Among the new products in the selection of vegetable crops is the Vector potato, bred by Belarusian specialists. A hybrid product was obtained by crossing early-ripening and late-ripening species of a vegetable plant: Zarevo potato and variety 1977-78. From his parents, Vector received all the wonderful qualities and properties with a minimum of disadvantages. Scientists consider the variety to be the best for growing in areas with soddy-podzolic and peat soils.
Description of the variety
You can choose a variety for cultivation in farmers’ fields and summer cottages by learning in detail the characteristics of the vegetable crop:
- The vector belongs to the mid-season type of plant, since tubers can be dug up 80–100 days after planting.
- Medium-sized potato bushes with dark green leaves reach a height of 70–80 centimeters. During flowering, the field is covered with purple buds. And from one hole they dig 20 bulba tubers.
- The weight of table potato tubers ranges from 90 to 150 grams.
- Fruits with pink skin and yellowish pulp contain up to 18 percent starch.
- Potatoes are suitable for preparing any dishes. It makes delicious chips.
Rate according to taste Belarusian selection potatoes 4.7 points out of 5.
Growing
They begin preparing the field for planting potatoes in the fall. When all the vegetables have been harvested, you can dig or plow the area. Deep plowing will prevent pest larvae and fungal spores from remaining overwintering in the soil.
The Vector potato variety is unpretentious in terms of soil composition, but grows better on loamy soil with an acidity index of 4.5–5.5. Fertilizers must be applied during autumn plowing. For 1 square meter take superphosphate, 12–15 grams of potassium sulfate and 10 grams of urea.
Tubers for planting are selected that are healthy, without damage, weighing 70–80 grams. They must be germinated in advance, taken out of the basement a month before planting.
Planting material is planted according to a pattern of 60x60 centimeters 8–10 centimeters deep. You can throw a handful of humus and a little wood ash into the hole.
After planting, the field is leveled with a rake or harrow.
Features of care
During the growing season of mid-season potato bushes:
- water as needed;
- loosen the row spacing 3 times per season;
- feed with a solution of chicken manure in a ratio of 1:12 or mullein - 1:5;
- Hill up 2 times in the summer.
Vector potatoes easily tolerate drought, but in order to get more high-quality tubers, the potato field is watered during hot periods.
Vegetable crops are harrowed before seedlings appear, then when the seedlings reach a height of 10–15 centimeters. For inter-row cultivation, harrowing is used in mutually perpendicular directions.
In addition to organic fertilizers, Vector potato bushes are fed with superphosphate (30 grams), ammonium nitrate (10 grams), and potassium salt (15 grams). Dilute mineral fertilizers in 10 liters of water. On humus-rich soils, wood ash can be added to the soil; on poor, sandy soils, the entire complex of organic and mineral fertilizers can be used, alternating them.
Hilling is carried out in wet weather, raking the soil 8–10 centimeters the first time, 18 centimeters the second time.
Advantages and disadvantages
Characteristics of the potato variety Vector contains a lot of positive things. Vegetables are grown for:
- delicious tubers used in preparing a variety of dishes;
- high yields reaching 670 centners per hectare;
- excellent presentation of fruits, preserved up to 98 percent during the winter period;
- resistance to major fungal and bacterial infections.
The disadvantages of the plant include the fact that the description of the variety includes a high level of starch content compared to other table varieties. When cooking, the tubers often become soft. Late ripening of potatoes is also noted.
Pests and diseases
Potato variety Vector is resistant to many diseases of the vegetable plant, but under unfavorable conditions and deviations from agrotechnical cultivation standards, the bushes are affected by:
- late blight;
- Alternaria blight;
- common scab.
The ideal environment for the development of late blight is heat and air humidity of 90 percent. When brown spots appear on the leaves, immediately spray the plants with fungicides such as Ridomil Gold. The operation is repeated after 2 weeks.
Alternaria blight is recognized by dry areas on the leaves. After some time, the foliage dies off, and the disease spreads to the stems and fruits. To get rid of the infection, treat the crops with a solution of the drug Profit.
The symptoms of scab are easy to identify. The disease affects tubers, which become covered with sores that eventually merge into a solid spot.
To prevent potato diseases, it is necessary to carefully select seed material and treat the tubers with Trichodermin. Compliance with the rules of crop rotation also plays a big role in prevention, in which potatoes should not be planted in the same place for more than 2-3 years.
Among the pests, vegetable crops are affected by the Colorado potato beetle, the larvae of which can destroy the entire crop. Tubers treated in a timely manner with insecticidal preparations for planting and potato fields once a season are steps to prevent pest attacks.
Harvest and storage
Dig Vector in September, choosing a sunny day. After harvesting, the tubers are placed in a drying room, spread in 1–3 layers. As soon as the potatoes dry well, healthy tubers are stored in a basement or cellar. The air temperature in the room is controlled, which should be at a level of 1–3 degrees with a humidity of 75 percent. If the tubers receive an influx of fresh air through ventilation, then they will remain well until spring, without damage or rot.
You can keep the potatoes intact if you place the tubers on shelves or boxes in 2-3 layers, sprinkled with dry sawdust. During the winter, the condition of the plant’s fruits is monitored and rotten and disease-affected fruits are removed.
