Potato Impala

Early ripe potatoes have a big plus – after one and a half to two months after planting, you can dig up the tubers and eat them. Farmers are also aware of the shortcomings of early varieties, the main of which is the mediocre and watery taste of root crops. Potato Impala can be called the “golden mean”, because its tubers ripen very quickly, besides, they have a rich, pleasant taste. The advantages of the Dutch variety do not end there, it is not for nothing that the Impala has been one of the most popular types of early potatoes in the country for twenty years. The unpretentiousness of this potato allows you to use any method of growing root crops.

Photos, reviews of farmers and a description of the Impala potato variety are collected in this article. Here we will talk about all the advantages of early potatoes, give recommendations for planting and caring for the crop.

Qualities of an early ripening variety

Potato variety Impala was bred by breeders from the Dutch corporation Agrico in the early 90s of the last century. This potato was included in the State Register of Our Country already in 1995 – since then, Impala has been one of the most popular varieties in the country.

The characteristics and photos of the Impala potato are as follows:

• very short growing season – 40-60 days after planting, the tubers are ready to eat;
• the possibility of a long “rest” – tubers can be in the ground until mid-August;
• the earliest tubers dug out have a slightly watery taste, but after 3-4 weeks the potatoes are already well boiled and have excellent taste;
• Impala bushes are high – about 70-80 cm;
• each plant consists of 4-5 stems, which ensures a good density of the bush;
• the growth of the Impala goes very quickly, this is especially noticeable at the beginning of the growing season;
• the flowering of potatoes is abundant, the inflorescences are snow-white;
• the number of tubers under one bush depends on care and varies from 12 to 21;
• the share of marketable root crops is 89-94%;
• potatoes are quite large, oval in shape, light yellow in color;
• ocelli superficial, small;
• the peel on the tubers is smooth, thin, but strong;
• the average mass of marketable potatoes is 120-130 grams;
• mass gain in tubers continues until the first days of August;
• the flesh of the Impala variety is dense, yellow;
• taste qualities are highly rated – Impala is gaining 4,9 points out of five possible from tasters;
• the variety is excellent for frying, stewing, baking, preparing soups and salads, Impala is good and in the form of mashed potatoes – universal table potatoes;
• average starch content – from 11 to 14 percent;
• dry matter – about 17,7%;
• the yield, as for an early variety, is very good – 360 centners per hectare;
• Impala has good keeping quality – at the level of 95-97%, which is also rare for early ripe potatoes;
• the variety is characterized by good stress resistance – temperature changes and other external factors practically do not affect the yield;
• early potatoes have excellent immunity to the golden nematode, cancer, viral diseases;
• the average resistance of Impala to late blight of tops and tubers, common scab, leaf curl is noted.

Early Impala potatoes really deserve the love of gardeners. Due to its qualities, it can be successfully grown on absolutely any scale: in vegetable gardens and summer cottages, on farm and industrial fields.

You can also use the Kubanka crop in any way: large tubers will make both chips and french fries, Impala is good in mashed potatoes, first courses, salads and other culinary masterpieces.

Advantages and disadvantages

Photos and descriptions of Impala potatoes show it only from the best side – it seems that Kubanka has absolutely no flaws. Really, This potato has a lot of advantages:

• high yield;
• short growing season;
• excellent taste characteristics;
• resistance to the most dangerous potato diseases;
• large size of tubers and their attractive appearance;
• resistance to drought, temperature fluctuations;
• maturation of most of the crop to the peak of the development of late blight;
• excellent keeping quality;
• excellent trade dress;
• high nutritional value.

Among the shortcomings of the Kubanka, one can note its weak immunity to diseases such as rhizoctoniosis and powdery scab. This early ripe potato has no other, more serious disadvantages.

Competent cultivation

The Impala potato, like other crops related to it, prefers light and medium, not waterlogged soils with normal acidity. Basically, this potato is unpretentious to the composition of the soil and is able to give a good harvest in any conditions.

In order for the cultivation of potatoes to be effective, it is imperative to observe crop rotation: you cannot plant potatoes or other nightshade crops in the same place for two years in a row. The best predecessors for potatoes are legumes and winter crops, perennial grasses.

Prepare

It is very important to carry out the correct preplant preparation of Impala tubers. It consists in the following:

1. In early April, potatoes should be removed from storage and brought to a warmer room. The first couple of days the temperature should be maintained at 18-23 degrees. Subsequently, the temperature must be reduced to 12-14 degrees and kept at such levels until the potato is planted. At the same time, the illumination in the room for germination should be good.

   

2. If there are few germinating eyes on the tubers, you can try to increase their number. To do this, a circular incision is made on the potato closer to the top.
3. Immediately before planting, it is recommended to treat the tubers with chemical fungicidal or insecticidal preparations. To reduce the toxicity of the treatment, you can use gentle agents such as potassium permanganate, boric acid, wood ash.

Landing in the ground

You can grow Impala potatoes in absolutely any way: in open ground, on high ridges, in bags or under straw. However, there a couple of conditions for the effective cultivation of early potatoes: the soil must be well warmed up, and the tubers themselves do not need to be buried too deep underground.

For example, a farmer settled on a method of planting potatoes on ridges. The planting pattern for the Impala is as follows – 60×60 cm. Germinated potato tubers are laid out at a certain interval and closed up, using a hoe, creating a comb with a total height of 13-15 cm.

Approximately 7-10 days after planting, earthen ridges should be harrowed with a rake. Harrowing will get rid of thread-like weeds growing through the soil and improve aeration, opening up the potato to air.

After abundant watering or heavy rain, organic fertilizers can be applied: cow dung, bird droppings or humus. Fertilizers can be planted in the soil with a hoe or diluted with water and applied directly under the Impala bush.

Care instructions

The reviews of those who planted Impala potatoes on the site are mostly positive – this potato has established itself as an extremely unpretentious and very reliable variety.

Impala potato care needs the simplest:

1. Infrequent, but plentiful watering. The soil during the irrigation process should get wet to a depth of 40 cm, so 10-400 liters of water will have to be used for 500 squares of potato beds. During the season, the Impala will have to be watered 3-4 times, observing an interval of 10 days between waterings.

   

2. Feeding Impala potatoes is best done in the early stages of the growing season. Before flowering, you can use foliar top dressing with mineral fertilizers. You should not add a lot of nitrogen under the bushes, the tubers will become smaller from this, the potatoes will hurt more.
3. Despite excellent hardiness, Impala potatoes will have to be treated for infections and parasites. If the tubers were treated before planting, you need to monitor the condition of the plants and spray only when necessary. Otherwise, you will need preventive spraying, which is performed 3-4 times per season.

   

It is better to dig Kubanka potatoes in August, when it will gain maximum weight and the taste of the tubers will improve. A couple of weeks before harvesting, it is recommended to mow the tops of the Impala – this will further improve the keeping quality of the tubers.

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Conclusion

Impala is a reliable and very resistant variety with early maturation. This potato was bred specifically for the production of chips and was intended to be planted twice a season.

As a result, it turned out that the Impala is actively grown by gardeners from all over Our Country, its tubers are used to prepare a variety of dishes and are successfully stored until the next season. And that’s not all the advantages of Dutch potatoes!