High-yielding Roco potato, ideal for boiling and baking

Roco is a popular Dutch potato variety. It is in demand in many countries, including the Russian Federation. It is characterized by good yield and excellent taste.

Consider a description of the Roco (Rocco) potato variety with a photo and the features of its cultivation in different regions of our country.

Description of the variety

Roco is an achievement of Dutch selection. In Russia, potatoes of this varietal accessory appeared in 2002. It is grown both on an industrial scale and in summer cottages.

Difference from other varieties

Roco is distinguished from other varieties by its appearance. It is characterized by medium-high erect bushes with an abundance of shoots. The flowers are purple, the leaves are small with wavy edges. Flowering is often absent.

Another difference between Roco potatoes and other varieties is the high starch content (up to 16%) and the unique taste, thanks to which housewives all over the world love it. The tubers are boiled, fried, baked, used to make chips and fries.

reference... During the cooking process, potatoes do not boil over, lose their shape and change color. The pulp remains white after heat treatment.

Comparison table of Rocco with other varieties of potatoes.

Chemical composition, trace elements and vitamins

Roco is characterized by its rich chemical composition, thanks to which its use in food is healthy.

Tubers contain a lot:

• nicotinic acid;
• beta carotene;
• retinol;
• thiamine;
• riboflavin;
• pantothenic acid;
• pyridoxine;
• folic acid;
• ascorbic acid;
• tocopherol;
• biotin.

Tubers are rich in useful trace elements. They contain calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, sulfur, iron, zinc, selenium, manganese, iodine, copper, fluorine. The composition contains a number of organic and saturated fatty acids, as well as mono- and disaccharides.

Calorie content 100 g of potatoes is 77 kcal. In addition to water, this amount of the product contains:

• proteins - 2 g;
• fat - 0.4 g;
• carbohydrates - 16.3 g;
• dietary fiber - 1.4 g

Tuber characteristics and yield

Roko is a high-yielding variety. Up to 12 tubers weighing about 125 g each are obtained from one bush. The yield indicator is 40 t / ha.

Potatoes have an oval shape. Their surface is smooth. Tubers are covered with a thin peel that has a color from light pink (or pale purple) to brown. The pulp is light with a creamy shade, tender.

Potatoes are distinguished by high quality and a marketability rate of 95%.

Growing regions and planting dates

Roco is a medium-ripening variety. From the moment of planting to harvest, it takes 90-100. Under unfavorable climatic conditions, the ripening period is longer - up to 150 days. Therefore, it is sometimes called late.

This variety of potatoes grows in any weather, including drought and prolonged rainfall.Roco is suitable for growing in any region of the Russian Federation. It is unpretentious, not picky about soil and growing conditions.

Planting is recommended in May, when the soil warms up to + 10⁰С. Rocko is planted:

• in the first days - in the southern regions;
• in the middle of the month - in the central regions;
• at the end of May - in the northern part of the country.

Advantages and disadvantages

The Roco potato variety has a lot of advantages, including:

• high productivity;
• marketable condition;
• excellent taste;
• immunity to virus Y, cancer, golden nematode;
• drought resistance;
• unpretentious care;
• a good indicator of keeping quality (in favorable conditions, tubers are stored for a long time, without changing the appearance and taste characteristics).

The variety has practically no flaws. One of the few is the susceptibility of plants to leaf blight.

Features of planting and growing

Roko is distinguished by unpretentiousness in cultivation, carried out according to the rules of agricultural technology of this vegetable crop. Plants are content with minimal maintenance.

Training

The vegetable crop of this variety is grown in a clean area. Roco does not grow on soil dominated by weeds. Weeds inhibit tubers and prevent them from developing.

The soil for planting should be light, nutritious, loosened. Lean soil is enriched with fertilizers, wood ash or humus is introduced into heavy soil.

The planting material is carefully selected: tubers without spots, growths, traces of damage by insects are needed. They are germinated in a well-lit room. Suitable for planting tubers with sprouts no more than 1 cm in length.

Landing scheme and technology

When planting planting material in open ground, they adhere to the standard scheme. A distance of 35 cm is maintained between the holes, 60-70 cm between the rows.The depth of the holes should not exceed 10 cm.

Growing features

To obtain the highest possible yield, it is recommended to grow potatoes in the conditions of floodplain, sod-podzolic, light loamy, sandy loam soil with a neutral acidity index.

It is advisable to grow potatoes in a well-lit and ventilated area. Plants are sun-loving, so they grow more slowly in the shade.

The nuances of care

Caring for plants primarily consists in proper hilling. Thanks to him, you can increase the yield by 30%. Hilling contributes to the saturation of the soil with oxygen, getting rid of weeds. Rocko is spud twice:

• when the plants reach a height of 20 cm;
• on the eve of the flowering period.

Plants need loosening, carried out several times during the season. The soil is loosened between the rows after watering.

Another important procedure in caring for a potato planting is weeding. You can't get a good harvest without it... Weed the bushes, using a hoe, twice:

• 1 month after planting in open ground when the sprouts reach a height of 3-4 cm;
• when the bushes reach a height of 25-30 cm.

It is permissible to carry out weeding by means of a cultivator or walk-behind tractor.

Watering mode

Rocko is drought tolerant, but needs proper watering. Water the plants three times during the season:

• when the tops appear;
• on the eve of flowering;
• before the flowers disappear.

Watering is carried out in the morning or evening hours in the absence of scorching sun rays. The first time the bush is watered with 2 liters of water, the second and third time they take 2 times more liquid. Water is pre-poured into barrels so that it settles and warms up in the sun.

Important! Watering is contraindicated before sprouting and immediately after flowering. There is a risk of late blight.

Watering is carried out in one of the following ways:

1. Sprinkling - small-drop irrigation of planting with water from a hose.
2. Superficial. Suitable if the groundwater is no higher than 4 cm.
3. Drip irrigation. Watering is carried out through irrigation pipes connected to the plant roots.

Top dressing

Fertilizers are needed to get the maximum yield.They are brought in in the fall when digging after harvesting and cleaning the site from weeds.

Apply top dressing as:

• an aqueous solution of poultry droppings (1:10), which is watered between the rows;
• urea solution (1 tbsp. l. per 10 liters of water) for watering the bushes;
• mullein, which is watered between the rows.

Disease and pest control

Compliance with the rules of agricultural technology allows you to avoid damage by scab.

However, Roko is susceptible to late blight. It infects leaves in cold, rainy weather. You can avoid the problem preventive fungicide treatment ("Revus Top", "Ordan", "Polyram") or antifungal agents ("Maxim", "Fundazol").

Treatment with Bazudin helps to protect plants from wireworms. Colorado potato beetle is harvested by hand.

Difficulties in growing

Growing potatoes of the Roko variety does not cause great difficulties. A bad harvest is obtained if they do not adhere to the basic rules of agricultural technology. Typical mistakes:

1. The use of organic matter in an unreasonable time. This error entails the leaching of nutrients and, as a consequence, a poor harvest.
2. Use of not rotted manure in the spring. It leads to the accumulation of weeds and pathogens of various plant diseases.
3. Violation of the water regime. Leads to incomplete assimilation of mineral fertilizers from the soil by the culture.

Harvesting and storage

A good indicator of the keeping quality of the crop is ensured by observing the rules of collection and storage.

How and when to collect

Harvested on time. Otherwise, there is a risk that the tubers will start to deteriorate and rot. The timing of digging up potatoes is determined by the state of the tops. It should turn yellow and dry. A trial dig is recommended to determine the degree of maturity of the potatoes.

reference... After the tops die off, the potatoes must be dug out before the rains. The optimal time for harvesting is from late August to mid September.

On the eve of digging the tubers, the tops are mowed and harvested. This will prevent them from getting infected. The potatoes removed from the ground are dried before being placed in storage boxes.

Storage features and keeping quality of the variety

Roco potatoes have a high keeping rate, which is 88-89%. It tolerates long-term transportation well. The tubers are stored in a wooden container or nylon nets in the cellar. Cracks are pre-made in the boxes. Favorable conditions should be created in the room - darkness, lack of moisture and not too low temperature conditions.

Tips from experienced gardeners

Roco potatoes have been successfully grown in Russia for 17 years. Experienced gardeners recommend to get a better and richer harvest:

1. Before planting the seed, pour a handful of wood ash into each hole. This measure helps to increase the starch content in the root crop and increases the crop yield.
2. Plant Roco potatoes in the area that is as clean as possible from weeds, well warmed up by the sun's rays.
3. Select on landing high-quality and healthy tubers without mechanical damage. To carry out pre-planting processing of potatoes with "Epinom".

Reviews

Roco's potatoes have practically no complaints. Reviews about him are positive.

Andrey, Novgorod: «It is a very good and productive variety. The first time I planted 1.5 kg and got about 18 kg of harvest. The next year I got even more potatoes. Under each Roco bush there are approximately 1 kg of tubers. I also really like the fact that the potatoes are dense in the bush, you don't have to dig up the whole garden. "

Anastasia, Nizhnekamsk: “It all started with the fact that I bought Roco's potatoes at the market and cooked them. The whole family liked the taste. I decided to plant it in my garden. I got 6 kg of seed and planted it in early May. The tops grew high, almost a meter high. There was no Colorado potato beetle on Roko, although he grazed on other varieties nearby. The harvest was good.The tubers formed close to the surface of the ground, although the potatoes were planted deep. Next time I’ll better huddle the bushes. ”

Conclusion

Roco potatoes are high-yielding varieties. It is unpretentious to care for, adapts to different weather conditions. Observing all the rules for its cultivation, you can get a good harvest in almost any region of our country.