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Egyptian flat beet is a Russian variety, known for more than 80 years. Due to its resistance to frost, drought and pests, it is recommended for cultivation in almost all regions. The yield is high and reaches 7-8 kg per square meter. At the same time, root vegetables are perfectly stored in winter and can be used for any purpose.
Origin story
The Egyptian flat beet variety was bred in 1937 on the basis of the Voronezh Agricultural Research Center named after V.V. Dokuchaeva. Passed successful tests and was included in the register of breeding achievements in 1943. Recommended for cultivation in most Russian regions:
- middle lane;
- Chernozem region;
- Volga region;
- Ural;
- Eastern Siberia;
- Far East.
For several decades, Egyptian flat beets have been grown both in Russia and in neighboring countries, including Ukraine, Armenia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Recommended for use in the autumn-winter period.
Description of the Egyptian flat beet variety
The plant is an erect shrub with rosettes of leaves growing up to 45–50 cm in height. Petioles reach 25 cm, up to 1.2 cm in diameter. The color is pink-red, which indicates a high content of anthocyanins. Moreover, as it grows, the color becomes more intense, reaching its maximum degree of saturation by the end of the season.
The leaves of the Egyptian flat beet are dark green. Medium size - up to 22 cm in length, up to 14 cm in width. The shape is elongated, the edges are wavy. The surface of the plate has a slight shine and is moderately bubbly. The lateral veins and the central vein are colored red-violet.
The roots of the Egyptian flat beet are strongly flattened on the sides, their shape is flat-round, which is why the variety got its name. The head is small, the axial root is long, of moderate thickness. The beets reach 6.5–12.5 cm in diameter and up to 8 cm in height. On average, the weight ranges from 200 to 300 g, some specimens weigh up to 500–520 g. The color is typical dark red, the surface is smooth.
The beet roots of this variety have a flattened shape
The pulp is moderately tender, juicy, moderately dense. The color ranges from deep pink to red, slightly purple. The rings are visible, but not too pronounced, without white veins. The taste is very good, moderately sweetish tones are noticeable.
Characteristics of Egyptian flat beet
Egyptian flat beet belongs to the mid-season varieties - 100–120 days pass from germination to full ripening, i.e. no more than 4 months. The ripening period for Egyptian flat beets occurs at the end of June - beginning of July (when planting seedlings in the first ten days of March).However, they may change slightly due to weather conditions, but the fluctuations are small.
The variety is quite productive - from 1 m2 5–8.3 kg of root crops are collected. Moreover, during the growing season, the root crops are immersed in the soil by about half or a little more. The Egyptian flat plant tolerates short-term cold snaps and droughts well. Therefore, the variety is successfully grown in different regions of Russia.
Egyptian flat beetroot is not prone to flowering (that is, it almost always produces root crops and does not go into color), which explains the high yield. At the same time, the fruits are shelf-stable and transportable; they can be transported for sale or processing even over long distances. If the conditions are met, it is well preserved throughout autumn and winter (the degree of preservation is from 75% to 89% of root crops).
Advantages and disadvantages
Egyptian flat beets have a good taste and high yield. At the same time, the variety is not demanding on growing conditions and tolerates frost and drought well. Therefore, it has spread both in Russia and in a number of neighboring countries.
The yield of the Egyptian flat variety reaches 8 kg per 1 m2
Pros:
- pleasant taste;
- attractive presentation;
- keeping quality and transportability;
- resistance to diseases, frost and drought;
- high productivity;
- unpretentiousness, can be grown in different regions.
Minuses:
- not resistant to cercospora;
- seeds take quite a long time to germinate;
- in some cases germination is low.
How to plant Egyptian flat beets
Sowing Egyptian flat beets is possible in two ways - through seedlings or by directly planting seeds in the ground. In this case, planting can be done both in spring and before winter. The timing depends on the method of cultivation, as well as on the climatic characteristics of the region:
- For seedlings - from early March to mid-April, planning to transplant into the ground or into a greenhouse a month after germination.
- In open ground - from late April to mid-May, when the soil warms up to at least 6 degrees Celsius.
- Pre-winter sowing - from the second half of October to the beginning of November. In this case, you can only sow dry Egyptian flat beet seeds.
Seedling growing method
In reviews of Egyptian flat beets, summer residents often write that the seeds do not germinate well. In most cases, this is due to poor quality selection and preparation of seed material. A few days before planting, you need to do the following:
- Determine germination by immersing the seeds in a solution with salt and waiting 5 minutes. If any pop up, they are rejected.
- Immerse Egyptian flat beet seeds in warm water and leave for several hours until completely swollen.
- Place the glass at the bottom of the refrigerator and leave for a week.
After preparation is completed, you can begin planting. You need to grow them according to the following instructions:
- Make up a mixture of turf soil with black peat, humus and sand (2:1:1:1).
- Place in boxes or containers.
- Sow seeds to a depth of 1.5–2 cm at intervals of 3–4 cm.
- Water, cover with glass and grow at a temperature of 18–20 degrees.
- Shoots appear for quite a long time - after 15–20 days, which is normal.After this, it is better to lower the temperature to 15 degrees.
Seedlings can be grown with or without diving
Planting in open ground
Egyptian flat beets are planted in open ground according to the following scheme:
- depth 2–3 cm;
- furrows at a distance of 15–20 cm;
- the distance between adjacent seeds is 6–7 cm.
Thinning is carried out after the seedlings grow to 10 cm. If there is space, the “extra” seedlings are transferred to a neighboring bed.
Caring for Egyptian flat beets
Caring for beets of this variety is quite simple. It is necessary to ensure watering - it should be regular, but not excessive. Water is given only at the moment when the surface layer of soil has dried. A few days after each watering, loosening is carried out, and if necessary, weeding.
Egyptian flat beet is responsive to fertilizers. The first (complex mineral or nitrogen) is added at the seedling stage, after the appearance of the second pair of leaves. In open ground, fertilize twice at the stage of root crop formation with a break of 2–3 weeks. For feeding use superphosphate (40 g per 1 m2) and potassium salt (25–30 g per 1 m2).
To get a good harvest, beets need to be fed twice a season.
Possible diseases and pests
The variety has good resistance to most diseases and pests. But Egyptian flat beets, if not properly cared for, can suffer from diseases such as Phoma (Phomosis rot) and Cercospora. For prevention, it is necessary to lime the soil (if it is acidified), and at the first symptoms, treat it with a fungicide:
- "Acanto Plus";
- "Rias";
- "Benorad";
- "Sphere Max";
- "Falcon";
- "Scalpel" and others.
Also, Egyptian flat beets can be affected by mole crickets, bugs, aphids, flies and other pests. As a preventive measure it is recommended:
- observe the watering norm;
- loosen the soil;
- do weeding;
- remove damaged parts of the tops.
For treatment, folk remedies are used (infusion of tobacco dust, decoction of tomato tops, potatoes, infusion of wood ash) and insecticides:
- "Medvetox";
- "Biotlin";
- "Aktara";
- "Confidor";
- "Inta-Vir" and others.
Conclusion
Egyptian flat beet is a long-known variety that is resistant to adverse weather conditions, pests and diseases. Root vegetables are tasty and are considered universal vegetables. Used fresh, in various dishes and winter preparations.
Reviews from gardeners about Egyptian flat beets
