One of the most popular vegetables in the world, the main ingredient in an incredible number of dishes, potatoes are firmly rooted in a consumer basket. Variety "Melody" combines high taste characteristics and the ability to maintain nutritional potential for a long time. But it is important to know how to care for the vegetable so that the crops are pleased with the volume and quality.
Grade history
Variety bred in the Netherlands by C.MEIJER B.V. Dutch breeders have created potatoes that can be sown from related material for three seasons. In this case, you can use the same soil.
Description of the potato variety Melody
Variety "Melody" - medium-late table selection potatoes. Since 2009, he began to land in the Russian Federation, mainly in the central regions. This variety cannot be called universal or superstable, but it has a number of rare advantages that have made it valuable for gardening activities, and especially for industrial cultivation.
Shoots
Bushes about half a meter in height. Leaves of medium size, closed, oblong, bright green, with a wavy edge. Blossoms variety "Melody" 5-7 buds. Their color is white and light lilac at the edges, darkens to purple in the center and purple-red in the middle, which is yellow.
Roots
The tubers are large, with a peel, mesh in structure, pale yellow in color, oval in shape, eyes small, dark gray. The average weight of the potato is 100-180 g, it has a soft yellow pulp that quickly boils. It has a high starchiness rate - 17-20%. Due to this, it is used for the industrial production of dry mashed potatoes.
Characteristics and features of the variety
Potato variety "Melody" has the following properties:
- long ripening period, from 115-120 days;
- large root crop;
- commodity appearance;
- keeping quality 95% - potatoes do not spoil for a long time, preserving taste;
- transportability, tubers easily survive shaking and mechanical damage;
- long rest period - 8 months, which means; that potatoes can be stored until June without the need to break out the sprouts.
- starchiness;
- drought tolerant;
- thermophilic;
- undemanding to soil nutrition;
- retains characteristics in the second and third generation.
This variety is especially appreciated for its strong immunity.. He is not affected by:
- wrinkled and banded mosaic;
- cyst-forming golden nematode;
- black leg;
- scab;
- rhizoctonia;
- potato cancer;
- late blight of tops and tubers - this disease most often affects potatoes, especially in rainy weather. The likelihood of him becoming infected with Ringtones is low, but still there.
The main danger for Melody potatoes is the Colorado potato beetle, also the variety is not fully resistant to the Y virus.
Productivity and taste
The volume of potatoes grown directly depends on the care and weather conditions. On average, it is 200-335 centners per hectare. With quality care for vegetables, this indicator doubles - up to 636 centners (so many times it was collected in the suburbs during the testing of varieties). On one bush, often about 2-3 kg of potatoes (7-11 large tubers).
The melody is famous for its taste and is considered one of the most delicious varieties of potatoes. It is suitable for cooking, pureeing, but absolutely not suitable for frying on vegetable oils, therefore it is not used in the industrial production of chips.
Potato "Melody" during heat treatment retains a pleasant yellow color.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The melody has become popular in Russia (mainly in the central districts), Ukraine and Moldova. Presumably, the following positive qualities played a role in this:
- adaptability to a temperate climate;
- easily tolerates long rainy periods;
- high resistance to diseases and viruses;
- feels good in bright sunlight, calmly tolerates a lack of water;
- taste characteristics;
- high starch content.
The disadvantages of the variety are mainly unsuitability for frying.
Features of planting and growing potatoes "Melody"
Variety "Melody" is not demanding for care, but as in any other business, you need to follow the rules for success, in this case, these are the planting rules and the nuances related to caring for the vegetable.
Optimal timing and location choice
Potato "Melody" is thermophilic. You can plant it only when the soil warms up to +8 degrees Celsius. This usually occurs in mid-late May.
The landing place should be on a hill, accessible to sunlight. Before this, other nightshade crops, including potatoes of a different sort, should not grow on it. Favorable predecessors include:
- legumes;
- winter crops;
- linen;
- medicinal and spicy herbs (annual and perennial);
- lupine.
Landing preparation
In autumn, you should dig over the territory selected for potatoes and add organic fertilizer (compost or humus) to the ground. The volume of the latter should be at least 4.5 kilograms per 1 square meter. Potash and phosphate top dressing are added.
In the spring, before planting, you need to equip the soil with ammonia fertilizers. For 1 square meter, spend 15-25 grams, depending on its depletion. If there is groundwater, it is worth making ditches and forming ridges for landing.
Tuber preparation
Before planting potatoes, seed must be selected. From tubers set aside from the previous harvest, whole ones are selected, without damage, browning and signs of fungus.
They must be left in a dry place for 3-4 weeks, two days before planting, the potatoes need to be laid out in direct sunlight. Before direct sending to the soil, the sprouted tubers are treated with growth stimulants, which have an overwhelming effect on the development of late blight. It can be Ecosil or Epin extra.
It is better not to cut the Melody potatoes into planting parts, whole tubers give many times more harvest. But if necessary, you need to ensure that the weight of each piece is not less than 50 g.
Landing, scheme and depth of landing
Depending on the type of soil, it is necessary to choose the type of planting potatoes of the Melody variety:
- black soil and sandy loam soil suggests a smooth landing;
- heavy soils require crests to make potatoes easier to emerge;
- loose loose earth necessitates the creation of trenches for planting vegetables.
The distance between the rows when planting the variety "Melody" is 70-80 centimeters, and between the holes about 35 centimeters. The planting depth also depends on the type of soil, the heavier it is, the closer the tuber will be placed on the surface (5-7 centimeters), and in light soils, respectively, it will be located deeper (10-12 centimeters).
It is necessary to place planting material with sprouts upward, slightly pressing it into the ground.
Fertilizer application
Additional feeding of the Melody potato is not carried out after flowering. Ideal periods suitable for fertilizing are during the first hilling and before the buds open.
Suitable fertilizers for this variety are:
- dolomite flour;
- a piece of chalk;
- potassium top dressing;
- egg solution;
- nitrogen additives;
- vitamin complexes;
- herbal infusions.
Fertilizer of the Melody variety is not allowed with bird and cow droppings, as well as with other fresh organic options for feeding the soil.
Care
Potatoes need regular watering, especially during the growing season. It is carried out optionally depending on the condition and type of soil. In order not to damage the tops, water pours under the stem, but slowly, as there is a danger of exposing the root.
Hilling, the formation of mounds above the base of the vegetable bushes, is carried out at least twice. The first time shoots appear 10-12 centimeters high, the embankment should be 5-10 centimeters. The second hilling should be carried out after 3 weeks.
Simultaneously with the creation of embankments, weeding must also be carried out (cultivation). In the future, it is carried out, like watering, as necessary, depending on the activity of weeds.
Potato roots for normal development and mass gain need oxygen, so loosening should be regular.
Protection against diseases and pests
When planting in holes, it is worth pouring wood ash. It:
- mineralizes the soil;
- promotes soil respiration;
- protects from insects.
For the prevention of late blight, you can apply:
- Syngenta;
- Arcetyl;
- Ridomil;
- Oksikhom.
Or folk remedies:
- shedding soil with lime;
- processing of bushes with garlic infusion (100 grams per 10 liters);
- spraying with a solution of kefir (1:10);
- the use of solutions of potassium permanganate, boric acid and vitriol.
To prevent the spread of viruses, you must adhere to the following rules:
- select only healthy and strong tubers for planting;
- adhere to crop rotation rules;
- remove diseased bushes so that others do not become infected;
- destroy insect pests, they carry viruses on their paws.
It is important to treat potato bushes with fungicides and antifungal agents before flowering. For this, the following drugs are used:
- Alirin;
- Quadris;
- Gamair.
To combat the worst affliction of potatoes - the Colorado potato beetle, you can use Prestige, Colorado, Regent, Taboo.
Harvesting and storage
They dig up root crops of the Melody variety on 115-120 days. By this time, usually the tops are already fading, and the potatoes are covered with a dense skin. Before harvesting the ground part of the bushes Melodies need to be cut. This is to prevent unhealthy microflora from leaves from entering the root of the plant.
10 days after this procedure, you can collect potatoes. It should be dug and left in a bright, dry, ventilated place to dry. After that, clean the soil from adhering clods and send to a room intended for long-term storage of vegetables.
Potato variety “Melody” has high immune properties, easily survives different weather conditions in a temperate climate. With careful care, the Melody gives very large yields, and its taste is especially appreciated in the potato market. Vegetable survives long storage or transportation, so it is often grown for commercial purposes.
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