variety of folk selection under the funny name Lapot was once forgotten and was replaced by more modern, promising varieties and foreign hybrids. Today, gardeners would be happy to remember the taste of childhood and plant Lapot on their plot, but finding planting material is not so easy. It is not for nothing that these potatoes are loved and remembered, because they are considered one of the most unpretentious and at the same time the most productive of all known varieties. If you manage to find at least a few Lapot potato tubers, you definitely need to plant and propagate them!

A description of the Lapot potato variety with photos and reviews from those who planted it on their plot is given in this article. Here we will talk about all the advantages of the variety, list its few disadvantages, and provide recommendations for cultivation.

Origin

The Lapot potato variety was bred by unknown breeders; most likely, these potatoes came “from the people.” The first regions where the variety was grown were Siberia and the Far East. That is why the popular names for potatoes are Siberian Lapot or Bashkir Lapot.

The first mentions of the variety date back to the 50s of the last century, but there is every reason to assume an even earlier “birth” of Laptya. Subsequently Siberian potatoes spread almost throughout the entire country. Today Lapot can be found everywhere only in Transbaikalia.

Attention! As can be seen from history, Lapot was originally grown in “zones of risky farming.” This indicates the incredible stability and unpretentiousness of the variety to external factors.

Characteristics and properties

The Lapot potato variety is positioned as a mid-early table variety. Compared to other varieties, Siberian potatoes stand out, first of all, in the size of the tubers and, of course, in their productivity.

The Lapot potato variety has the following description:

the growing season ranges from 65 to 80 days;
Full ripening of potatoes occurs from the second half of August to the twentieth of September (depending on weather and climatic conditions);
the height of Laptya bushes is average - about 50-60 cm;
bushes are dense, well-leafed, spreading;
medium-sized leaves, light green in color;
the flowers are large, snow-white, the potatoes bloom abundantly;
the shape of the tubers is oblong, flattened - outwardly the potatoes resemble rustic bast shoes;
the peel is colored dark pink;
the pulp of the tubers is creamy, with an average starch content (12-14%);
Potato eyes are small and located superficially;
under each bush there are 6-8 potatoes;
the weight of marketable tubers is 100-160 grams;
necessarily one tuber from the bush stands out in size - the mass of such “bast shoes” can be 500-600 grams;
the productivity of the Lapot variety is high - about 450-500 centners per hectare;
the taste is decent - the root vegetable is perfect for frying, baking, stewing, preparing first courses and salads;
the keeping quality of the crop is 94%, which is considered a good indicator for an early variety;
Lapot potatoes are very resistant to weather conditions, such as drought, prolonged rains, and recurrent frosts;
the soil, like the climate, is suitable for growing the variety;
Lapota is not immune to Alternaria and late blight and can be affected by other fungal infections;
Potatoes are rarely infected with other diseases.

Important! The Lapot variety is perfect for those who live in regions with difficult climates and bad weather conditions. This potato can also be recommended for beginners or lazy summer residents, because it does not require complex care.

By the way, most agronomists do not recognize the existence of such a variety. They believe that Lapot is one of the wild varieties of potatoes bred during Soviet times. It is believed that the predecessor of the Siberian folk potato was a variety such as American or Northern Rose.

What determines the love of farmers

Lapot potatoes have many advantages. Indeed, everything about this potato is impressive – not just its external qualities. The strengths of the variety are:

size and presentation of tubers;
excellent taste;
suitability for transportation;
low damage to tubers;
suitability for long-term storage;
universal purpose - table variety belongs to category AB;
resistance to cold (even during spring frosts, potato seedlings do not need to be covered);
independence of yield from the weather in the summer season (even in a cold summer, Lapot will give a decent harvest, only the timing of its harvest will be delayed);
incredible “flexibility” of potatoes, allowing the variety to acclimatize in any climate and on any soil;
a small percentage of tubers spoiled during storage (about 5-6%).

Attention! Despite the fact that the tubers of the Lapot variety contain little starch, the taste of this potato is very good. Potatoes make excellent mashed potatoes, they are used to make French fries, baked and stewed.

Of course, a description of the Siberian variety will be incomplete without mentioning the shortcomings of this potato. Unfortunately, the variety also has disadvantages:

very weak resistance of bushes to late blight of tops and Alternaria;
frequent damage to tubers by wireworms (larva of the click beetle);
lack of quality planting material.

Potatoes of the Lapot variety are not included in the State Register; they do not have an originating company, so it is impossible to find planting material in specialized nurseries. The only way to get tubers for planting is to buy them from private gardeners. And this does not guarantee that the potatoes comply with varietal qualities.

Agrotechnical techniques

Reviews from gardeners and summer residents indicate that Lapot potatoes are extremely unpretentious, so growing them will not be difficult. But you still have to put in a minimum of effort - without this, not a single crop will produce a harvest.

Planting tubers

Potatoes need to be grown in an open area with plenty of light. The Lapot variety does not make any special claims to the composition and type of soil, but, like any garden crop, potatoes will not tolerate the close “neighborhood” of groundwater (they should lie deeper than 65-70 cm from the surface of the earth).

Advice! To purchase high-quality planting material, you need to know what Lapot potatoes look like.A photo and description of the variety will help with this.

Potatoes will not like too acidic soil. In this case, before planting, it will need to be “deoxidized” by scattering dolomite flour, crushed egg shells or sifted wood ash over the area.

Sprouting tubers before planting has a very good effect on the overall potato yield. Laptya root crops are germinated in a dark, well-ventilated room with a temperature of 13-15 degrees. It will take 20-25 days for good sprouts to appear.

On the eve of planting, it is recommended to treat potatoes with special preparations such as “Maxim”, “Prestige” or “Integral”. These products will help strengthen the immunity of potatoes and increase their germination.

To plant Lapot potatoes, you need well-warmed soil - at a depth of 10 cm it should warm up to +7-+10 degrees. Potatoes are usually planted in the last days of April, but in Siberia planting can be delayed until mid-May.

The planting scheme for low-growing but spreading Laptya bushes is recommended as follows: 35x60 cm. In regions with humid summers, you can further increase the interval between holes. The embedment depth should not exceed 7-8 cm.

Nuances of agricultural technology

To get a decent harvest from large and tasty potatoes, the farmer must do the following:

Water potatoes of the Lapot variety at least three times per season: at the budding stage, before flowering and immediately after it. If the summer turns out to be dry and hot, the amount of watering needs to be increased; potatoes can be watered every 5-6 days. The best method of irrigation for potatoes is sprinkling. In August, it is necessary to water the bushes in the morning so that by the cool night they are completely dry.
To keep moisture in the soil longer, use mulch. It is better to mulch potato rows with peat chips or mown grass. Sawdust acidifies the soil, and mice can breed in the straw.
Feeding have a very positive effect on the quality and quantity of tubers under the bush. The Lapot potatoes are fed for the first time at the stage of emergence of the first shoots. At this time, plants need nitrogen, so potatoes are fertilized with ammonium sulfate, urea or ammonium nitrate. When tubers form, potato bushes can benefit from fertilizing with phosphorus and potassium (superphosphate, potassium sulfate). Fertilizing the Siberian variety with magnesium - potassium magnesia, magnesium sulfate is introduced in the form of foliar fertilizing - has a very good effect.
Potato Lapot is resistant to diseases, and pests are not very fond of this variety. However, resistant Siberian potatoes also have weaknesses: the plants suffer from late blight, alternaria, and tubers can be damaged by wireworms. To protect potato beds, it is necessary carry out preventive treatments antifungal and insecticidal drugs.
10-14 days before harvesting it is necessary mow all the tops on potatoes Lapot. This method is an excellent prevention of late blight of tubers, to which the variety is susceptible. After mowing, bare “stumps” of stems 5-6 cm high should remain. The tops must be removed from the area and burned.
Assembled the harvest is dried under a canopy during the day, making sure that the sun does not fall on the tubers. Those potatoes that were selected for planting next year, on the contrary, are “greened”, that is, kept in the sun for 10-12 days.

Attention! Potatoes of the Lapot variety must be stored in dry, ventilated cellars with a constant temperature of +2-+4 degrees.This potato does not like proximity to other varieties. But beets laid out next to the boxes, on the contrary, are useful - they will absorb excess moisture.

Review

Stepan Gavrilovich

Text of review Once upon a time, my grandfather grew the Lapot variety, and I remember the taste of this potato from childhood. Already at his own dacha he experimented with many varieties, both domestic and foreign selection. Over the years of “testing,” I left only four varieties, which I grow every season from my own seeds. I recently remembered Lapot potatoes, decided to plant them myself, and ran into a huge problem - I can’t find the seeds. If someone knows where to get quality planting material, or has their own potatoes, sell at least a few tubers! P.S. The variety was called Laptem in Transbaikalia, perhaps it has a different, scientific name. It is easy to recognize potatoes by the appearance of the tubers: pinkish, very large, oval or rectangular in shape, strongly flattened.

Conclusion

The Lapot potato, although it belongs to the so-called varieties of folk selection, has not left the country’s gardens and summer cottages for more than half a century. This potato has very significant advantages: large tubers, high yield, unpretentiousness and resistance to external factors.

It is not easy to start a Siberian variety - it is very difficult to find high-quality planting material. But it’s worth a try - Lapot will pleasantly surprise you!