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In recent years, attitudes towards growing potatoes have changed somewhat compared to past times. After all, now it’s easy to buy it in stores or on the market. And it costs very little. Therefore, very few people want to spend a lot of effort and time in order to then get a meager harvest and still buy potatoes at the market. But there are varieties that, even in unfavorable years, with minimal care, are capable of producing quite decent yields. And if you plant them using a variety of new technologies that make agricultural work easier, you can get a wonderful harvest with virtually no effort. Potato Slavyanka is one of these varieties.
Description of the variety
The Slavyanka variety was bred in Ukraine by a group of breeders from the Kirovograd Institute of the UAAS using virus-free seed material. The variety was registered in the State Register of Russia in 2009 and since then began its victorious march across Russia. Recommendations for growing Slavyanka potatoes were limited to the Central Black Earth region, but despite this fact, potatoes of this variety are grown in almost all regions of Russia. Well, in Ukraine it is one of the most popular and widespread varieties.
Potato bushes grow quite large, spreading is average. There are not very many stems, but they are well branched and densely leafy. The leaves themselves are dark green, quite large, dissected, with clearly visible veins. The leaves have barely noticeable pubescence, the edges of the leaves are slightly wavy. The Slavyanka potato blooms in small violet-blue inflorescences with white spots at the ends. The flowering itself, although abundant, does not last long. The number of berries produced is small.
Characteristics of the variety
The Slavyanka potato variety is a late-ripening variety. From the time the tubers are planted in the ground until the harvest, 120-140 days can pass.
The most outstanding feature of the Slavyanka variety is its productivity. According to the manufacturer, on average you can count on 250-300 centners per hectare. The maximum yield, subject to all agronomic cultivation techniques, can be 400 centners per hectare. In addition, and importantly, the potato harvest is not strongly determined by weather conditions. Under any circumstances, there will definitely be a harvest, but its quantity depends on care.
The great advantage of the variety is the high degree of harvest preservation. It can be stored for a long time and its taste and product characteristics do not change.
The variety is characterized by high resistance to many diseases: potato cancer, golden cyst nematode, wrinkled mosaic, leaf curl, black leg. But the resistance to late blight of the aerial parts and tubers is quite average.
Fruit characteristics
The tubers of the Slavyanka potato variety grow very large. There are practically no small ones. They are oblong-oval in shape. The color is purple-pink. The characteristics of the tubers are as follows.
- The weight of one tuber varies from 90 to 175 grams.
- The eyes are small and superficial, very convenient for peeling potatoes.
- The skin is smooth, thin, evenly colored.
- The flesh is creamy.
- The starch content in tubers is low - from 11 to 13%.
- The taste is characterized as very good.
- Marketability - 88-99%.
- Keeping quality - 95%.
- Tubers contain a large amount of B vitamins, amino acids, and proteins.
Slavyanka potato tubers have a very neat, even shape, ideal for sale. The potatoes are slightly boiled, the tubers retain their shape after heat treatment. Due to the low starch content, potatoes of this variety are ideal for making French fries and chips. It can also be used for baking and stuffing.
Advantages and disadvantages
The Slavyanka potato variety has numerous advantages that allow it to enjoy great popularity not only among ordinary gardeners, but also among farmers.
- Excellent yield;
- High taste qualities of tubers;
- Friendly maturation;
- Resistance to major diseases;
- Unpretentiousness to the vagaries of the weather;
- Good keeping quality;
- Good commercial quality.
However, this variety also has a drawback - it is not resistant to mechanical damage. And if the cut tubers end up in storage, they will quickly begin to rot.And since harvesting technical conditions do not always allow one to avoid mechanical damage, it is necessary to carefully sort out the tubers of this variety before storing them.
Features of cultivation
The Slavyanka variety is unpretentious and can easily adapt to changes in weather conditions and to almost any soil. But it is an intensive type variety, therefore, in order to obtain record yields, it requires regular and increased feeding.
It must be planted in heated soil with a distance between bushes of 35 cm. It is advisable to leave the row spacing at least 70-75 cm. For irrigation, it is ideal to use drip irrigation, however, the Slavyanka variety is characterized by resistance to short-term drought.
Given the increased sensitivity of the variety to mechanical damage, it is necessary to dig up tubers with great care. The tubers are stored almost until spring without losing their qualities.
Consumer Reviews
Slavyanka potatoes enjoy well-deserved popularity and evidence of this is positive reviews and descriptions of this variety with photos.
Conclusion
The Slavyanka variety has many fans both in Ukraine and Russia. And despite the many new varieties being developed, it will continue to be popular for a long time.
Slavyanka is not the worst cheap potato, nothing special. No potato taste