Useful properties, cultivation features and description of the purple potato variety
An unusual purple color, a composition rich in minerals, vitamins and flavonoids, a delicious nutty taste of potatoes - all this seems incredible for a Russian gardener. Nevertheless, purple potatoes are becoming more and more popular in our country. Consider why this vegetable is so good and what are the subtleties of growing it in different climatic zones.
The content of the article
Description of the variety
Purple potatoes have a delicate nutty flavor and are distinguished by interesting tuber colors: from pale lilac to bright purple hue. Especially appreciated for its beneficial properties and chemical composition.
Origin and development
The lilac peel and pulp are not genetically engineered. Presumably colored potatoes appeared in South America, then they were widely used in many countries around the world.
Reference! About 120 intermediate potato samples are involved in the development of breeders, which will make it possible to obtain new varieties and hybrids in the future.
In Russia, culture has appeared relatively recently. Scientists are working to improve potato keeping rates and disease resistance.
Varieties of varieties
There are some varieties of purple potatoes foreign and domestic selection. Some of the unusual color have only the rind, others are purple and purple on the inside.
Blue Danube
This medium early English variety is resistant to disease, mechanical damage and drought. Has a dense lilac-violet skin. The yield of the Blue Danube potato is about 350 kg / ha. The pulp is white, tasty, not boiled. Used for soups, salads and frying.
Gypsy
Medium early variety, poorly tolerates drought, resistant to cancer, gray mold, scab. The pulp is yellowish tender. The tubers have a thin skin, so it is recommended to dig them up by hand. Productivity - 200-250 kg / ha, from 6 to 14 potatoes are formed in one bush.
All blue
The name of the variety of this purple potato in translation from English means "All blue". The tubers have an interesting color: the skin and middle of the pulp are dark blue, and the top layer is light blue. If you cut a potato, a light ring is clearly visible on the cut. During heat treatment, the color of the pulp is preserved.
Oval tubers are large: some weigh up to 200 g. The crop is not stored for long, about 3 months, and germinates quickly.
Lilac
Russian mid-season variety. Tubers of medium size, yield - 150-180 kg from each weave. The flesh of the potatoes is lilac with a slight taste of almonds. Good for salads.
Miracle
Mid-season potatoes Miracle was created in the Ural Research Institute of Agriculture. The peel and pulp are purple-amethyst, the taste is softer than that of ordinary tubers. Vegetables are rich in vitamin C.
The culture is resistant to fungal diseases, unfavorable climatic conditions.The yield is low: 100-180 kg / ha.
Adirondack blue
Mid-season potatoes of American selection. The yield reaches 400 kg from one hundred square meters of land. The culture is prone to scab and late blight. The harvest is poorly stored, already in the middle of winter it begins to germinate and becomes soft. The pulp is ink-colored, poorly boiled, more suitable for frying.
Miami
A medium early variety, resistant to late blight, suitable for growing in the Moscow region, Siberia, and the Urals. Productivity - 350-400 kg / ha. The peel and pulp of large tubers (weighing up to 110 g) are blue-purple. Miami potatoes taste sweetish, the vegetable is suitable for mashed potatoes.
Vitelot (French truffle)
Late variety, small tubers (no more than 10 cm in length). 6-8 vegetables weighing 60-75 are formed under the bush, less often - up to 100 g. Gardeners note a low yield: even under favorable conditions, no more than 200 kg are harvested from one hundred square meters of land.
Reference! This variety was especially liked by Alexandre Dumas.
Truffle potatoes have a pleasant nutty flavor and good keeping quality due to their thick peel. It is considered a gourmet variety. The dark purple pulp contains a lot of anthocyanins, starch. Suitable for puree.
Purple Peruvian (Peruvian purple)
Medium-yielding and fairly late variety. Tuber weight is about 80 g, about 180 kg of potatoes are harvested from one hundred square meters of land. The pulp has a pronounced hazelnut flavor, so it is often added to salads, even raw. Outside and inside, the vegetable is purple.
Chemical composition
All varieties of purple potatoes contain:
- anthocyanins;
- calcium and potassium;
- phenolic acids;
- vitamins B1, B2, B5, B6, A, C, E;
- carotenoids.
Tubers contain 12-13% starch, which is significantly lower than that of their white-yellow counterparts. Therefore, an unusual vegetable is classified as a dietary product.
Ripening period
Usually, 60–90 days pass from the appearance of the first shoots to full maturation. These values vary depending on the variety.
Yield
Most varieties of purple potatoes have a high yield: up to 400 kg from 1 are of land. The exceptions are Lilac, Vitelot and Peruvian violet. Their yield does not exceed 200 kg from 1 are.
Disease resistance
Lilac-purple potatoes are less resistant to diseases and pests than regular ones.
Major diseases:
- late blight;
- scab;
- bacterial cancer;
- all types of rot.
Tuber characteristics
Depending on the variety, the pulp is white, yellow or inky, and the rind is always colored and quite dense. The mass of oblong tubers varies from 60 to 150 g.
Demanding climate
Potatoes with colored pulp are not yet grown on an industrial scale in the CIS. However, summer residents, who are ready for experiments, cultivate this vegetable equally successfully in all regions of Russia, except for Siberia and the Far East: because of the harsh climate, the culture does not grow well. Some varieties (Miami, Chuddesnik) are more resistant to adverse weather conditions.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The main benefits of purple potatoes are their nutritional value and rich composition. The main disadvantages are susceptibility to diseases and poor keeping quality.
Features of purple potatoes:
- tubers and flesh of unusual color, nutty taste;
- the culture is more capricious in care and is stored worse;
- potatoes remain colored even after heat treatment.
Beneficial features
Purple potatoes contain potassium, which contributes to the smooth functioning of the cardiovascular system. Anthocyanins and polyphenols have antioxidant activity, inhibit the aging of the body.
Ascorbic acid helps to strengthen the immune system, vitamin E helps to maintain moisture balance and beauty of the skin, and B vitamins strengthen the nervous system. Carotenoids are indispensable for the full functioning of the human endocrine system, calcium is important for the skeletal system.
Dietary fiber improves the functioning of the digestive system. Due to its low starch content, the vegetable is allowed for the nutrition of people with diabetes.
Features of planting and growing
When cultivating this vegetable, it is recommended to take into account some of the nuances. The culture is whimsical in its care, it requires patience and certain skills.
Preparing for landing
Tubers begin to cook 1.5 months before planting. They are transferred from storage to a warmer place and laid out in one layer.
Important! The ideal temperature for tuber germination is + 10… + 12 ° C. To speed up the emergence of sprouts, the seeds are periodically sprayed with water.
When the sprouts reach 2 cm, the potatoes are brought out into the light so that the sprouts do not stretch too far.
Ground requirements
The yield and taste of vegetables depend on the composition of the soil. The most unsuitable soil for purple potatoes is loam, the most favorable is light and fertile, saturated with air. The vegetable does not tolerate drought, but stagnant water must also be excluded.
Before planting, the soil is dug twice: in the fall, before the first frosts, and in the spring, just before planting. If the soil is too hard, river sand is added.
Timing, scheme and landing rules
The vegetable is planted in the spring, when the soil warms up to + 5 ... + 7 ° C, since the plant does not tolerate late spring frosts.
In the dug earth, holes are made about 10 cm deep, wood ash is introduced for disinfection. The pits are made in a 35x60 cm pattern to provide enough space for rooting and forming bushes. Potatoes are planted in the prepared holes in one of the selected ways.
Growing features
Growing purple potatoes is no different from cultivating conventional varieties.
There are two planting methods:
- traditional ocellar;
- seedling.
With the eye method, the prepared seed material is buried in the holes, sprinkling with wood ash. The first shoots usually appear 10-14 days after planting.
In the second version, the seeds are sown at home for seedlings. After that, the finished shoots are transferred to a permanent place. The transplanting begins in May, when the soil warms up to + 5 ... + 7 ° C.
The nuances of care
For the successful cultivation of purple potatoes and obtaining a rich harvest, it is necessary to feed the plants, water and weed in time.
Watering mode
Plant care involves constant monitoring of soil moisture. If there has been no precipitation for 10-15 days, the seedlings are watered with warm water. Irrigation is especially important during the budding period and after flowering. It is required to avoid stagnation of water in the soil.
When an earthen crust is formed, it is carefully loosened.
Top dressing
Purple potato varieties need periodic feeding: during the budding period and after flowering. They use organic and potash fertilizers. Before planting, it is advisable to add humus at the rate of 0.5 kg per 1 m2.
Weeding and hilling
The first hilling is carried out after the emergence of friendly shoots. This will protect young bushes from recurrent frosts and retain moisture. The procedure is repeated when the plants reach a height of 30–35 cm.
Weeding is carried out several times over the summer as needed.
Disease and pest control
Many varieties are resistant to major potato diseases, but precautions will never be redundant.
Attention! Before planting, the seeds are treated with a fungicide and pickled with potassium permanganate. This will protect plants from late blight and some pests.
It is important to change the planting site, alternating crops in the area with legumes and crucifers.
In case of potato disease, Bordeaux mixture, copper sulfate, "Cuprikol", "Kurzat R" (preparations based on copper salts), "Ditan M-45" (the active ingredient is mancoceb), "Shirlan", "Thanos" are used.
Colorado beetles and clickers are the main enemies of culture.They spoil the tops and appearance of tubers, reduce productivity and negatively affect the keeping quality of vegetables. Pests are eliminated with insecticides.
Harvesting and storage
The conditions for collecting and storing purple potatoes largely depend on varietal characteristics.
How and when to collect
Some tubers have a fairly dense skin - vegetables are harvested using special equipment or a walk-behind tractor:
- Vitelot;
- Blue Danube;
- Peruvian purple.
It is better to dig out more tender tubers by hand with a shovel or pitchfork. These varieties include:
- All Blue;
- Gypsy;
- Lilac;
- Adirondack Blue;
- Wonderful;
- Miami.
Otherwise, the harvesting technique is the same as with regular potatoes. After ripening, the bushes are pre-cut, leaving the stems at a height of 10-12 cm.
Tubers are dug up only in dry weather. Vegetables are dried in the sun or under a canopy.
Storage features and keeping quality
Most varieties cannot withstand long-term storage. For this reason, summer residents allocate a small plot of land for a delicious vegetable.
The harvest is kept at a temperature of + 2 ... + 3 ° C, in a place protected from sunlight.
Quite good indicators of keeping quality (4-6 months) in the varieties Vitelot, Peruvian violet, Blue Danube. The rest are stored for no more than 3 months.
Growing difficulties
The main problem with growing purple potatoes is protection from diseases and pests. It is important to maintain the water balance of the soil, to prevent waterlogging and drying out.
Tips from experienced gardeners and reviews
Summer residents like the unusual color of vegetables, taste, crop yield.
Serafima, Stary Oskol: “Last year they planted Vitelot at their dacha. The tubers turned out to be interesting and attractive. The grandchildren liked the unusual color, and the husband appreciated the nutty taste. "
Sergey, pos. Pleasure: “My wife loves to experiment, and therefore suggested planting purple potatoes in the garden. I ordered the Lilac variety. We planted about half a hundred square meters - we got one and a half sacks of potatoes. I watered it 2 times over the summer. Overall, I liked it, delicious. I will plant more ”.
It is interesting:
High-yielding purple potato variety "Cornflower" from domestic breeders
Conclusion
Potatoes of lilac, lilac, purple colors are rapidly gaining popularity among domestic amateur gardeners. Tubers are appreciated not only for the unusual color of the pulp, but also for their useful, dietary properties.
On an industrial scale, the vegetable has not yet been grown due to the whimsical care and no indicators of keeping quality. However, science does not stand still, breeders are working to improve these indicators. There is every chance that in the near future, purple potato dishes will become commonplace on the tables of residents of Russia and the CIS countries.