Dutch potato varieties have long gained popularity among our gardeners and gardeners. They are excellent for our climate and have good yields. It is impossible not to note the persistent immunity of these varieties, which has long become their calling card. The varieties bred in Holland differ from each other in terms of their ripening time and overall yield. In this article we will look at one of the best mid-late and high-yielding varieties - Sifra potatoes.
Characteristics of the variety
The Sifra potato variety has a medium-late ripening period, which allows gardeners to harvest it 95 - 115 days after planting the tubers. We grow it in many regions, but the State Register of Breeding Achievements of the Russian Federation recommended this variety for planting only in the Northwestern, Central, Volga-Vyatka and Central Black Earth regions. In addition to Russia, Sifra is actively grown in Ukraine and Moldova.
Sifra bushes are very variable: they can be either medium or tall, they can stand upright or spread out. Their tops of average density are formed from medium-sized leaves of an intermediate type. They have a dark green color and slightly wavy edges. During flowering, potato bushes are covered with corollas of large white flowers.
The powerful root system of the bushes allows them to grow up to 15 large potatoes. Their average weight will be about 100 – 150 grams.The appearance of Sifra potatoes is beyond praise. It is smooth and neat, with an almost perfect oval-round shape. The medium-thick yellow skin of the potato is very smooth to the touch. The eyes of the Sifra potato variety are shallow and few in number.
The inside of the Sifra potato is white. Like other mid-late varieties, Sifra has an excellent rich taste. The potato pulp is slightly sweet, without dryness or wateriness. This variety is perfect for all types of cooking, be it boiling, pan-frying, deep-frying, stuffing and baking. There is not much starch in it - from 11% to 15%. But despite this, the mashed potatoes from these potatoes are very airy and without lumps.
Such excellent taste and commercial characteristics allow the cultivation of Sifra potatoes not only for personal needs and farms, but also on an industrial scale. Neat, even potatoes tolerate transportation well and are perfectly stored without loss of marketability and taste. If the storage conditions are met, the keeping quality of the tubers will be about 94% of the total harvest. Thanks to these qualities, as well as excellent presentation, Sifra potatoes are often found on store shelves.
The advantages of this potato variety also include its drought resistance and non-degeneration when harvested as seed material. As for immunity, the Sifra potato variety also has something to be proud of.This potato has strong immunity to many dangerous diseases and pests, such as:
- potato cancer;
- golden nematode;
- scab;
- viral diseases.
But the immunity of this potato may not be able to withstand tuber late blight and various fungal diseases.
The disadvantages of the Sifra potato variety include its sensitivity to sudden frosts, as well as its demands on the nutritional composition of the soil.
The yield of potatoes of this variety largely depends on climatic conditions and the nutritional composition of the soil. The minimum yield will be 179 centners per hectare, and the maximum can reach 500 centners per hectare.
Care instructions
Potatoes of the Sifra variety do not require any complex care. The only requirement for this variety is light and nutritious soil. When grown on such land, the variety will show excellent yield indicators. But if the soil is poor or heavy in composition, then not only the overall yield will deteriorate, but also the quality of the harvest itself.
Beds for Sifra potatoes should be prepared in the fall. To do this, they need to be dug up to a depth of 30 cm with the obligatory turning of the earth. To improve the nutritional composition of the soil, humus and wood ash are added to the dug bed.
But planting potatoes after tomatoes, sweet peppers and eggplants will not lead to good yields.
Sifra is a mid-season potato variety, so its planting should begin only after the end of spring frosts, when the soil has already warmed up well.
A popular sign of the beginning of the potato planting season are birch leaves that have reached the size of a small coin.
Seed potatoes of the Sifra variety need to be germinated a little before planting. To do this, the tubers need to be spread out 1.5 - 2 months before planting in a bright place at a temperature no higher than +15 degrees. During this time, young sprouts should emerge from the potato eyes. An indicator of the readiness of potatoes for planting is the length of these sprouts - it should be from 1 to 1.5 cm. If the sprouts appear before the planned planting, then the tubers should be removed to a dark place and kept there until planting.
Sprouted Sifra potatoes are planted in moist soil, after making holes or trenches in it. Their depth depends on the soil in the garden bed - the lighter it is, the deeper the hole or trench will be and vice versa. In this case, on light soils the maximum planting depth will be 12 cm, and on clay soil only 5 cm. The distance between adjacent tubers should be about 30 cm, and between rows 65 cm. Planted tubers are sprinkled with earth. Under favorable weather conditions, the first shoots will appear in 15 - 20 days.
Subsequent care for potato seedlings will include:
- Watering. As a rule, Sifra potatoes are not watered until they begin to flower. But if the summer turns out to be very dry, then you will still have to water the bushes once a week. After flowering begins, the soil in the potato bed should always be slightly moist.But this does not mean that potato bushes should be watered every day. Before each watering, the soil should dry to the depth of one finger. Sifra potato bushes should be watered in the evening, spending 2 to 3 liters of water on each bush.
- Hilling. Hilling allows Sifra potato bushes to better keep their shape and promotes the formation of stolons - shoots on which tubers are formed. Hilling should be carried out twice per season: the first time when the bushes reach a height of 14 - 16 cm, and the second time before flowering begins. Hilling up is not difficult. To do this, you need to rake the soil from the rows to the base of the bushes. As you can see in the photo below, the final potato beds should look ribbed.
- Fertilizer. Organic fertilizers based on manure or chicken droppings are best suited for Sifra potatoes. But if the soil is poor, then you can use mineral fertilizers, alternating them with organic matter. In total, potatoes need to be fertilized three times during the season: after emergence, before and after flowering.
The first digging of Sifra potatoes can be done in mid-summer. But the peak of yield occurs in the second half of September. A clear sign that it is time to dig up the potatoes is the drying out and yellowing of the tops. All harvested crops must be sorted and dried before harvesting for storage.
Despite the fact that Sifra is a relatively young potato variety, its popularity among gardeners and farmers is growing every year. And following simple agrotechnical recommendations guarantees, if not a plentiful, then a very good harvest.
