Desiree potato is a Dutch-origin cultivar developed for mass cultivation on farmers’ fields and with a high yield. It is recommended to be planted in southern climates, it is susceptible to feeding and warm environments.
- Description of bushes and fruits
- Yield
- Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
- Planting
- Ripening and harvest lesson
- Helpful hints
Description of the Desiree potato variety
Description of the bushes and fruits
Bushes differ in moderate green of dark green matte color and have a powerful root giving up to 20 tubers.The variety is characterized by perfectly even small oval tubers red-skinned forms, edible part of a light yellow hue. According to the description, the starch content is from 13.5% to 21.5%. The fruits are rich in keratin, amino acids and proteins.
Fruits of this variety are non-watery, slightly sweet, do not darken when cut and are suitable for cooking in any form.
Yield
The variety has a high yield, is resistant to tubers late blight, phomosis, various viral diseases. Desiree potatoes do not degenerate, so many years you can collect new material for planting in the beds.
Potatoes love hilling, fertilizing and watering, but at the same time can maintain high yields in hot climates when lack of regular water intake.
Desiree potatoes are middle-ripening; the first crop is harvested by mid-summer, but they are digging up potatoes by the end of September. Tubers are planted in spring warm weather, because the fruits are afraid of frost.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The advantages of Desiree potato are that it:
- tolerates drought well;
- gives a high yield;
- suitable for planting in any soil;
- resistant to many diseases;
- stored for a long time;
- has tubers of perfect shape, smooth, without defects;
- suitable for preparing any dishes;
The disadvantages include :
- poor adaptation to soil with high humidity;
- susceptibility to late blight of stems and scab;
- thick peel, which complicates the cutting and application;
- susceptibility to attack by the Colorado potato beetle.
Planting
Before planting, the potatoes are treated with growth stimulants and disinfectants to prevent the formation of fungus. If you plan to land on the field, the territory is treated with herbicides. Planting is carried out in warm soil, as the plant is susceptible to low temperatures. Humus, ash or fertilizers are poured into the wells, for example, ammonium nitrate, sulfates, etc.
The distance between rows should be at least 75 cm, and between bushes at least 35 cm.
Ripening and harvest lesson
Desiree is recommended at least 2 times during the ripening period.
To prevent the emergence of larvae of the Colorado potato beetle, the bushes are sprayed several times with insecticides. Tubers are dug at the end of the growing season, when ripening reaches 100 days, after cutting off all the foliage. After digging, the potatoes are well dried to increase the storage time and sorted, leaving the fruits damaged by the shovel for use in the first place. The best dug bushes should be immediately postponed for future plantings. You can plant both a whole product and fragments with eyes.
Useful tips
It is sometimes useful to change the places of Desiree’s growth, allowing the soil to rest. At this time, a radish is sown at the site of the tubers: it fertilizes the earth.
The best fields for planting are those on which onion and bean plants grew before, as well as cabbage. Harvest on depleted soil will be about 13 tons per 1 ha, and on fertilized soil with a favorable climate and careful maintenance – up to 38 tons per 1 ha
