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It is difficult to imagine a more famous domestic potato variety than Ermak, because at one time he, along with many Dutch varieties, gained recognition throughout the world. But it is for this reason that this variety has overgrown with an incredible number of legends, rumors, and popular names, some of which have nothing to do with reality.
Origin story
Initially, in the mid-70s of the last century, scientists breeders of the Omsk Agrarian Scientific Center bred a potato called Ermak by the method of clonal selection of the Early Rose variety. During the tests, a new variety of this potato, called Improved Ermak, was selected and obtained. It was under this name that this variety was included in 1978 in the State Register of Russia. Although experts recommend Yermak potatoes for cultivation, first of all, in the West Siberian District, this variety at one time successfully spread and conquered not only all of Russia, but also the near abroad. True, later he was ousted from the gardens of varieties of foreign selection, which many gardeners still regret.
Much later in the XXI century, with the light hand of an unknown gardener, who received the tubers of this potato variety of unprecedented size, he was nicknamed Laptem. And in recent years, the Ermak variety has received a new wave of recognition and is often distributed among gardeners under the popular name Lapot. And many do not even suspect that they are acquiring a long-known name under this name. variety of Siberian selection Ermak.
Description and characteristics
Ermak potato bushes are erect, the stems branch rather weakly. Corollas of flowers are very beautiful - they are painted in a pale red-violet color.
And the tubers are distinguished by a pinkish color of the peel. The eyes are small in size, there are not very many of them on the smooth peel.
The flesh is white on the cut, sometimes there may be reddish inclusions near the eyes. Does not darken when cut and cooked.
The tubers are large in size from 90 to 120 grams each and are oval-rounded. At the same time, from 8 to 20 tubers are formed in each potato bush. In addition, the tubers of this variety have a fairly high marketability, which means the percentage of marketable tubers to all others grown on the bush. Marketability is about 88-90%.
Therefore, the Ermak potato variety is considered high-yielding - from one bush you can collect from one to two kilograms of delicious tubers.
On an industrial scale, where yields are measured in tons per hectare, this value is 35-47 t / ha.
The potato variety Ermak can be safely attributed to early ripening - the tubers ripen already 70-90 days after the appearance of the first shoots.
At the same time, potatoes are stored very well, especially for such early ripening periods. The preservation percentage is 94%.
The taste qualities of Ermak potatoes are recognized by most experts as excellent - the potatoes are really very tasty, which is important compared to many modern varieties, especially imported ones. The purpose of the variety is table, use is universal - delicious vegetable salads are obtained from Ermak tubers, it is suitable for frying and baking.
The Ermak variety shows average resistance to the main potato scourge - scab, as well as to most fungal, bacterial and viral diseases. But its resistance to potato crayfish is very low.
But the Ermak variety tolerates heat well, and responds with large yields to regular fertilizing and irrigation.
Advantages and disadvantages
Ermak potatoes have the following advantages and disadvantages.
| Dignity | disadvantages |
| Excellent taste | Weak resistance to cancer |
| High yield rates | Average susceptibility to disease - needs protection |
| Heat resistance | |
| Good storage of tubers | |
| Responsive to watering and feeding | |
| Resistance to mechanical damage |
Landing
When planting early varieties of potatoes, it is especially important to pay attention to the pre-planting treatment of tubers, since it allows you to get a harvest at the earliest possible date.
One of the main methods of such preparation is vernalization of tubers - greening them in the light and in relative warmth. It is usually started a month before planting. Ermak potato tubers are laid out in boxes on plastic wrap in a bright and relatively warm room. You can use a veranda or a frost-free balcony. Tubers are regularly sprayed to maintain moisture and uniform growth of strong shoots.
Vernalization helps to get an earlier and better harvest, but the most important thing is to reject sick and weak tubers with filamentous sprouts.
Tubers that float during this procedure are discarded. But after this procedure, healthy potatoes must be rinsed under running water.
The site for planting potatoes is set aside after growing onions, garlic, peas, pumpkin crops on it. If you are worried about a wireworm or nematode in your area, then the best way to get rid of them is to sow oats or rye immediately after harvest. And in the spring, having cleared the place of straw, plant potatoes in this soil.
Considering that Ermak potatoes have early ripening periods, it makes sense to plant them as early as possible. In the conditions of the middle lane, it is best to keep within the first ten days of May. In the southern regions, potatoes can be planted a month earlier. In the Urals and Siberia, the dates may move a week later. The main thing is that the soil managed to warm up to a temperature of + 8 ° + 10 ° С.
It is best to plant Yermak potatoes in a two-line way. That is, two rows with a distance of 50-60 cm make up a strip. Make intervals of 90-100 cm between the strips. And the tubers themselves in each row are laid out every 10-15 cm (small) and 18-20 cm (large).
Care
Caring for potatoes of the Ermak variety is fundamentally no different from caring for other varieties of potatoes: watering, feeding, hilling and protection from pests and diseases.
This potato variety is especially susceptible to additional irrigation, demonstrating maximum productivity under these conditions. Watering is especially important during sprouting of tubers, at the time of the first hilling and during flowering of potatoes. If during these periods there is dry weather without rains, then it is highly desirable to provide additional artificial irrigation for Yermak potato plantings.
Hilling and feeding
Hilling plays a primary role in potato care for three reasons:
- It helps to remove weeds.
- Helps to loosen and oxygenate the topsoil.
- Promotes soil moisture retention.
The larger the potato bush, the higher it should be hilled.On average, the bushes need to be sprinkled with earth or organic materials to a third of their height.
The first hilling is carried out traditionally when the sprouts reach a height of 15-20 cm only the next day after a good rain. Only then will it make sense. Otherwise, planting potatoes is plentifully spilled and only then spud.
The second hilling is carried out ten days before flowering, while the bushes have not yet closed in the aisles.
Top dressing of Ermak potatoes is best combined with irrigation if you have small plantations. The most optimal top dressing is the infusion of manure and chicken droppings with the addition of wood ash. You can also use a herbal cocktail - pour a mixture of any weeds with a double portion of water, add a little droppings, ash and leave for a week until a specific smell appears.
Diseases and pests
The main diseases of potatoes are late blight and scab. As a preventive measure, before and after flowering, spray the potato plantings with Fitosporin solution or a mixture of Alirin and Gamair.
Bushes infected with viruses usually stand out with small curly and twisted foliage with light spots. At the same time, their growth is greatly inhibited. When digging, they need to be separated - the tops are burned, and the tubers can be used for animal feed. No drugs have yet been invented for the treatment of viruses.
To combat the Colorado potato beetle, at first it is good to use biological preparations: Fitoverm and Agravertin.
With a large number of them, heavy artillery can also be used - systemic insecticides - Aktaru, Konfidor, Mospilan.
Harvesting
Ermak potatoes, due to their early ripening, are most often used for summer consumption. Tubers can be dug up for food as early as two weeks after flowering. But since it is well stored, it is recommended to bring part of the crop to full ripeness. This happens about a month after flowering, when the tops begin to turn yellow and dry out.
Conclusion
Ermak potatoes are one of the most popular domestic potato varieties. Some time ago, the variety was almost lost due to total infection with viruses - the nursery in the Irtysh region, where it was produced, was closed. But thanks to the efforts of enthusiasts from the people, the variety continues to live, albeit under different names.
Variety reviews
For many gardeners, the Ermak potato variety is associated with almost the best domestic potatoes.
Yermak planted potatoes, low bushes, strong thick stem, spud once. The flowers are purple, dripped after flowering, medium-sized potatoes are beautiful pink-red, little eyes are small, it is a pleasure to clean. The pulp is white, slightly creamy. Not boiled soft, pleasant taste and aroma. planted 1/2 bucket (April 26, digging began in early July) dug up almost 4 buckets. The size of the hoo. It is inconvenient to dig, it was necessary to extract it from under the bush, much remained in the ground was cut during plowing, but this does not upset because. good potatoes do not require much care: plant, water, loosen, there was no Colorado potato beetle and dig up a lot of potatoes !!! The variety is amazing!