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Svitanok Kyiv potatoes were bred back in the USSR, but still remain popular both in Our Country and in many former socialist republics. Amateur gardeners appreciate it for its “non-capriciousness” regarding cultivation conditions and agricultural technology, excellent keeping quality, versatility of purpose and very good taste of tubers. Of course, the variety is not ideal, but some shortcomings do not overlap the advantages.
The story of
Potato Svitanok Kyiv was bred in Ukraine by specialists from the Institute of Potato Growing of the local Academy of Agrarian Sciences. This organization is listed as the originator (along with the Litvinovskoye LLC). A whole team of breeders worked on the creation of a new variety, all of them are listed as authors.
In the State Register of Breeding Achievements of the USSR, Svitanok Kyiv potato was included in 1987. The required official variety trials took five years. Now the variety continues to be listed in the State Register.
Description of the potato variety Svitanok Kyiv
Potato tubers Svitanok Kyiv look quite presentable. And the relatively small size of the bushes is another plus, especially for owners of the standard “six acres”.
Bush
Potato bushes Svitanok Kyiv are low (about 50 cm), “squat”, relatively compact. Stems of medium thickness, but erect, rarely lie on the ground. The foliage is medium, the leaf plates are medium-sized, slightly “wrinkled”. Flowering is plentiful, but short-lived. Corollas are large, bright lilac.
The root system of the bushes is powerful, well developed
Tubers
Potato tubers Svitanok Kyiv are medium in size, weighing 90-120 g. The shape can be either round-oval or irregular. The skin is pink, thin, but strong and elastic – this provides the variety with good keeping quality and transportability. Against the general background, darker, red-crimson “eyes” stand out. They are small and superficial, so it is easy to clean the tubers.
The flesh of the Svitanok Kyiv potato is pale yellow or creamy. After heat treatment, it does not darken. There is not a hint of “starchy” or wateriness in the pulp, it seems to be oily in texture.
There are very few “little things” in the nests, the percentage of marketable tubers is 96%
Characteristics of potatoes Svitanok Kyiv
A significant advantage of the Svitanok Kyiv potato over its “competitors” is its outstanding taste. But this is not the only varietal characteristic that you need to consider when choosing a variety or hybrid for yourself.
Palatability
The taste qualities of Svitanok Kyiv potatoes are characterized as “good” or “excellent”. According to the culinary classification, potatoes are type C. This category includes varieties with a high content of starch. They are suitable for making mashed potatoes and various fillings for baking, stewing, roasting, stuffing.
In the process of frying or boiling soup, the tubers “fall apart” or turn into an unappetizing porridge.
Terms of maturation
Svitanok Kyiv is a medium-early potato variety. The tubers are dug up 85-105 days after mass shoots. The ripening period of the crop depends on the characteristics of the local climate and the weather during the summer. In the warm southern regions, it is even slightly less than the “official” one (75-80 days), so there Svitanok Kyiv potatoes can be considered among the early ripening varieties.
Productivity
Svitanok Kyiv potatoes are not very popular with professional farmers. However, the available experience of its cultivation suggests that the average yield of the variety when grown on an industrial scale is 250-300 centners per hectare, and the record one is more than 450 c/ha.
Amateur gardeners, having provided Svitanok Kyiv competent care for potatoes, receive up to 300 kg from 100 m². The average yield is 180-200 kg per hundred square meters.
In one “nest” 9-12 tubers are formed
Growing regions
Initially, the Svitanok Kyiv potato was intended for cultivation in regions with a temperate climate (Central region, Volga region). However, the State Register officially recognizes it as suitable for more severe conditions – the North-West region, Western Siberia, the Far East, the Urals. Svitanok Kyiv potatoes are also actively cultivated in their homeland – there it also very successfully “taken root” and is considered practically a reference one. It is also highly appreciated by gardeners in Moldova and Belarus.
Disease resistance
The creators provided the Svitanok Kyiv potato with immunity to bacterial cancer and rhizoctoniosis. It resists well different types of mosaic virus, black leg and scab. The most dangerous for the variety late blight in both forms and leaf curl virus.
As for pests, gardeners do not note a particular love for Svitanok Kyiv potatoes from the Colorado potato beetle. Although, during “mass” attacks on the garden, bushes of this variety will not be bypassed. There is also information from the originator, according to which the Kyiv Svitanok potato is relatively resistant to the golden cyst nematode.
Bushes affected by late blight quickly dry out, the aerial part dies off.
Advantages and disadvantages
The outstanding taste qualities of Svitanok Kyiv potatoes are recognized even by professional tasters. From them, he received the highest rating – 5 points.
Svitanok Kyiv potato has a rich chemical composition
Pros:
- suitability of the variety for cultivation in most regions;
- minimal “susceptibility” to the negative impact of weather factors;
- lack of care;
- relatively early and “friendly” ripening of the crop;
- the presence of immunity and good resistance to diseases;
- resistance of planting material to degeneration;
- compactness of the bushes, the possibility of compacted plantings;
- external presentability of tubers;
- almost complete absence of “little things”;
- very good keeping quality, transportability and preservation of potatoes;
- outstanding taste qualities of tubers;
- suitability for cooking many dishes.
Cons:
- relatively low productivity;
- susceptibility to late blight, leaf curl virus;
- unsuitability of tubers for frying and slicing in boiled form.
Rules of landing
Potato Svitanok Kyiv prefers relatively light soils, with a fairly high percentage of sand in the composition. Other criteria for choosing a place for a bed are good illumination, the absence of groundwater close to the surface of the earth, neutral or slightly acidic pH.
In central Our Country, Svitanok Kyiv potatoes are planted in the first decade of May. In the south – 2-3 weeks earlier. In regions with a more severe climate, sometimes you have to wait until early June. The substrate at a depth of 10 cm by this moment should warm up to 7-8 °C.
Potato tubers Svitanok Kyiv, intended for planting, demonstrate good “germination”, therefore, they do not need additional processing with biostimulants. They only need dressing in a fungicide solution to prevent fungal diseases.
Tubers germinate quickly enough – in 3-3,5 weeks
The optimal planting pattern for this variety is 30-35×55-60 cm. The depth of the holes is 10-12 cm. At the bottom, in addition to a handful of humus and a small amount of fertilizer, it is recommended to put special chemicals or folk remedies to repel the Colorado potato beetle and wireworm.
A warm, dry, overcast day is best for planting.
Care instructions
Potato care Svitanok Kyiv includes the following agrotechnical measures:
- Watering. Beds with potatoes Svitanok Kyiv need additional moisture only if the weather is hot and dry for a long time. There are seasons when the plants completely dispense with natural precipitation. In the heat, the beds are moistened every 10-12 days.
- Application of fertilizers. When the soil in the garden is fertile enough, in principle, you can do without them. But to collect record harvests without fertilizing will not work. Top dressing is carried out three times – 8-12 days after mass shoots, during flowering and immediately after it ends.
- Hilling. The growing season for Svitanok Kyiv potatoes is short, so two hillings are enough for him – when the stems reach a height of 12-15 cm and after another 2,5-3 weeks.
- Disease prevention. In addition to dressing the tubers in a fungicide solution before planting, it is recommended to spray the bushes with the same preparation if the weather favors the development of the late blight fungus and other pathogens for a long time. And when the Colorado potato beetle invades neighboring areas, it is better to spray your own plantings with insecticides in advance.
Hilling contributes to the development of the root system and the formation of more tubers
Collection and storage
Early and mid-early potatoes are harvested without waiting for the bush to dry completely. It is enough that most of the tops begin to turn yellow. In central Our Country, this is approximately the first decade of August. Variety Svitanok Kyiv is suitable for both manual and mechanized harvesting.
It is not worth delaying harvesting – tubers “overexposed” in the soil for more than three weeks have a sharp drop in keeping quality
The dug out potatoes are immediately sorted out, culling the “substandard” and setting aside the planting material separately for the next season. Tubers suitable for long-term storage are dried in the open air or in a well-ventilated area, protected from direct sunlight, for 10-12 days.
The method of storage for potatoes Svitanok Kyiv is not fundamental, the conditions are standard:
- temperature 3-4 ° C;
- air humidity 80-85%;
- lack of light and cold drafts;
- good ventilation.
Conclusion
Svitanok Kyiv potato is a table variety, the advantages and disadvantages of which have long been well known to gardeners. It is distinguished by endurance, the ability to adapt to different nuances of the local climate, good keeping quality, and external presentability of tubers. Due to the unpretentiousness in care, the variety is suitable even for inexperienced summer residents.
Reviews of summer residents about potatoes Svitanok Kyiv
