The Latona potato variety, developed by Dutch breeders, quickly gained popularity throughout Russia. Tubers of this variety are highly valued by gardeners and are planted in areas with a predominant temperate climate. The highest fruit yield is achieved in the south of the country. This variety is in demand due to the possibility of seed planting, which helps to grow healthy tubers.
Description of the variety
A distinctive feature of the variety are upright bushes and large leaves of rich green color with wavy edges.The tubers weigh about 90–130 grams, are oval in shape, have a smooth surface and a predominantly yellow skin. Potato flowering is moderate, white flowers form on the bushes. Lush and spreading tops appear at an early stage of ripening and die off for a very long time. One bush can grow about 9–11 root crops, provided proper care is taken.
The pulp of the fruit is pale yellow and starchy, due to which the potatoes practically do not crumble when cooked. The starch content is about 20%. The shelf life of fruits in the absence of condensation at the storage location reaches 85–90%, which allows you to leave a large amount of the crop for a later period.
Growing
Latona potatoes should be planted after pumpkin, legumes, cabbage and cucumbers. Before planting, you should treat the soil against infections and pests. In the spring, ammonium nitrate, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, manure, and lime are added to the soil. The technology for growing this variety includes standard procedures: periodic loosening, mulching, watering and fertilizing.
To increase the quality and volume of the harvest, root crops should be planted when the soil warms up to 8–10 degrees. It is necessary to control the density of bushes, since sparse or very dense plantings interfere with proper growth and maturation. The optimal planting depth for prepared tubers is 10 cm.
Features of care
Despite standard agricultural techniques, the characteristics of potatoes require compliance with a number of features during care. Including:
- A week after planting, you need to visually inspect the beds and, if necessary, remove any weeds from the surface.
- During the flowering and budding period, the plant requires watering to increase the yield.
- Tubers negatively perceive stagnation of melt water, so it is necessary to ensure adequate drainage.
- Periodic spraying of bushes with protective agents helps eliminate Alternaria and late blight.
- Each watering of the planting field must be accompanied by fertilizing with organomineral components.
It is necessary to water the beds about 2-3 times during the entire growing period, depending on how dry the season is. The main thing is not to water the soil immediately after planting, as the soil will be saturated with moisture from melting snow in the spring. The first watering is required 15 days after emergence. The second watering occurs when the bushes are flowering. The next watering time depends on the degree of soil drought. If the soil is too dry, you can loosen it as an additional measure.
Advantages and disadvantages
The prevalence of the Latona variety is explained by the presence of a number of comparative advantages. According to reviews from experienced gardeners, the main advantages of the plant are the following:
- Variability of use. Taste qualities and low friability allow the grown fruits to be used in various dishes. As the description of the variety indicates, the potatoes do not overcook, but become soft.
- Harvest stability. More than 130 centners of potatoes can be grown on one hectare of land.
- Easy to grow. Thanks to its unpretentiousness to the condition of the soil, resistance to pests and diseases, even novice summer residents can plant the plant.
- Drought resistance. The plant is impervious to atmospheric conditions and adapts well to any climate, which gives a large harvest both in dry soil and in high humidity.
- Precocity. Young potatoes can be harvested a couple of months after planting.
- Marketable condition.Tubers differ from other varieties in their smooth surface and good preservation even during long-term storage or transportation.
Plant deficiencies in most situations are caused by unsuitable growing conditions and improper care. Failure to comply with the rules can lead to a decrease in yield and loss of taste characteristics.
Pests and diseases
Potatoes of the Latona variety are rarely susceptible to disease, but with improper care and negative climatic conditions, plants can be affected by tuberous rot, late blight, cyst nematode and rhizoctonia. In rare cases, gardeners encounter leaf curl virus on bushes.
Treatment of plants to eliminate diseases can be done in two ways. The first involves only a preventive effect and is carried out before planting. The second treatment option has the goal of controlling pests and diseases only when they are directly detected.
Insecticidal and fungicidal preparations are used to spray the plant.
Before planting, sprouted tubers are treated with any disinfectant and heteroauxin to stimulate growth. When treating an already grown bush, you need to use a more concentrated solution and spray it only in cloudy weather or in the evening. If it rains after treating the plant, the procedure should be repeated.
Harvest and storage
Latona is an early variety and the first tubers are ready for digging in early July. During this period, the bushes stop blooming and the thick tops wither. Before harvesting, you can check the condition of the tubers by removing one bush from the soil.If the fruits have reached three centimeters in diameter, the rest of the crop can be dug up.
The last harvest is harvested in mid-summer, because if the tops have completely withered, the plant is no longer fruitful.
The exact harvest period depends on the area and climatic conditions where the potatoes are planted. In southern areas, fruits can remain in the soil for a long time and not spoil, and in the north, even late-ripening tubers are harvested only in early autumn. When harvesting, you need to carefully dig up the ground with a pitchfork and pull out the bushes by the leaves.
To get more yield, it is recommended not to immediately collect the dug tubers, but to place them next to the hole. This method will help you find the most productive bushes.
Reviews from gardeners
I have been growing only this variety for several years now. Mainly due to the fact that you do not have to carefully care for the seedlings. I encountered pests a couple of times, but they did not affect the harvest in any way.
I read a lot about the Latona variety and for the first time decided to plant it in my dacha. The first harvest was collected in three months. I would like to note the pleasant taste and large size of the tubers.
