The Jewel potato, which was bred by German breeders, was liked by summer residents and gardeners due to its short growing season, smooth and even tubers, and good taste. The vegetable serves as a staple food, used for preparing salads and soups, frying and boiling in Russia and many other European countries. No family can live without potatoes.
Characteristics of the variety
The low-growing plant has a straight stem on which are dark green leaves with wavy edges. The inflorescences are characterized by a purple color. Up to 20 potatoes are collected from a bush:
- oval shape;
- with yellow skin and pulp;
- with small eyes.
The tuber, which weighs on average about 100 g, contains up to 15% starch, a large percentage of carotene and vegetable proteins. Potatoes are dug up 50 days after sprouts appear. This characteristic of the variety suits summer residents who grow Jewel for their own consumption, and attracts farmers who plant this vegetable for sale. The tubers retain their marketable appearance, do not rot, and do not dry out until the next harvest.
With proper care on fertile lands, up to 800 kg of potatoes are harvested per hectare, which, thanks to their pleasant taste and smooth skin, are used for making soups, chips, and purees. After cooking, the pulp crumbles and does not lose its beautiful color.
Growing
Thanks to the hard work of breeders, the resulting Jewel variety is not only valued for its early ripening of tubers, but also for its resistance to short-term drought, heat and low temperatures. These potatoes are grown in regions with different climates; in the southern regions, the crop is harvested twice, planting tubers in April and early July.
You can use seed material for more than one year, since the variety does not degenerate for a long time. The crop loves the sun, and small potatoes ripen in shaded areas. Place the tubers in the ground at a distance of 30 cm, leaving 70 between rows.
Planting can be done even when the soil has not yet completely warmed up. Light frosts are not dangerous for the plant.
Jewel potatoes are grown in different types of soil, but large tubers are obtained with sufficient moisture and fertilizing. The area for the crop is usually prepared and fertilized in the fall. It grows well after winter wheat or mustard.
Seed preparation
Tubers for planting are selected when they are dug up for storage.The potatoes are left in the sun for a week, turning them over until all the sides acquire the same greenish tint. After this, it is sent for storage to a cellar or basement, where the temperature is about 4 degrees Celsius. Tubers of the same size are laid separately for seeds, before planting they are treated in a solution of potassium permanganate or urea and germinated in a warm place for three weeks.
Agricultural technology
In the spring, the soil under the potato bed is fed with organic matter and cultivated to a depth of 30 cm. Summer residents plant tubers under a shovel, making holes 10 centimeters deep if the soil is light, 5 centimeters deep for heavy clay soil. In the middle zone, potatoes are sent to the ground in the second ten days of April or early May, in the northern regions a week later.
Tubers are placed in holes along with ash. Instead, organic fertilizers or chalk are used on acidic soils. Rotted manure or superphosphate is placed in the holes along with the potatoes. The ground is leveled, some summer residents immediately rake the soil, which allows them to save young shoots from the invasion of the Colorado potato beetle. Other gardeners prefer trench or smooth planting.
Features of care
Despite the fact that the Jewel variety tolerates drought and high air temperatures, the tubers do not grow large at low humidity. In the absence of rain, potatoes need to be watered. Drip irrigation is best suited for this purpose. Excess moisture negatively affects the taste of potatoes. It becomes watery and does not boil down. Helps to grow an excellent harvest:
- Hilling up bushes.
- Fertilizing with mineral fertilizers and organic matter.
- Timely pest control.
The crop responds positively to the application of manure and bird droppings. This must be done at least 2 times per season.Jewel potatoes grow on poor soils; microorganisms that promote the absorption of beneficial components help improve their fertility.
To increase the number of these bacteria, biological agents are added to the soil. fertilizer called Agromax. After its use, nitrates do not accumulate in potato tubers of the Jewel variety. This concentrate contains humic acids, which strengthen plants. It contains blood meal, which saturates cells with nutrients, and bioactive water, which promotes the proliferation of microorganisms.
Advantages and disadvantages
The description of the Jewel variety was of interest not only to summer residents who plant tubers under a shovel, but also to farmers for whom product characteristics are of primary importance. The undeniable advantages of potatoes are:
- good taste;
- long-term storage;
- rapid ripening;
- resistance to drought and frost;
- high productivity.
Jewell is grown on light sandy soils, loams, and black soil.
The variety is rarely affected by late blight, common scab, nematodes, and does not have time to develop Alternaria blight, when the tubers become stained and the flesh turns black. With a large amount of moisture, the taste of the product deteriorates; in the absence or insufficient watering, small potatoes grow.
Diseases and pests
The Jewel variety is not afraid of late blight, since the tubers ripen quickly. If they remain in the soil, the bushes become infected with fungus. To prevent this from happening, the land is cultivated before planting potatoes. The tops are sprayed with Fitosporin. For many years, farmers and gardeners have been unsuccessfully fighting the Colorado potato beetle, which loves nightshade plants, using various methods.In small plots, summer residents try to manually collect the larvae; legumes, calendula, and mustard are sown next to the beds.
Farmers spray their fields with fungicides such as “Anti-bug”, “Calypso”, “Karate”, “Inta-vir”, “Tanrek” and treat the tubers with the drug “Prestige” before planting. It has a negative effect on the nervous system of pests, causing Gulliver paralysis. This insecticide also accelerates the growth of bushes.
Harvest and storage
A couple of weeks before digging up the tubers, you need to stop watering the potatoes and cut off the tops. Jewel has a very thin skin that can easily be damaged. Harvesting must be done carefully. Farmers use combine harvesters equipped with a side grip for this purpose. Tubers for seed material are selected from the largest bushes. The potatoes are dried and only then lowered into the cellar, where they are perfectly stored.
Even beginners can grow the Jewel variety. Crop productivity decreases due to unfavorable weather, lack of potassium and phosphorus in the soil, and when using poor seeds.
With proper irrigation, timely hilling and fertilizing, large potatoes grow, which are used for preparing various dishes. The taste of tubers deteriorates when water stagnates.
Despite the fact that the Jewel variety does not degenerate, the place for the bed needs to be changed. If you plant potatoes after mustard, oil radish, beans and beans, the yield increases and the number of pests decreases.
