Medium early potato variety "Santana" with large tubers

During heat treatment, table potatoes Santana do not boil and remain dense, therefore they are used for making chips and fries.

We have collected detailed information about Santana potatoes: a description of the crop with a photo of tubers, the features of this variety, the nuances of growing and storage, as well as a few secrets that will help increase yields. Read about all this below.

Description of the variety

Santana potatoes were bred by German and Dutch breeders. In Russia, it was entered into the register in 2006.

In addition to starch (13.4-17.3%), Santana contains a balanced complex of amino acids, vitamins of group B, C, H and PP, folic acid, as well as useful minerals: potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, selenium, copper and manganese, iron, chlorine and sulfur, iodine, chromium, fluorine, molybdenum, boron and vanadium, tin and titanium, silicon, cobalt, nickel and aluminum, phosphorus and sodium.

Santana is rich in fiber, but its difference is that the fiber in the tubers is soft and does not irritate the walls of the digestive tract.

Santana potatoes are considered mid-season - their tubers can be harvested 80-95 days after planting.

reference... The yield of Santana depends on the conditions of planting and care and reaches 419 kg / ha. Average yield varies between 164-384 c / ha.

Plants are resistant to golden cyst-forming nematode, viral diseases and cancer potatoes. But there is a high susceptibility to late blight tubers and tops when grown in the field.

Santana tubers are even, reach large sizes, have the shape of a long oval, are covered with small superficial eyes and are covered with a smooth light yellow skin. The pulp of this variety is white and yellow. Medium-sized plant, semi-erect, with large, dark green, wavy leaves. The flowers are red-purple in color.

The Santana variety is unpretentious and does not require special growing conditions. Areas of cultivation of this potato: North-West, Central and Central black earth regions. The plant shows the best yield when planting in light, sandy soil.

Advantages and disadvantages

Potatoes Santana belongs to varieties that have a minimum of disadvantages:

• high susceptibility to late blight;
• poor drought tolerance;
• instability to mechanical damage.

But this variety boasts a number of advantages:

• resistance to viruses, cancer and nematodes;
• unpretentiousness;
• good keeping quality - up to 9 months;
• high productivity;
• excellent taste;
• up to 99% marketability;
• large, even tubers.

Features of planting and growing

The Santana variety does not require special skills when planting and growing, but several rules should be followed:

1. It is better to plant seed in areas where legumes, cereals or perennial grasses previously grew.
2. 30 days before planting, the planting tubers are transferred to a warm place with good lighting. These conditions are favorable for seed germination. Tubers germinate best in boxes of damp sawdust.
3. The harvest will be richer if, after germination, the tubers are pickled and treated with growth activators.
4. A favorable time for planting seed is early May. The soil at a depth of 10 cm should be warmed up to + 8 ° С. If this temperature has not yet been reached, it is best to postpone planting the potatoes.
5. When planting, the distance between the holes is 300-350 mm, and between the rows - 600-700 mm.
6. If the soil is heavy, the planting tubers are buried 80 mm. They are planted in light soil to a depth of 100 mm.
7. To achieve high yields, a high furrow is formed.

Loosening

Be sure to carry out early loosening, but not deeper than 3 cm. This improves oxygen access to the tubers and helps to get rid of small weeds.

They also loosen the soil after rains - moisture quickly evaporates through cracks in the crust, and loosening prevents this. They loosen the soil so as not to damage the sprouts and not pull the tubers to the surface.

Hilling and weeding

Hilling is one of the measures for the prevention of late blight of tubers. The first hilling is carried out on wet soil, when the tops have not yet grown above 12-15 cm.

The soil is raked to the tops with a hoe or flat cutter, forming a small mound around the bush. The procedure protects the plant from possible frost. The second hilling is carried out 1.5-2 weeks after the first to accelerate tuberization.

As the weed grows, the rows are weeded.

Watering

Plants need the most water during tuberization. This period begins with the appearance of buds and flowering. At this time, in the absence of rain, additional irrigation is provided to maintain soil moisture at least 80-85%.

Top dressing

Do three in a season feeding:

1. During the growth of the tops, if there is a weak development of potato bushes, the leaves are pale, the stems are thin. The bushes are watered with a solution: 10 liters of water, 1 tsp. urea and 1 tbsp. l. fertilizer "Effecton" for vegetables. One bush requires 0.5 liters of ready-made solution. It is better to feed on wet soil - after rain or watering.
2. At the time of bud emergence: 10 liters of water, 1 glass of wood ash and 1 tbsp. l. potassium sulfate. This solution activates flowering.
3. The task of the third feeding is to accelerate the formation of tubers. It is made during the flowering period of the bushes: 10 liters of water, 1 tbsp. l. "Effekton" and 1 tbsp. l. superphosphate. Spend 0.5 liters of the finished solution per bush.

The aisles are mulched with cut grass or straw.

Diseases and pests

The fact that plants are affected by late blight is evidenced by a dark bloom on the leaves. This is the main symptom of the disease. Over time, a white bloom appears on the back of the leaf plates. Most often, potatoes are affected by late blight in July, but cases of the disease are noted in May and June.

Fight against late blight:

1. To strengthen the immune system, the infected potatoes are sprayed with Epin. This tool is a biostimulant with anti-stress action. It is produced in the form of 0.3 ml ampoules. 2 hours before treatment, one ampoule is diluted in 5 liters of water. While the solution is infused, the bushes are examined and dried leaves and stems are removed. For each bush, 100 ml of solution is consumed.
2. An effective remedy against late blight is the drug "HOM". The product is used strictly after flowering. At the time of processing the bushes, protect the skin and mucous membranes from getting the drug on them, wearing gloves, respirators, masks, glasses. The working solution is prepared as follows: 40 g of the product is dissolved in 10 l of water, the liquid is stirred and another 2-4 l of water is poured into it. This solution is sprayed on a potato field. 1 liter of working fluid is consumed per 10 m2.
3. Sometimes the fight against late blight of potatoes is carried out with the help of Trichopol tablets. They are used to treat plants before or after flowering. 15-20 tablets of "Trichopolum" are dissolved in 10 liters of water and potato bushes are sprayed in sunny, dry weather.

For the prevention of late blight, plants are sprayed with means containing copper: "Kumir", "Metaxil", "Ordan", "Raek", "Talent".

To combat insect pests, the green part of plants is treated with industrial insecticides: "Borey", "Borey neo", "Sharpei", "Sirocco", "Tanrek".

Growing difficulties

The Santana variety is considered unpretentious to care for, but it may be difficult to grow during a drought or late blight epidemic.Potatoes will require abundant and frequent watering and the use of special means: "Kumir", "Metaxil", "Ordan", "Raek", "Talent".

Harvesting and storage

Harvest as soon as the tops turn yellow and lie on the ground. A week before harvesting potatoes, the green part of the plants is mown. It is better to harvest on a sunny, warm day - this way the tubers dry out faster.

Before being harvested for storage, the potatoes are dried in the air, but they are not left in the sun for more than a few hours, otherwise they will begin to turn green.

Attention! Rotten, damaged or green tubers are not suitable for long-term storage - they must be sorted.

In the room where the storage of tubers is planned, favorable conditions are created: airing, temperature + 2 ... + 4 ° С and humidity 80%. At a low temperature, the vegetable will freeze and become sweet, and at a high temperature, it will germinate.

Santana tubers are capable of maintaining taste and nutritional value for 6-9 months.

There are a number of potato diseases that can affect the vegetable during storage - ring rot, dry rot, scab, wet rot.

To avoid mass destruction, tubers are regularly examined and those showing signs of the disease are discarded.

Advice and feedback from experienced gardeners about the Santana variety

Experienced gardeners note the positive characteristics of the variety and the problems they face when growing.

Elena, Chelyabinsk: "I decided to plant potatoes with seeds in order to plant the elite next year. They say that the potatoes that we plant for several years in a row are degenerating. Therefore, once every 5-6 years, it is worth planting potatoes with seeds. And then neither Colorado beetle, nor late blight will not strike. I plant later than the neighbors. Be sure to put a little compost in the hole, then sprouts down the potatoes and cover them with earth. My earth is clayey, very loose. Another plus is flagstone - pebbles. When it is hot during the day, they heat up, giving off coolness, and on cold nights they give off warmth. The potato crop this year - 70 buckets were dug out of 8 buckets. Well, they didn’t collect any small change, about two buckets remained. But what is not very good, there is a problem with the wireworm. "

Nelly, Torzhok: “The taste of Santana potatoes is excellent. All dishes with it have a pleasant taste, the tubers are even, without deep eyes. If I get sick with late blight, "Shining-2" helps me. I make a chatterbox with him and soak the tubers for 1-2 hours before planting. When the potatoes hatch, almost immediately I mulch with mowed grass. The main thing is that it should be without seeds. Mulch is generally our salvation! The disadvantage of this variety is that for some reason in my cellar some tubers wither quickly. ".

Conclusion

Subject to the rules of care, sufficient feeding and soil moisture, Santana potatoes are capable of producing a large harvest. Tubers are stored throughout the winter if the room has favorable temperature and humidity conditions.

If the main purpose of growing potatoes is for food (fries, salads), Santana is the best choice.