The choice of a variety and the purchase of healthy planting material are the primary tasks of a potato grower. The variety should be high-yielding, suitable for the soil and climatic conditions of the farm and the direction of use or marketing. And also have a number of valuable traits, including one of the most important for the buyer - the color of the peel of the tubers. "Red or White?" - This question is regularly asked by all potato growers in the country, trying to guess the direction of consumer demand. We propose to put it on red today and learn a lot of interesting things about red-tuber varieties of Norika selection.
WHY CLUB RED?
The color of the potato skin is given by pigments: carotenoids and flavonoids (including anthocyanins). Today, a lot is written about the benefits of these substances for humans, but in this article we will bypass the topic of health and honestly admit that since only pulp is usually eaten, the color of the tuber peel is important to us only because the optical perception of the product depends on it. Agree: a large, beautiful, bright red tuber always looks advantageous in the window and attracts attention.
RED SKIN IN TREND
A successful farm, as a rule, has both white and red varieties in its line. The share of red-skinned animals is from 20 to 50 percent, but the demand on the market can change at any time.
In 2019, the top ten in terms of planting volumes in Russia (according to the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Rosselkhoztsentr") included two red-peeled varieties, and it cannot be ruled out that the list will not be replenished in the future. Moreover, there are suitable candidates.
The Norika line of varieties approved for use on the territory of the Russian Federation includes four red-skinned varieties: Romance, Dolphin, Merlot, Baltic Rose. The fifth - Baltic Fire - is undergoing state variety trials and claims to be included in the state register in 2022.
BALTIC ROSE IS A "RED GALA"
One of the most promising among the listed and generally grown in our country can rightfully be called the mid-early variety Baltic Rose. Baltic Rose entered the register in 2018, but has already managed to become popular and win the popular name "Red Gala".
Advantages
- "double" red-pink peel;
- high resistance to viruses;
- suitable for washing and packaging;
- attractive appearance;
- excellent taste.
Features of the variety
• average number of tubers per bush - 14;
• type of cooking А-В;
• for dining purposes;
• starch content - 13%;
• keeping quality is good (6 out of 9 points);
• resistance: to black leg - high; to scab - high; to rhizoctonia - high; to late blight - medium; to PVY - high. Approved for cultivation in the Lower Volga, Ural and East Siberian regions.
FEEDBACK SP Head of KFH
Strelov Evgeny Alexandrovich:
— Several years ago, we received seed potatoes of the variety Baltic Rose. From a 35 kg net we got a harvest under 300 kg. We noted for ourselves that the potato stands out with its powerful rich green tops and a powerful root system. I liked the variety, but the volume of seeds in Russia was small, it was difficult to acquire. Seed material was purchased this year. The first digging made me happy.
MERLOT IS A VARIETY DEALING SPECIAL ATTENTION
Merlot belongs to the group of varieties with a medium late ripening period, it takes more time to form a marketable crop, but it uses this period to good effect, providing an opportunity to get a "premium" product that can be sold at a higher price. In addition, it fits perfectly into the harvesting conveyor with other varieties of earlier groups (it is known that in cases where potato growers work with varieties of the same ripening group, it is not always possible to harvest the entire volume of cultivation at the optimal time).
Advantages
- high marketability;
- "double" bright red peel;
- high resistance to disease;
- suitability for cleaning and packaging;
- excellent taste;
- the pulp is not prone to browning raw and cooked;
- versatility in cooking (suitable for cooking, frying and baking).
Features of the variety
• Wed the number of tubers per bush - 12 - 14;
• type of cooking B;
• for dining purposes;
• starch content - 14%;
• keeping quality is very good (6 out of 9 points);
• resistance to black leg, scab, rictoniosis, late blight - high; to PVY - average.
FEEDBACK
LLC "Agrofirma Slavyanskiy potato":
— A tuber with a very nice skin. Excellent keeping quality, not afraid of mechanical damage, leveled, resistant to late blight. The market loves round varieties and Merlotte is elongated, but buyers love it. Of the "minuses" can be called a relatively late cleaning date, which can be risky due to weather conditions.
BALTIC FIRE - NEW IN THE RANGE
An overview of the red-skinned varieties in the Norika line would be incomplete without mentioning Baltic Fire.
Medium early variety, round-oval tubers, saturated bright color. Differs in resistance to darkening of the pulp and excellent taste.
DOLPHIN - VARIETY WITH ORIGINAL STUBBERS
A mid-season high-yielding variety with a beautiful and slightly unusual tuber shape - elongated-oval, sometimes with a slight bend, so it fits comfortably in the hand when cleaning.
Advantages
- bright red-burgundy tuber;
- "double skin";
- rich yellow flesh, sometimes with anthocyanin veins;
- suitable for washing and packaging
- excellent taste.
Features of the variety
• Wed the number of tubers per bush - 15-16;
• type of cooking B;
• for dining purposes;
• starch content - 15%;
• keeping quality is good (6 out of 9 points);
• resistance: to black leg - high; to scab - high; to late blight - medium; to PVY - high.
Approved for cultivation in the North-West region.
FEEDBACK
Fedor Puzdrya, Head of the Kostroma Research Institute of Agriculture - branch of the A.G. Lorkha:
— Dolphin is a large tuber variety, high-yielding, beautiful, oval-shaped with a "double" rich skin. Despite its shape, the tuber is not afraid of "mechanics".
RED LINE
Each variety - regardless of the color of the skin of the tubers - requires a certain amount of attention and understanding, even if it is plastic. Experience shows that it takes farmers at least two years to "get to know" and adjust the technology to unleash the full potential of the variety and get a rich harvest, not only in terms of quantity, but also quality.
Specialists of the agronomic service of the company NORIKA-SLAVIA LLC are always ready to help in this difficult work.
By purchasing Norika varieties from the official representative on the territory of the Russian Federation - NORIKA-SLAVIA LLC - agricultural producers receive a full range of agricultural support services, including remote and field consultations of specialists with a discussion of the peculiarities of varieties production in a particular farm. And these are serious steps towards success!
More information about varieties and conditions for purchasing seed material on the website Norika.ru