Potato Leader

Potatoes are firmly held in the forefront of the usual and most commonly used products. Over the long history of the appearance of this vegetable on the European continent, through the efforts of breeders, many of its varieties have been created.

Particular attention should be paid to the early ripe Leader potato, which was created by selection by the employees of the State Scientific Institution of the Ural Research Institute of Agriculture as a table variety, and entered into the register for the West Siberian region. Later, the patent for the Leader variety was purchased by SeDeK agricultural firm.

Description and characteristics

Potato Leader has established itself as an unpretentious and high-yielding early ripe variety. It is most common in Our Country, Ukraine and Moldova. The main characteristics of the Leader variety:

Potatoes of this variety are propagated by tubers or their parts. The bush does not grow to the sides, and the tubers form and form together.

The leader has high yields, the highest was achieved in the Tyumen region – 339 centners per hectare.

Variety Leader is used for industrial and table needs. Starch, chips are made from it, it is used to prepare both the simplest dishes and complex ones that can satisfy the taste of the most fastidious gourmet.

Advantages and disadvantages

Potato Leader has many advantages, which distinguishes it from the background of numerous table varieties. The disadvantages of potatoes in comparison with its positive qualities are insignificant.

Landing

It is best to start preparing Leader potatoes for planting already in the process of harvesting. The main criteria for choosing planting material:

• medium size potatoes;
• a large number of eyes;
• healthy, undamaged tuber.

It is advisable to green the tubers by holding them in a lighted place for some time, this protects them from rodents and pests. Potatoes are stored at a temperature of 11-16C°.

Before planting, Leader potatoes are germinated. The process takes about a month. There are several ways to do this:

• tubers are laid out on the floor;
• potatoes are germinated in sawdust;
• planting material is placed in plastic bags with ventilation holes;
• tubers are placed in wooden boxes.

Sprouted tubers are planted in open ground at the end of early May. Planting pattern 60×35 cm, planted to a depth of 8-15 cm. If the soil is loose, the planting depth increases to 20 cm.

Ash is a good fertilizer for Leader potatoes. It can be applied to the ground in the fall, or it can be sprinkled on tubers when planting. Planting potatoes Leader is recommended on land where winter crops, perennial grasses or flax previously grew.

Care

Variety Leader is unpretentious, but you still need to follow the basic rules of care:

• watering;
• hilling;
• top dressing.

Watering the Leader potato depends on the region. In areas where the summer is hot and dry, watering is done once a week, in areas with more moderate climatic conditions, once a month will be enough.

Potato Leader experiences the greatest need for moisture before flowering and directly in the process of flowering.

Hilling and top dressing

Hilling is no less important than watering. It consists in raking the earth from the row-spacing onto a potato bush. The process is carried out after watering or rain, it is important that the soil is moist, this causes the tubers to start up new underground shoots, on which the crop is formed.

Such manipulations protect the Leader’s seedlings from frosts, which are quite common in May. The hilling procedure is usually carried out twice:

• when the height of the bush reaches 13-17 cm;
• before the flowering of potato bushes.

Variety Leader can do without fertilizers, but if the soil is poor, then it is better to feed it.

A few tips and tricks from the author of the video:

Diseases and pests

Potato Leader is resistant to the most common diseases such as dry rot, spotting, rhizoctoniosis, black leg. But the Leader is quite susceptible to late blight.

To prevent disease, the soil is treated in advance with Bordeaux liquid, for these purposes, you can also use a solution of copper sulfate, then dig up the bed. Or they directly spray the Leader’s tubers themselves with preparations containing copper sulphate.

For a good harvest of potatoes, the Leader will have to fight against pests.

Timely implementation of such preventive measures helps to prevent not only the appearance of pests, but also many potato diseases:

• digging the soil;
• loosening of the soil;
• weed cleaning;
• periodic change of potato planting site;
• pre-treatment of planting material.

Harvesting

Potato Leader belongs to the early varieties. The first tubers are dug up already on the 45th day after the appearance of the first sprouts, the final maturity occurs 70-75 days after the germination of planting material. On average, 18-20 tubers are harvested from one bush. Harvesting takes place depending on the timing of planting, usually in July or early August.

An indicator of the degree of maturity of root crops is the drying of the tops. But it is best to dig a few bushes to assess the density and thickness of the peel. It should not peel off and peel off easily, as happens on young tubers.

A dry and clear day is chosen for harvesting. After digging up the potatoes, the site is harrowed, which allows you to pick up the remaining tubers. The selected potatoes are dried and sorted, selecting diseased and damaged tubers. The crop is stored in a dry, cool and dark place. Good keeping quality allows it to be stored without deterioration of sowing qualities until June.

Conclusion

The leader at the time of its appearance occupied the first positions among early-ripening potato varieties in terms of drought resistance, high yield, storage time and the number of tubers ripening on one bush, which contributed to its name.

To enjoy early potatoes from your beds, with a minimum of effort, you should choose Leader potatoes.

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