New Russian and foreign potato varieties were presented at the Potato Field Day in Argayash district. Juvel, Gulliver, Red Sonya and other varieties are products of the Molyanov Agro Group Samara company, which today is a partner of the Chelyabinsk Region Food Corporation in the selection and cultivation of seed potatoes. Potato growers from South Ural agricultural enterprises came to get acquainted with the new products.
“Potato Field Day” is a practical seminar for managers and agronomists of potato farms in the Chelyabinsk region. Regional Food Corporation is conducting it for the fourth time. According to the director general of the enterprise, Irina Novikova, the main mission of the agricultural project of the Chelyabinsk Region Food Corporation is to grow seed potatoes for the South Urals agricultural producers.
“We grow high-quality seeds, conduct variety trials, and today we are showing ten new varieties,” said Irina Novikova. - We need to see how each variety will grow here, what productivity it will have, marketability, how well it will be stored. It is clear that not all varieties will grow well on our soil, so every year we choose exactly those seeds that give the best harvest. Our task is to provide agricultural producers with high-quality seeds adapted to our climate. "
When growing potatoes, both seed and commercial, the food corporation uses scientifically based agrotechnical techniques.
“Now, potato growers are working on imported equipment, they are modernizing existing storages, and new ones are standing for their products. And today the main task is to grow and preserve the crop, to protect potatoes from diseases and pests. This seminar allows farmers to navigate both the choice of seed material and the choice of plant protection products and fertilizers. Our partners today talk about their preparations, about the methods of their use in order to collect high-quality and marketable potatoes, ”comments Alexander Zavalishchin, Acting First Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Chelyabinsk Region.
Last year, in the Chelyabinsk region there was a record potato crop over the past 20 years - 148 thousand tons - this is the result of the use of modern technologies along with government support for the industry. This year, the gross harvest is projected at 120 thousand tons. Of these, about 20 thousand tons will be sold outside the region.
The production partner of the Food Corporation - the MAG company - today has reached a new level of seed production: this is not only the production of the elite and the first reproduction of potatoes, but also the production of the original seed material.
“This year we have grown the first five hectares of original seeds in the Ural Mountains, near Zlatoust. These potato plants grow so well, as if they were born or intended for these conditions. This is import substitution in action, - said the head of the company Vladimir Molyanov. - In the Samara region, we are participating in the federal program for the development of breeding and seed production until 2025. We cross varieties together with our partners: French, Germans, Dutch, and I think there will be an effect. We are moving towards the resistance of potatoes to diseases, towards new indicators: the suitability for washing, packing, storage. The assortment of varieties is large, there is a choice for any manufacturer, based on the production conditions in each farm: in Magnitogorsk, Argayash, Chelyabinsk, Zlatoust, there are completely different conditions. We are ready to give varieties - in the first place for testing, they have great potential, otherwise they would not be registered, you need to know how to grow each variety "
According to Vladimir Molyanov, the company’s specialists are ready to formulate recommendations to the South Ural potato growers directly in each field in order to receive both a crop and a stable income. In the theoretical part of the seminar, representatives of companies supplying plant protection products, mineral fertilizers, and potato growing equipment addressed the potato growers. On the field, directly at the demonstration plots with planting of various varieties of potatoes, explanations were given by the chief agronomist of the MAG company Rail Rakhimov.
“Our company has been working with manufacturers of the Chelyabinsk region for over 10 years. We ourselves are engaged in potato seed production and offer our partners certified seed potatoes, - said Rail Rakhimov. “Now the market is in demand for red-peel potato varieties, so today there is a unique opportunity to see all this, touch and choose the variety that is suitable for each producer.”
Within the framework of the seminar, tasting of different varieties of potatoes took place: the boiled tubers were numbered and offered all participants to vote for the most liked variety. As a result, Bettina is recognized as the most delicious.
One feature of the production activities of the Food Corporation in the Argayash region deserves special mention. Almost all the potatoes presented at the Potato Field Day were grown with the participation of students from the Argayash Agricultural College. Students are given the opportunity to undergo practical training on modern agricultural machinery under the guidance of experienced specialists from Food Corporation and the MAG company.
“Our project has a bright social connotation - we are working with the Argayash Agricultural College,” says Irina Novikova. - All fields: cereals and legumes, potato - processed with the participation of students. Students receive skills to work with modern technology that we provide. But what is most interesting is that when they work, they constantly communicate with the specialists of the MAG group. The guys not only know how to work with modern technology, they also know what, when and why they do it. By the end of the technical school, qualified specialists grow out of them, this is very important! "
Source: http://mcx.ru/