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Potatoes are firmly in the forefront of the usual 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 of its varieties have been created.
Particular attention should be paid to the early-maturing Leader potato, which was created by selection by the staff of the State Scientific Institution of the Ural Research Institute of Agriculture as a table variety, and entered in the register for the West Siberian region. Later, the patent for the Leader variety was purchased by the SeDeK agricultural firm.
Description and characteristics
Potato Leader has established itself as unpretentious and high yielding early ripe variety... It is most common in Russia, Ukraine and Moldova. The main characteristics of the Leader variety:
| Inquiries | Characteristic |
| Roots | |
| Tuber | Oval-rounded |
| Peel | Yellow, smooth |
| Eyes | Small |
| Pulp | White |
| Weight | 88-119 g |
| Starch content | 12–12,2% |
| Plant | |
| Bush | Semi-upright, intermediate type |
| Leaf height | Average, reaches 1 m |
| Sheet | Medium, green, intermediate, little or no waviness |
| Corolla | Medium white |
Potatoes of this variety are propagated by tubers or parts thereof. The bush does not grow to the sides, and the tubers are formed and formed together.
The leader has high yields, the largest was achieved in the Tyumen region - 339 c / ha.
The Leader variety is used for industrial and dining 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 fastidious gourmet.
Advantages and disadvantages
The Leader potato has many advantages, which makes it stand out from the background of numerous table varieties. The disadvantages of potatoes in comparison with its positive qualities are insignificant.
| Dignity | disadvantages |
| Wide range of uses | Vulnerability to pests (Colorado potato beetle, nematode, wireworm and bear) |
| High yield | Lack of moisture negatively affects the harvest |
| Multi-tuberity | The need for hilling |
| Disease resistance | |
| Good transportability | |
| High taste | |
| Long shelf life of tubers |
Landing
Preparing the Leader potatoes for planting is best done during the harvest process. The main criteria for the selection of planting material:
- medium potato size;
- a large number of eyes;
- healthy, intact tuber.
It is advisable to green the tubers by keeping them in a lighted place for some time, this protects them from rodents and pests. Potatoes are stored at a temperature of 11-16C °.
Before planting, Leader potatoes are germinated. The process takes 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;
- the 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 at 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;
- top dressing.
Watering Leader potatoes 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 enough.
The Leader potatoes experience the greatest need for moisture before flowering and directly in the flowering process.
Hilling and feeding
Hilling is no less important than watering. It consists in shoveling the earth from the aisles onto a potato bush. The process is carried out after watering or rain, it is important that the soil is moist, this makes the tubers start up new underground shoots, on which the crop is formed.
Such manipulations 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.
| Timing | Fertilizer |
| The appearance of the first leaves | Mullein or poultry manure solution |
| Potato flowering period | Urea or ash solution |
| One month before digging up tubers | Foliar feeding with superphosphate |
A few tips and tricks from the author of the video:
Diseases and pests
Potato Leader is resistant to the most common diseases such as dry rot, spotting, rhizoctonia, black leg. But the Leader is quite susceptible to late blight.
To prevent the disease, the soil is treated in advance with Bordeaux liquid; for these purposes, a solution of copper sulfate can also be used, then the bed is dug up. Or they directly spray the Leader's tubers with preparations containing copper sulfate.
For a good potato harvest, Leader will have to fight pests.
| Pests | Control methods |
| Colorado beetle |
|
| Medvedka |
|
| Nematode |
|
| Wireworm |
|
Timely implementation of such preventive measures helps to prevent not only the appearance of pests, but also many potato diseases:
- digging up the soil;
- loosening the soil;
- weed cleaning;
- periodic change of the potato planting site;
- pre-processing of planting material.
Harvesting
Leader potatoes are early varieties. The first tubers are dug up already 45 days after the appearance of the first shoots, the final maturity occurs 70-75 days after the germination of the planting material. On average, 18-20 tubers are harvested from one bush. Harvesting takes place depending on the timing of planting, usually in July or early August.
The indicator of the degree of maturity of root crops is the drying of the tops. But it is best to dig up a few bushes to assess the density and thickness of the peel. It should not flake off and flake off easily, as is the case with young tubers.
A dry and clear day is chosen for harvesting. After digging up the potatoes, the site is harrowed, which allows picking up the remaining tubers. Selected potatoes are dried and sorted, selecting diseased and damaged tubers. The crop 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 the potatoes of early maturing 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 beds, with a minimum of effort, you should choose Leader potatoes.
