Content
Potatoes remain firmly in the forefront of familiar and most commonly consumed products. Over the long history of the appearance of this vegetable on the European continent, through the efforts of breeders, many varieties have been created.
Particular attention should be paid to the early-ripening Leader potato, which was created through selection by employees of the State Scientific Institution of the Ural Research Institute of Agriculture as a table variety, and included in the register for the West Siberian region. Later, the patent for the Leader variety was purchased by the SeDeK agricultural company.
Description and characteristics
Potato Leader has established itself as unpretentious and high-yielding early ripening variety. It is most common in Russia, Ukraine and Moldova. Main characteristics of the Leader variety:
| Requests | Characteristic |
| Roots | |
| Tuber | Oval-round |
| Peel | Yellow, smooth |
| Eyes | Small |
| Pulp | White |
| Weight | 88-119 g |
| Starch content | 12–12,2% |
| Plant | |
| Bush | Semi-erect, intermediate type |
| Top height | Medium, reaches 1 m |
| Sheet | Medium size, green, intermediate, little or no edge wavy |
| whisk | White, medium size |
Potatoes of this variety are propagated by tubers or parts thereof. The bush does not grow to the sides, and the tubers form and form together.
The leader has high yields, the highest were achieved in the Tyumen region - 339 c/ha.
The Leader variety is used for industrial and table needs. Starch and chips are made from it; it is used to prepare both the simplest dishes and complex ones that can satisfy the taste of the most demanding gourmet.
Advantages and disadvantages
Leader potatoes have many advantages, which sets them apart from numerous table varieties. The disadvantages of potatoes in comparison with its positive qualities are insignificant.
| Advantages | Flaws |
| Wide range of uses | Vulnerability to pests (Colorado beetle, nematode, wireworm and mole cricket) |
| High yield | Lack of moisture negatively affects the harvest |
| Multituberism | Hilling requirement |
| Disease resistance | |
| Good transportability | |
| High taste qualities | |
| Long-lasting shelf life of tubers |
Landing
It is best to prepare Leader potatoes for planting during the harvesting process. The main criteria for choosing planting material:
- medium size potatoes;
- a large number of eyes;
- healthy, undamaged tuber.
It is advisable to turn the tubers green by keeping them in a lighted place for some time, this protects them from rodents and pests. Store potatoes at a temperature of 11-16C°.
Before planting, Leader potatoes are germinated. The process lasts about a month. There are several ways to do this:
- the tubers are laid out on the floor;
- potatoes are sprouted in sawdust;
- planting material is placed in plastic bags with ventilation holes;
- tubers are placed in wooden boxes.
Sprouted tubers are planted in open ground at the end of early May. The planting pattern is 60x35 cm, planted to a depth of 8-15 cm. If the soil is loose, the planting depth increases to 20 cm.
Ash is a good fertilizer for Leader potatoes. It can be added to the soil in the fall, or you can sprinkle it on the tubers when planting. Planting Leader potatoes is recommended on land where winter crops, perennial grasses or flax previously grew.
Care
The Leader variety is unpretentious, but you still need to follow the basic rules of care:
- watering;
- hilling;
- feeding
Watering potatoes Leader depends on the region. In areas where summers are hot and dry, watering is done once a week; in areas with more moderate climatic conditions, once a month will be sufficient.
Leader potatoes experience the greatest need for moisture before flowering and directly during the flowering process.
Hilling and feeding
Hilling is no less important than watering. It consists of shoveling soil from the rows onto a potato bush. The process is carried out after watering or rain, it is important that the soil is moist, this forces the tubers to sprout new underground shoots, on which the crop is formed.
Such manipulations also protect the Leader’s seedlings from frosts, which often occur in May. The hilling procedure is usually carried out twice:
- when the height of the bush reaches 13-17 cm;
- before flowering potato bushes.
The Leader variety can do without fertilizers, but if the soil is poor, then it is better to feed it.
| Deadlines | Fertilizer |
| The appearance of the first leaves | Mullein or bird droppings solution |
| Potato flowering period | Urea or ash solution |
| A month before digging up the tubers | Foliar fertilizing with superphosphate |
Some tips and recommendations from the author of the video:
Diseases and pests
Leader potatoes are resistant to the most common diseases, such as dry rot, spotting, rhizoctonia, and blackleg. But Leader is quite susceptible to late blight.
To prevent disease, the soil is treated in advance with Bordeaux mixture; a solution of copper sulfate can also be used for these purposes, then the bed is dug up. Or they directly spray the Leader’s tubers themselves with preparations containing copper sulfate.
For a good potato harvest, Leader will have to fight pests.
| Pests | Fighting methods |
| Colorado beetle |
|
| Medvedka |
|
| Nematode |
|
| Wireworm |
|
Timely implementation of such preventive measures helps prevent not only the appearance of pests, but also many potato diseases:
- digging up soil;
- loosening the soil;
- weed removal;
- periodically changing the place where potatoes are planted;
- pre-treatment of planting material.
Harvesting
Potato Leader is an early variety. The first tubers are dug up already 45 days after the appearance of the first shoots, final maturity occurs 70-75 days after germination of the planting material. On average, 18-20 tubers are harvested from one bush. Harvesting occurs depending on the planting time, usually in July or early August.
An indicator of the degree of maturity of root crops is the drying of the tops. But it is best to dig up several bushes to assess the density and thickness of the peel. It should not peel or flake off easily, as happens on young tubers.
A dry and clear day is chosen for harvesting. After digging up the potatoes, the area is harrowed, which allows you to pick up the remaining tubers. The selected potatoes are dried and sorted, selecting diseased and damaged tubers. The harvest is stored in a dry, cool and dark place. Good keeping quality allows it to be stored without deterioration in sowing qualities until June.
Conclusion
At the time of its appearance, the leader occupied the first positions among early-ripening potato varieties in terms of drought resistance, high yield, storage duration and the number of tubers ripening on one bush, which contributed to its name.
To enjoy early potatoes from your garden beds with a minimum of effort, you should choose Leader potatoes.
