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Potato Agata attracts with its unpretentiousness to growing conditions and stable high yields. The variety is resistant to most potato diseases, is not afraid of short-term drought, produces the first marketable tubers in a month and a half.
History of origin
Dutch breeders bred the Agatha potato variety as one of the most productive. Agata potatoes are widely used in Europe among farms. Recently, a resistant variety began to be grown in Our Country. The Agata variety is suitable for planting in regions with short summers, in the central, Volga regions, in the Urals and in Siberia, because it ripens quickly and gives a rich harvest. The potato variety is recommended for growing on personal plots and on an industrial scale.
Description and characteristics of Agatha
Mid-season Agata table potatoes are sensitive to fertile soils and fertilizers. In the fields, the average yield is 250 centners per hectare, with intensive technologies, up to 400 centners are harvested. The first tubers can be dug in 50-55 days, already in July, full ripening – in August, after 80-85 days. The tubers are well preserved until spring, their keeping rate is 93%.
Low, erect Agatha potato bushes are moderately sprawling, with medium leafy stems. The leaf is small, the edges are slightly wavy. The flowers are white, not created on all bushes, fruits are rarely formed. A developed root system allows the bush to grow 10-15 large tubers. There are few small potatoes.
Oval-elongated tubers are uniform, neat in appearance, with small eyes. Weight 70-140 g, on average, most tubers are over 100 g. The peel is smooth, light yellow, the flesh is dense, yellowish-cream. The tubers contain 12-14% starch, so the potatoes do not boil soft, but the puree is tasty and airy. The variety is suitable for frying, baking, making chips, frozen vegetable mixes, freeze-dried mashed potatoes. When cooked, the flesh of Agata potatoes remains light, the taste is rich.
Advantages and disadvantages
Agata potatoes are loved by farm owners for their yield potential. The variety performed well on any soil, but on more fertile lands, the harvest is richer. The advantages of the variety are obvious:
- The ability to bear fruit on different types of soil;
- High and stable yield;
- Excellent consumer qualities;
- Commodity form of tubers;
- Transportability and keeping quality;
- Versatility of application;
- Resistance to common potato diseases.
Among the disadvantages of the Agata variety, one can indicate the susceptibility of potatoes to late blight. But against the disease there is no resistance in any variety.
Landing
For Agata potatoes, early planting is recommended, from the second decade of April, when warm weather sets in. The soil should warm up to 10 оC at the depth of laying the seed material – 8-10 cm. The Agata variety can also grow on heavy clay soils, the tubers are planted shallowly – up to 6 cm. On sandy loamy soils they are deeper – up to 8-10 cm. can be laid before cultivating the land – 5 kg per 1 sq. m.
A month before planting, potatoes are taken out of the basement and sorted out, culling out diseased and damaged tubers. In a thin layer, in 2-3 rows, they are laid out in boxes for germination. Light sprouts of the Agata variety are oval, pink, pubescent. On the day of planting, the tubers are sprayed against possible fungal infections with Fitosporin, Prestige is used to repel Colorado beetles or other drugs are used for these purposes according to the instructions. The tubers are also treated with growth stimulants.
Agata potatoes are planted in a spacious sunny area on high ridges or form ridges. The tubers are provided with sufficient space for feeding: row-spacing is 70-75 cm wide, the distance between the bushes of the Agata variety is 25-30 cm.
Care
A plot with Agata potatoes is loosened after germination. With the threat of return frosts, the sprouts are spudded, completely covering the tops with earth. During the season, three times weeding and hilling the bushes before flowering are carried out. Remove weeds at the same time. Be sure to loosen the soil after watering so that it is more breathable.
For the Agata variety, it is recommended to carry out a drip irrigation system to ensure uniform soil moisture. Early potatoes develop intensively and require sufficient moisture.
- In a dry summer, Agata potatoes are watered for the first time when the seedlings rise to 15 cm. Each bush must be given at least 3 liters of warm water;
- In the budding phase, the required amount of water doubles;
- When the tubers of the Agata variety are gaining mass, each plant is given up to 12 liters of water.
The yield of the Agata variety increases on fertile soils and with timely top dressing.
- Before the first hilling, they are fertilized with urea: 20 g of the product per 10 liters of water – 0,5 liters per bush;
- In the aisles, water with a solution of mullein 1:10, infusion of bird droppings 1:15 or herbal infusion with wood ash;
- Apply according to the instructions solutions of complex mineral fertilizers Kemira, Kristalon, Omu, organomineral preparations Bulba, Giant and other top dressing after abundant watering.
Foliar top dressings are effective for the Agata variety:
- 15 days after germination, 10 g of urea, 100 g of potassium monophosphate, 150 g of boric acid are sprayed with a mixture of 5 liters of water. After 2 weeks, the treatment is repeated, but the amount of drugs is diluted in 5 liters of water;
- A month before digging potatoes, they are treated with superphosphate on a sheet: 100 g is diluted in 10 liters of water per 10 square meters. m.
Diseases and pests
Potato variety Agatha does not suffer from potato cancer and scab. It is moderately resistant to Fusarium wilt and late blight tops. To prevent the disease, the bushes are prophylactically treated with manganese, Oksikhom, Ridomil, Arcedil preparations. The same means are used, noticing the disease, to save the tubers. After harvesting in the area where phytophthora was noticed, the seed tubers are treated with Immunocytophyte and kept in the air for a long time without being brought into storage.
Agata potatoes resist nematode infection, and Medvedtoks, Gromoboy, special insecticides against Colorado beetles are used against other pests on the site.
Harvesting
Agatha tubers are dug in August. Early harvesting prevents late blight infection of potatoes. For a week, stems with leaves are mowed and removed from the site. Tubers on a sunny day are left for 2-3 hours in the garden, and then dried for several days under a canopy. Potatoes are sorted out, whole, intact tubers are brought into the basement. Seed material is placed separately.
Conclusion
A fruitful variety is liked by many for its unpretentiousness to the composition of the soil and weather changes. A wonderful bonus to the characteristic is resistance to diseases. Having fed the plant on time, they get more than 1 kg from the bush.