Zekura potatoes: description and characteristics of the variety, yield with photo

Zekura medium early table potatoes bred by breeders from Germany. Young potatoes are ready for 65-80 days, full maturity is reached in 90-100 days. The variety meets the requirements set by the Germans: pleasant taste, resistance to diseases, the possibility of growing under adverse conditions. Zekura entered the State Register of the Russian Federation in 1997. The productive variety is shown for cultivation in the Russian, Ukrainian, Moldovan, Belarusian territories. The best place for growing is the Central Black Earth region of Russia.

Variety description

The variety description includes an overview of potato bushes and tubers.

Intermediate haulm grows to medium height and remains compact throughout the growing season. The bushes produce dark green leaves and reddish-purple flowers. One plant forms 12-15 fruits with small, barely noticeable eyes. Competent care and favorable weather conditions allow you to harvest up to 325 centners of crops from 1 hectare.

Elongated, rich yellow tubers weighing from 60 to 150 g with a smooth skin have a pulp of the same color. Boiling potatoes is due to the starch content up to 18%, which is ideal for mashed potatoes, roasts, first courses.

Growing

Before planting Zekura potatoes, attention is focused on the selection of strong, seed material, which is germinated and planted within two weeks.

Responsible is the preparation of the site, the choice of which is based on soil fertility, good aeration, without nearby groundwater.It is advisable to alternate vegetables on the site or change plantings at least after two years. If this cannot be put into practice, the soil is healed by sowing green manure.

Acidic soils require spring application of dolomite flour or lime. Organic fertilizers and superphosphates are being laid since autumn.

The best predecessors of potatoes are legumes, cucumbers, corn.

Directly in the process of planting potatoes, you must adhere to the following rules:

Place the tubers in the soil warmed up to a temperature of +8 to a depth of 10-15 cm.
Form rows and plant seeds according to the scheme 60x35 cm, deepening 8-10 cm.
Apply a dose of active Pix fertilizer to each well, which makes this variety of potato more productive. In this regard, complex chlorine-free fertilizers from Finland Kemira-potato and Kemira-universal are effective.

Timely renewal of planting material will prevent the degeneration of the variety.

Features of care

Zekura potatoes do not need careful care, easily get used to the climate in the cultivation area, normally tolerate the vagaries of the weather, which include short-term frosts, drought, heat. Consistent yields are achieved when grown in both warm and cold regions.

Features of care:

The first loosening is carried out before germination, a week after planting potatoes, using a heavy rake or harrow.
Seedlings are planted with full soil cover to protect against potential frosts.
Third hilling forms additional underground shoots.
Mulching the site reduces the demands of planting for watering, loosening, weeding, protects the soil from moisture evaporation and overheating. A good raw material for mulch is needles, humus, rotted sawdust.
If there is no mulch, when the soil dries, it needs to be moistened and sprinkled with potato bushes. After that, loosening of the soil is recommended to prevent the formation of a crust on the surface and resume the unhindered penetration of air to the roots of the plant.

Pros and cons

Zekura - a potato with many benefits:

Steady high yields, subject to agrotechnical requirements.
Excellent taste of root crops, softness, tenderness, attractive appearance.
Shelf life up to 4 months.
Unpretentiousness, resistance to the negative influence of the external environment.
Excellent adaptation to domestic climate.
Mid-early harvest.
Easy digging of tubers due to shallow occurrence (if regular hilling was carried out).
Preservation of varietal characteristics for several years.
Resistant to most nightshade diseases and pests.

The characteristic of the variety shows that Zekura has practically no flaws, which is why the potato is so loved by the owners of summer cottages and agronomists of agricultural enterprises that select varieties for commercial use.

With all the advantages of the variety, it is desirable to provide full care, this is the key to maximum return. For example, despite drought resistance, in the absence of rain and irrigation, tubers become smaller. Not everyone is satisfied with the boilability of potatoes. There are no other disadvantages of Zekura, and the low yield is due to improper care.

Pests and diseases

The crop is generally resistant to diseases and is rarely attacked by pests and rodents.It is recommended to carry out preventive measures for maximum protection against common potato pests, which are: Medvedka, Colorado potato beetle, nematode, wireworm. Of the diseases, one should single out the black leg, late blight, wilting of the leaves and others.

Prevention:

Regular loosening of the soil and destruction of weeds.
Apply wood ash or lime in autumn.
Treatment with fungicides and insecticides.
Compliance with the irrigation regime, avoiding waterlogging and overdrying of the soil.

Harvest and storage of crops

The growing season of Zekur potatoes lasts 100 days. If the landing was carried out in early to mid-May, you can start digging in the second half of August.

Potato tops must be cut a week before harvest!

Tubers are dug up on a fine day, laying them out in ridges for drying. Then the potatoes are placed under a canopy until completely dry.

It is important to darken the room, preventing the fruit from turning green. A green peel indicates the deposition of poison.

Before storage, the tubers are sorted, selecting seed material. Potatoes are allowed to be stored in the basement, cellar, loggia or balcony. Suitable containers are boxes and nets. The bulk method is not forbidden in a layer up to one and a half meters.

Recommended room temperature: +2-5 ºC. Under the above conditions, most tubers retain their properties until late spring. If the appearance of sprouts is noticed long before planting, they are cut off.

Growing potatoes of the Zekura variety is not difficult, however, a good result is achieved with the observance of agricultural technology and care rules.

"Foreign guest" has spread throughout the Russian territory and CIS countries due to its taste and high yields.