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Mulatto beet is one of the most popular table varieties. It has long become attractive to gardeners due to its taste, useful properties, and productivity. For the successful cultivation of the root crop, it is necessary to follow the rules of agricultural technology, taking into account the characteristics of the variety.
History of origin
Table beet (Beta vulgaris L.ssp.vulgaris var. conditiva Alef.) Mulatto was obtained in the eighties of the last century by the Soviet breeder Sergei Vasilyevich Maksimov. Work on improving the variety continued until 2001 at the Poisk agricultural firm. Two years later, it was included in the register of breeding achievements of the Federation and recommended for cultivation in most regions of the country, from the Volga-Vyatka to the Far East. Very quickly, the Mulatka beet became widespread, it began to be cultivated in the CIS countries, the European Union, and the USA.
The popularity of the Mulatka variety is explained by the high quality of root crops and excellent transportability.
Description of the beet variety Mulatka
In the stage of technical ripeness, Mulatka beets have rounded roots with a smooth skin. Sometimes their heads can acquire a cork structure. The flesh is maroon, without cylindrical rings. The average weight of a vegetable is 200-400 g. The axial root is small, purple in color. The oval light green foliage of the Mulatto beet forms an upright rosette up to 40 cm high. The petioles are raspberry on the back. The edges of the leaf plates are wavy, the surface is slightly bubbly.
The taste qualities of the Mulatto variety are excellent. In the pulp of the vegetable, the sugar content is 14,5%, dry matter – up to 19,8%.
Beetroots have a high content of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, microelements
Characteristics of beet Mulatto
The variety belongs to the table, it can be used in cooking, for harvesting and winter storage.
The period from the appearance of the first shoots to harvest is 130 days. The yield of Mulatka beet depends on climatic conditions and soil composition. When grown on farms in the Central Chernozem region, it is 250-400 c/ha, in the Moscow region – 200-300 c/ha. The percentage of output of marketable products is high, up to 98%.
The frost resistance of Mulatka beet is average, its seedlings easily tolerate return frosts, and ripened root crops are resistant to a sharp drop in temperature.
Advantages and disadvantages
It is not difficult to grow Mulatto beets, it does not require special care, it gives stable high yields.
During storage, root crops do not wither, retaining their marketable appearance and useful properties until spring.
Among the advantages of the Mulatka variety:
- excellent taste;
- attractive appearance;
- lack of white rings in the root crop;
- preservation of the bright color of the beet pulp after heat treatment;
- long shelf life;
- high transportability;
- color resistance.
Disadvantages:
- the need for good lighting;
- medium resistance to pests and diseases.
Planting beets Mulatto
To get an earlier harvest of root crops, a seedling method is used, but most often beets are sown directly in open ground. Loamy or sandy soil is suitable for cultivation. If its acidity is high, wood ash or dolomite flour is added in the spring (600 g per 1 m2).
Seedling method of growing
The method allows not only to get root crops a month earlier than usual, but also to avoid thinning seedlings. In addition, the Mulatka beet, obtained by seedlings, has a more stable immunity to diseases and pests. They operate according to the scheme:
- Fill containers with soil mixture of compost, humus, sand and sawdust, mixed in a ratio of 1:1:0,5:0,5.
- Beet seeds are laid out on the surface of the soil with an interval of 2 cm.
- Sprinkle with a thin layer of soil mixture.
- Moisturize.
- Cover with a film, glass or transparent lid on top and transfer to a warm place (+20 ⁰С).
- After the first shoots appear, the shelter is removed, and the temperature is reduced to +14 ⁰С.
- Ten days before planting, the seedlings are hardened, exposing them to the open air, first for one hour, and after a few days – for five or six.
- For a week, the watering of the Mulatka beet is reduced, and the day before planting, moisten the soil with a solution of potassium chloride (2 g per 1 liter of water).
Growing seedlings in a snail saves space and soil
Landing in open ground
Ready seedlings are planted after the threat of returning frosts has passed. The soil should warm up to +10 ⁰С. For Mulatto beets choose a sunny place without shading. Humus or well-decomposed compost is introduced into the soil (3 kg per 1 m2) and 30-40 g of complex mineral fertilizer. They dig a shovel to the depth of the bayonet and make ridges. The holes are placed at a distance of 5 cm. Their depth and volume should correspond to the size of the root system, together with an earthen clod. Leave a gap of 25 cm between rows.
The planting of Mulatto beets is started in cloudy rainy weather or in the evening. Use the transshipment method to preserve the integrity of the root system as much as possible. The wells are watered, after which the seedlings are transferred to them and covered with soil.
The root neck of the beet Mulatto should be located at the level of the soil surface
Seedlings are watered with a solution of humate and covered with non-woven material for several days to protect fragile seedlings from direct sunlight.
You can also plant Mulatto beets in open ground with seeds (dry or germinated). Untreated planting material (brown or beige) is first placed in a saline solution and after a few hours those seeds that have settled to the bottom are selected. After washing under running water, they are placed for 12 hours in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection, and then for two hours in a growth stimulator (“Epin”, “Zircon”). Seeds are placed in a warm place for a day, where they swell and peck. Then they act according to the scheme:
- Furrows 2 cm deep are made on the prepared ridges.
- Water them.
- Spread the seeds at intervals of 2-8 cm.
- Fall asleep with a thin layer of soil.
- Water carefully so as not to erode the soil.
Beet Care Mulatto
The main agrotechnical measures in the care of Mulatto beets are timely watering, weeding, loosening of row spacing, and top dressing. You should focus on weather conditions, the condition and appearance of plants.
Watering, weeding, loosening
Despite the fact that the Mulatto beet easily tolerates temporary drought, moisture should be carried out regularly, as the topsoil dries up. At first, seedlings are watered every other day, later – twice a week. Irrigation is usually combined with subsequent weed removal, loosening, and mulching.
To increase the sugar content of root crops, watering is stopped 2-3 weeks before harvesting.
Additional fertilizing
The use of mineral fertilizers can lead to cracking of root crops and the formation of voids in them. To feed Mulatto beets, organics should be used – a solution of mullein infusion (1:8) or bird droppings (1:12). Consumption is 1,2 liters per 1 m2 area. The solution is poured into pre-prepared grooves, making them at a distance of 5 cm from the seedlings.
After closing the foliage, the plants are fed with wood ash (one glass per 1 m2) and watered abundantly.
Thinning
If not one plant has grown in the nest, but two or three, thinning is carried out, leaving the strongest. It is necessary to process thickened plantings of Mulatka beets if in the phase of 4-5 leaves the distance between seedlings is less than 5-6 cm.
To increase the sugar content of root crops, beets are watered twice a season with a solution of sodium chloride (2 tablespoons per bucket of water)
Possible diseases and pests
In case of violation of agricultural technology and in difficult weather conditions, Mulatka beets can be subject to diseases and pest attacks. Timely response helps to cope with them and save the crop.
Fomoz
Fungal disease affects foliage. Pale yellow or brown concentric rings with black dots appear on it. Later, their core rots and dries out. When the first signs of phomosis are found on the Mulatto beet, root dressing is carried out with brown, and the foliage is sprayed with a solution of boric acid.
The development of phomosis is provoked by prolonged rains, fogs, high humidity of air and soil
Peronosporoz
Downy mildew or downy mildew damage looks like a purple-gray bloom on the back of the leaves. Later, their edges twist, and the leaf plate itself fades and dries. Sick beet roots Mulatto lose their keeping quality, rot.
As a prevention of peronosporosis, plants are sprayed with fungicides during the formation of root crops.
Root beetle or blackleg
An infectious disease is dangerous for young seedlings of the Mulatto beet. When the root beetle is damaged, the stem turns black, becomes thin, the plant dies. Most often, the root beetle develops on heavy soil with a lack of oxygen in the soil and its high acidity.
In order to prevent the black leg in the fall, the soil is limed and treated with a solution of borax
Of the insects, aphids, scale insects, beet flies, scoops, and fleas are the most dangerous for the Mulatto beet. To combat the first pest, spraying with infusion of onion peel is used. You can get rid of the beet fly, scoop, flea and scale insects with the help of insecticides (Iskra Bio) or biological products (Gomelin, Bitoxibacillin).
Conclusion
Mulatto beetroot is unpretentious, grows well on any soil, except for acidic and waterlogged. With minimal care, the variety gives a guaranteed harvest of root crops with excellent taste, so gardeners have been opting for it for many years.
Reviews of gardeners about beets Mulatto
