An early ripe, undemanding potato variety Latona with yellow tubers

In world agriculture, potatoes are recognized as the most important vegetable crop. In the overall ranking, it is second only to wheat, rice and corn.

Thanks to the work of Dutch breeders, the early maturing potato variety Latona was developed. It is grown in the vast majority of regions of the Russian Federation. The plant gives an early harvest and is easy to care for. This variety is cultivated both for personal use and for industrial purposes.

Latona Potatoes

The potato variety Latona has tall bushes with large, dark green leaves. The tops are dense, lush and spreading. When flowering, small inflorescences with whitish corollas form on the plants. The tops ripen and gradually die off, due to which moisture remains in the soil for a long time. The culture endures heat, dampness and cold.

Origin and development

Latona potatoes were developed by HZPC-Holland in the middle of the 20th century. The variety was entered into the state register of the Russian Federation in 1996.

Chemical composition, trace elements and vitamins

As in any potato, the Latona variety contains proteins, carbohydrates (starch, fiber, glucose, fructose, sucrose). Also in vegetables there are vitamins A, B, C, mineral salts (phosphorus and potassium) and organic acids - citric, oxalic, malic.

For your information. When consuming 300 g of potatoes per day, the body will be fully provided with the necessary amount of vitamin C.

When cooking Latona's potatoes are boiled. Vegetables are poorly suited for frying, since they contain 16-20% starch. Its quantity is influenced by the quality of the soil. The more nutritious it is, the more starch.

Characteristics of tubers, description of appearance and yield

The vegetables are yellow in color and the flesh is beige. The average weight of one potato is 100 g, but there are tubers that reach 140 g. About 10 pieces ripen under each bush.

Latona variety has excellent taste characteristics and is in great demand both in professional and home cooking. The fruits ripen 65-80 days after planting. Vegetable growers harvest up to 460 centners of potatoes from 1 hectare.

Which regions is best suited for

Latona variety is recommended for cultivation in the following regions of Russia:

• Northwest;
• Central;
• Central Black Earth.

Also, potatoes are successfully grown in Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine.

What is the difference from other varieties

Latona's potatoes grow well and produce abundant crops in temperate climates. This variety is unpretentious and forgiving mistakes in care.

The main advantages and disadvantages of the variety

The advantages of the variety include:

1. A relatively fast ripening period for vegetables. Young potatoes are dug up for sample already 45-50 days after planting.
2. High productivity. Table varieties rarely yield high yields, which is not the case for Latona. Under favorable conditions, up to 460 centners are harvested from 1 hectare of plantings.
3. Drought tolerant. The variety easily tolerates short-term heat.
4. Easy to grow.Latona is undemanding in care and to the type of soil.
5. Resistance of vegetables to mechanical damage. This property allows you to transport the crop over long distances without any problems.

Latona also has disadvantages. Vegetables are poorly suited for frying due to their high starch content. Potatoes have relatively weak immunity, which requires additional care.

Features of planting and growing

In cultivation, Latona potatoes are not too different from other varieties. To obtain a plentiful and high-quality harvest, it is important to properly prepare the seed material, choose the time for planting, moisturize and fertilize the crop.

Preparing for landing

Before planting, prepare the inventory. In a small area, they manage with an ordinary shovel, but if the area is significant, they use a cultivator - this is a technique for loosening, plowing or planting seeds. It also removes weeds and fertilizes the soil.

The best soil for Latona is light sandy loam or black soil. Due to its unpretentiousness, this variety grows well on other types of soils, only it gives less yield. To improve the quality and quantity of the crop per 1 m² of soil, add:

• 1 liter of wood ash;
• a bucket of sand;
• a bucket of manure or compost.

In the spring, the soil is loosened to a depth of 15-20 cm. The event is carried out to get rid of excess moisture and enrich the soil with oxygen.

For your information. For more effective aeration, tubers are planted in small ridges 10-15 cm high.

Before planting, the seed is prepared. Even if the tubers were stored properly, they are dried in the sun and spoiled seeds are removed. For sowing, tubers weighing 50-60 g are used.

Timing, scheme and landing rules

Potatoes are planted in well-heated soil (+ 10 ° C or more). In most regions, this is late March or early April. In regions with a cold climate, planting work is carried out approximately in the last days of April. If the tubers are planted when there is still a threat of frost return, the potatoes will develop slowly or die.

The pits are dug to a depth of 10 cm so that there is a distance of 40 cm between them, between the rows - 65 cm. With a tight planting, the risks of diseases increase, and care is more difficult.

Council. The smaller the seed tubers, the larger the vegetables will form, and vice versa. Therefore, it is best to plant medium-sized seeds or cut large potatoes so that each part has several eyes.

Growing features

Caring for potato bushes during the growing season consists in regularly removing weeds, feeding, hilling, watering, protecting plants from diseases and pests.

On a note. To make the potato rows even, the holes of the first row are dug along the markings along the cord. This will facilitate further planting maintenance (loosening, weeding and hilling).

The nuances of care

For the entire growing season, the culture is weeded 3 times - they clean the space between the plants from weeds. The third weeding is combined with hilling. When the bushes grow and close in the aisles, there is no need for weeding.

Hilling is carried out so that the height of the mound is about 20-30 cm. This promotes the formation of additional roots that shelter the tubers from the scorching sun rays.

Watering

The crop is irrigated as follows:

• after planting, 1 to 2 liters of water are consumed per bush;
• in hot weather, watered moderately, 2 liters of water per 1 bush;
• also apply drip irrigation using the same volume of liquid.

Top dressing

The vegetable culture is fertilized in several stages:

1. During landing add 1 tbsp to each well. l. "Nitrofoski" and ½ tbsp. wood ash.
2. When the tops reach a height of 15-20 cm, the plants are watered under the root with mullein infusion (in proportion with water 1:10, the fertilizer is insisted for 5-7 days). Use 0.5 liters per bush.
3. The next dressing is also applied at the root during flowering. Apply 3 tbsp. l. ash infusion for 1 liter of water (insist 5 days) or 1 tbsp. l.potassium sulfate per 10 liters of water (per bush - 0.5 liters).

Disease and pest control

Potato variety Latona has medium disease resistance... With improper care or negative climatic conditions, the risk of disease increases:

1. Late blight - a dangerous fungal infection. The provoking factors are high humidity and heat. The main peak of the incidence occurs at the beginning of summer. Late blight is manifested by dark spots on the leaves and stem. If you do not take action, there is a high risk of losing the crop, as the fungus quickly spreads by spores, infecting more and more healthy bushes. Late blight is fought with the preparation "HOM" (40 g per 10 liters of water). Planting is sprayed with the product.
2. Common scab - this is a fungus that infects the vegetables themselves, which further leads to the loss of the marketable and taste qualities of potatoes. The tubers acquire a bland taste and are not stored for long. The disease is difficult to identify, since at the initial stages it does not manifest itself in any way and does not affect the above-ground part of the culture. For prophylaxis, before storage, the planting material is treated with "Polycarbacin". The following procedure is carried out 14 days before planting the tubers in the ground. If the culture is already sick with scab, use the drug "Mancozeb" (1.2-1.6 kg of funds per 1 hectare of planting, dissolve in water and spray).
3. The most dangerous potato pest is the Colorado potato beetle... He eats not only the tops, but also tubers, especially in spring. During this period, the beetle is fought with the help of traps. Chopped potatoes are used as bait. Also, the Colorado potato beetle is destroyed by spraying the bushes with a urea solution. Dissolve 100 g of the substance in 10 l of water. Processing is carried out in the morning or evening. Many vegetable growers use the "Confidor" product (according to the instructions).
4. Wireworm. This is the larva of the click beetle, it is a yellow-brown worm 2-3 cm long with a rather dense cover. The adult (adult) is a black beetle with an oblong body up to 5 cm long. The pest is fought with nitrogen-containing fertilizers: ammonium sulfate (30 g per 1 m²), ammonium nitrate (20 g per 1 m²), ammonium chloride (30 g per 1 m²). The means are introduced into the soil, and the pests feel the pungent smell of ammonia, which scares them off. They also fight the wireworm with the drug "Aktara". It is dissolved in water to process the potatoes before planting (1 g per 10 l of water), or dry powder is added to the wells.

To combat pests, onion husks, wood ash or mustard powder are added to the wells during planting.

Harvesting and storage

Summer potatoes are harvested according to culinary or market demand. In the first half of summer, vegetables do not yet reach their maximum size. For consumption in autumn and winter, the tubers are harvested when ripe when the bushes turn yellow and become dry.

How and when to collect

Most often, Latona potatoes are grown for early harvest. Therefore, it is dug early, when the tubers reach a weight of more than 30 g, and the peel is still peeling. Vegetables are harvested in late June or early July. During this period, the bushes fade and begin to wither.

In the north, crops are harvested in the last decade of September. The potatoes are dug out carefully, supporting the bushes on the side of the ridge with a pitchfork. The plant is pulled by the tops, the tubers are collected and put in buckets.

Storage features and keeping quality of the variety

Potatoes for storage are sorted out and dried in the sun for no more than 2 hours. The crop is kept in a room with an air temperature of about + 5 ° C and a humidity of no more than 90%. Most often, potatoes are stored in wooden boxes, bags, nets in the basement or cellar.

The vegetables are placed in boxes with fine holes. The layer should not be more than 50 cm so that the lower fruits can be saturated with oxygen, and excess moisture evaporates. Containers with crops are placed on pallets or planks, leaving a small distance from the wall.

Every month they check the condition of the vegetables and remove spoiled fruits in a timely manner.The room is periodically ventilated. Latona has a high keeping quality - 90%, if there is no condensation in the storage area.

What can be the difficulties in growing

It is not recommended to cultivate potatoes in mono-plantings, since in this case the soil becomes infected with pathogens (viruses, bacteria, fungal spores) and nightshade pests, for example, wireworm. Whenever possible, potatoes are grown in the same place with a break of at least 3 years.

Good predecessors include:

• siderates (peas, oats, mustard, phacelia, rapeseed);
• pumpkin crops.

Unwanted plants - vegetables from the nightshade family (eggplant, tomatoes, peppers).

Tips from experienced gardeners and reviews of the Latona variety

Recommendations before spring planting:

1. Deep-planted tubers will produce small fruits and an abundance of tops.
2. To get large and tasty vegetables, slightly crush the tops. At the same time, more nutrients are consumed for the development of potatoes. The procedure is carried out 1-2 weeks after flowering.
3. If the plants begin to turn black from late blight, the affected areas are removed and burned.
4. Calendula, horseradish, aromatic herbs are planted around the perimeter - they have a beneficial effect on the health of potatoes.
5. Tansy, catnip, marigolds, coriander, nasturtium scare off the Colorado potato beetle. They are planted along the edge of potato beds.
6. Sunflower has a negative effect on potatoes.

Summer residents confirm that the Latona potato variety has an excellent taste, gives a high and stable yield. Many vegetable growers prefer this variety for its unpretentious care.

Vladimir, Rostov: “I am an experienced gardener. I grow Latona potatoes because of their unpretentious care. To get an early harvest, I mulch the beds with compost and water the plants with an infusion of organic matter from the manufacturer. I also remove foliage that starts to rot due to Colorado beetles or diseases. As the weed grows, I get rid of it. "

Vyacheslav, Yaroslavl: “Latona is a delicious potato variety, but not suitable for frying, crumbles. We have been growing in our summer cottage for over 10 years. The yield has never failed. Some do not like that the culture blooms little. You should not pay attention to this, there will definitely be tubers. Another variety does not tolerate variable soil moisture. If first a drought, and then a flood, vegetables can burst, but this is rare. The fruits of the variety are poured in the last 14 days. For planting, I use tubers from my own harvest. I choose seeds from productive bushes while harvesting vegetables. The variety does not degenerate over the years. "

Conclusion

Latona is a relatively young potato variety, which is highly appreciated by culinary experts due to its high taste. The culture is used in many restaurants around the world. Vegetable growers choose Latona for its stable and high yield, the ability to adapt to any weather conditions and ease of maintenance.