The mid-early table potato Zekura was bred by breeders from Germany. New potatoes ready at 65–80 days, full maturity is achieved in 90–100 days. The variety meets the requirements that the Germans set for themselves: pleasant taste, disease resistance, and the ability to grow under unfavorable conditions. Zekura was entered into the State Register of the Russian Federation in 1997. The productive variety is indicated for cultivation in Russian, Ukrainian, Moldavian, and Belarusian territories. The Central Black Earth region of Russia is named the best place for cultivation.
Description of the variety
The description of the variety includes an overview of potato bushes and tubers.
The tops of the intermediate type grow to medium height and remain compact throughout the growing season. The bushes produce dark green leaves and reddish-purple flowers. One plant produces 12–15 fruits with small, barely noticeable eyes. Proper care and favorable weather conditions allow you to collect up to 325 centners of harvest from 1 hectare.
Oblong, rich yellow tubers weighing from 60 to 150 g with smooth skin and pulp of the same color. Boiling of potatoes is due to the starch content of up to 18%, which is ideal for preparing mashed potatoes, roasts, and first courses.
Growing
Before planting Zekura potatoes, attention is focused on the selection of strong seed material, which is germinated and greened within two weeks.
A responsible matter is to prepare the site, the choice of which is based on soil fertility, good aeration, and no nearby groundwater. It is advisable to alternate vegetables on the site or change plantings at least every two years. If this cannot be put into practice, the soil is improved by sowing green manure.
Acidic soils require the spring application of dolomite flour or lime. Organic fertilizers and superphosphates are applied in the fall.
The best predecessors for potatoes are legumes, cucumbers, and corn.
Directly in the process of planting potatoes, you must adhere to the following rules:
- Place the tubers in soil heated to a temperature of +8 to a depth of 10–15 cm.
- Form rows and plant seeds according to a 60x35 cm pattern, deepening them to 8–10 cm.
- Add a dose of Pix active fertilizer to each hole, which makes this type of potato more productive.Complex chlorine-free fertilizers from Finland, Kemira-potato and Kemira-universal, are effective in this regard.
Timely renewal of planting material will prevent the degeneration of the variety.
Features of care
Zekura potatoes do not need careful care, they easily get used to the climate in the cultivation area, and can easily withstand the vagaries of the weather, which include short-term frosts, drought, and heat. Stable yields are achieved when grown in both warm and cold regions.
Features of care:
- The first loosening is carried out even before emergence, a week after planting the potatoes, using a heavy rake or harrow.
- The seedlings are covered with complete soil cover to protect them from potential frosts.
- The third hilling forms additional underground shoots.
- Mulching the area reduces the planting requirements for watering, loosening, weeding, and protects the soil from moisture evaporation and overheating. Pine needles, humus, and rotted sawdust are considered good raw materials for mulch.
- If there is no mulch, when the soil dries out, it needs to be moistened and sprinkling the potato bushes. After this, it is recommended to loosen the soil to prevent the formation of a crust on the surface and to resume the unimpeded penetration of air to the roots of the plant.
Advantages and disadvantages
Zekura is a potato with many benefits:
- Consistently high yields, subject to compliance with agrotechnical requirements.
- Excellent taste of root vegetables, softness, boiliness, attractive appearance.
- Shelf life up to 4 months.
- Unpretentiousness, resistance to the negative influence of the external environment.
- Excellent adaptation to the domestic climate.
- Mid-early harvest.
- Easy digging of tubers due to their shallow location (if regular hilling was carried out).
- Preservation of varietal characteristics for several years.
- Immune to most nightshade diseases and pests.
The characteristics of the variety show that Zekura has practically no shortcomings, which is why the potato is so loved by owners of summer cottages and agronomists of agricultural enterprises who select varieties for commercial use.
With all the advantages of the variety, it is desirable to provide complete care; this serves as the key to maximum returns. For example, despite drought resistance, in the absence of rain and watering, tuber crops become smaller. Not everyone is satisfied with the boilability of potatoes. There are no other disadvantages of Zekura, and the low yield is explained by improper care.
Pests and diseases
The crop is generally resistant to diseases and is rarely attacked by insect pests and rodents. It is recommended to take preventive measures for maximum protection against common potato pests, which are: mole cricket, Colorado potato beetle, nematode, wireworm. Diseases include blackleg, late blight, leaf wilt and others.
Prevention:
- Regular loosening of the soil and destruction of weeds.
- Adding wood ash or lime in the autumn.
- Treatment with fungicides and insecticides.
- Compliance with the watering regime, avoiding waterlogging and overdrying of the soil.
Harvest and storage
The growing season of Zekura potatoes lasts 100 days. If planting was carried out in early to mid-May, you can start digging in the second half of August.
Potato tops must be mowed a week before harvest!
Tubers are dug up on a fine day, laid out in ridges to dry. Then the potatoes are placed under a canopy until completely dry.
It is important to ensure that the room is darkened to prevent greening of the fruit. Green skin indicates poison deposits.
Before storing, the tubers are sorted, selecting seed material. Potatoes can be stored in the basement, cellar, loggia or balcony. Suitable containers are boxes and nets. The bulk method is not prohibited in a layer of up to one and a half meters.
Recommended room temperature: +2–5 ºC. If the above conditions are met, most tubers retain their properties until late spring. If sprouts are noticed long before planting, they are torn off.
Growing potatoes of the Zekura variety is not difficult, however, good results are achieved by following agricultural technology and care rules.
“Foreign Guest” has spread throughout Russian territory and the CIS countries due to its taste and high yield.
