Description of the potato variety Meteor
Meteor was bred by domestic breeders VNIIKH named after. A. G. Lorkha. The date of entry into the State Register is 2013, although work on its creation has been carried out since the beginning of 2008. Registration number 9154500. The parent forms were the hybrid 84.19/44 and the variety Shurminsky 2. Meteor is recommended for planting in the West Siberian, Central Black Earth, Volga-Vyatka and Central regions.
External parameters of the plant:
- The bush is erect, semi-spreading, of intermediate type.
- The stems are medium thick, strong and powerful, well leafy.
- The leaves are dark green, dense, large. There are medium-sized plates.
- The buds are small and white.
- Tubers. The originators declared an oval-round shape of the fruit. The weight ranges from 100-150 g, the indicator depends on the quality of care for Meteor bushes. Starch content 10-16%. One bush forms up to 10-12 tubers. The skin is cream-colored, smooth, thin, but quite dense. The depth of the ocelli is small. Their number is small. The pulp of the variety is yellowish when cut and does not darken during heat treatment.
The result of quality care is tasty and beautiful Meteor potato tubers
Reviews
Lyubov, 45 years old:
“A productive variety. I've been growing it for several years in a row. The yield does not fall, but I annually apply fertilizing with a high phosphorus content. The latter promotes full metabolism and the formation of large tubers.”
Alexey, 52 years old:
“I learned about the Meteor variety from a friend, and I also took the tubers from her for planting. With standard care, I extracted 10 even tubers of the same large size from under each bush. The taste is excellent. Since then I have been cultivating the variety every year.”
The “Meteor” variety is a productive and unpretentious potato. If you provide the tubers with adequate nutrition, it is very easy to reap a rich harvest.
Characteristics of the Meteor potato variety
The Meteor cultivar has a lot of characteristics that vegetable growers cannot but rejoice:
- Frost resistance. The meteor tolerates a decrease in ambient temperature to + 1-4 °C. However, exposure to such temperatures affects yields. The potato will need to recover, expending energy.
- The variety has excellent drought resistance. But this does not mean that it does not need watering.
- Good resistance to fruit cracking. Thin peel and dense pulp ensure the preservation of potatoes under mechanical or climatic influences.
- Transportation and keeping quality are excellent. The harvest, under appropriate conditions, is stored until spring. Keeping quality is 95%.
The Meteor variety belongs to the table category. Due to its average starch content, it is suitable for dietary purposes. Used for preparing first and second courses, casseroles, salads. It is very easy to clean, the boilability is moderate. The potato skin is thin, there is little waste, so the variety is considered economical. Keeps well in a vacuum. During heat treatment it does not soften or darken.
Productivity
The final ripening of potatoes occurs after 65-70 days. The variety is an early variety; the first digging can be done after 45 days. The yield indicator is one of the main advantages of Meteor. From 1 sq. m of planting area, vegetable growers harvest from 21 kg to 40.5 kg. From one bush - 1.2-2.5 kg. Great variability is due to the weather conditions of the current year, the location of the ridges and the quality of care for the variety. Also, the yield depends on the digging time. You can get the least amount of potatoes if you harvest on the 45th day. Digging on day 56 will give an indicator 2 times higher. Marketability of fruits is more than 95%.
Advantages and disadvantages
Although the variety is considered new, it has already gained popularity among vegetable growers. This happened thanks to the list of advantages of Meteor over other types of potatoes.
The Meteor variety has another valuable quality - the ability to produce high yields in any region of the Russian Federation.
pros
- early ripening;
- high yield;
- versatility of use;
- good taste;
- ability to withstand transportation;
- high shelf life while maintaining its presentation;
- unpretentiousness to growing conditions and care;
- resistance to a list of diseases characteristic of the culture.
Minuses
- weak resistance to late blight, Alternaria and banded mosaic;
- frequent visits to plantings by the Colorado potato beetle;
- slight wateriness of tubers;
- Contraindicated for use by persons with low acidity.
Advantages and disadvantages of potatoes
The Meteor potato variety, although it became known only recently, quickly gained popularity. It is called promising because of a number of advantages, including:
- good level of keeping quality of tubers under proper storage conditions;
- high productivity;
- vacuum packaging is permitted, as is use for table purposes;
- the flesh will not darken after cooking;
- taste qualities are at the highest level.
The variety is developing well in many regions of Russia. Far and near abroad can also grow the root crop because of its versatility and good yield in different climatic conditions.
The Meteor potato variety, its characteristics and reviews indicate that it is an excellent crop that has few shortcomings that can be eliminated with professional care. Potatoes became a popular variety, replacing others that had previously existed. "Meteor" copes well with the rapid development of tubers, demonstrating resistance to diseases and parasites, which leads to minimal use of harmful chemicals.
Landing rules
Despite the unpretentiousness of Meteor, vegetable growers should follow the recommendations of the originator for its cultivation. Landing is considered an important stage. The better it is done, the better the bush develops. There are a few subtleties you need to know:
- Term.
Meteor can be planted when the soil has warmed up to 10 °C. Typically, this period occurs at the end of April or beginning of May. Important! The landing date should be selected taking into account the recommendations of the lunar calendar and weather forecast.
- Site preparation rules.
The variety is sensitive to light, so the beds should not be darkened. It is best to place them in the direction from north to south. Fertilizers must be applied in the fall when digging. For 1 sq. m add 30 kg of humus or compost, as well as wood ash. Good precursors to the crop are legumes, cabbage, and cucumbers. Potatoes should not be placed after nightshades. The Meteor variety can be planted in one place for no more than 2 years in a row. He prefers light peat soil and loam. Important! Fresh manure cannot be applied to potatoes.
- Seed preparation. Tubers of the Meteor variety require preparation before planting. 30 days before the scheduled date, the potatoes must be sorted, removing spoiled or damaged specimens. Then lay it out in a single layer in a warm room with good lighting. The potatoes will need to be turned over periodically. A good result is considered when the tubers turn green. Pests do not like this planting material.
After completing the preparatory activities, Meteor is ready for landing. The procedure algorithm is simple and familiar to every potato grower. Planting occurs in rows with a distance of 60 cm between them. Tubers should be placed 30 cm apart from each other. The depth depends on the type of soil. On dense and heavy varieties, Meteor can be buried by 4-6 cm, on sandy ones - up to 10 cm. It is recommended to add wood ash to the hole, 1 tbsp. l. nitrophoska and humus. These substances can be replaced with the Kemira mixture, the composition of which helps to improve the quality of tubers and increase the productivity of the variety. Place the tubers in the holes and cover with soil.
When planting, Meteor potatoes should be placed at a certain distance with the sprouts facing up.
Productivity
Early potato varieties, as a rule, are less productive than middle and late ones, but Meteor is a pleasant exception to the rule.
If we compare the marketable yield with the Zhukovsky Ranniy variety, it is at its level. When compared with the standard variety “Dolphin”, it lags behind “Meteor” by 160 c/ha.
When assessing the yield on the 45th day after germination, the commercial yield is set within 170 - 405 c/ha, which is at the level of “Zhukovsky early” and 80 c/ha higher than the zoned “Udacha”.
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The 55th day after germination shows results of 230 - 320 c/ha, which is 20 - 60 c/ha higher than “Udacha”.
The yield of the commercial crop is legalized within the range of 210 - 400 c/ha. The maximum was recorded during variety testing in the Chuvash Republic at the level of 450 c/ha, which is 115 hectares higher than the standard “Udacha”.
High productivity requires a very high nutrient background of the soil. If late and medium varieties have time to “absorb” and “process” the nutrients of the soil gradually, slowly, then early potatoes are deprived of this opportunity. Therefore, what kind of yield a gardener will receive depends only on how exactly he took care of the agrotechnical indicators of the soil in the place where the tubers were planted.
The soil may be rich in mineral elements, but in the absence of organic matter they turn into an indigestible form and remain unavailable for consumption by the plant cell.
Features of cultivation
The list of measures for caring for the Meteor variety includes:
- Watering the ridges. Despite the high drought resistance of potatoes, lack of watering will significantly reduce its yield. During periods of drought, it is necessary to irrigate the plantings every 10 days. In small areas, installing drip irrigation can be a good help.
- Feeding. The early variety requires large amounts of magnesium and calcium. To feed potatoes, you can use mullein solution, Kemira, and complex mineral fertilizers. During the growing season, the variety needs 2-3 fertilizing on moist soil. The first before flowering begins is urea or ammonium nitrate. The second is needed in the period after flowering and before the tops begin to wilt. Now potatoes need phosphorus and potassium. It is recommended to feed Meteor a third time when the tops have completely withered. A solution of mullein or a mineral complex composition is suitable.
- Weeding and loosening. If the soil is loose and well-permeable, the tubers will develop quickly. The first loosening must be carried out a week after planting and at the same time remove weeds. Repeated - before hilling.
- Hilling. Meteor responds well to hilling, especially in areas of risky farming. The procedure saves the crop from frost and promotes the development of additional stolons.
To protect potato plantings from pest invasion, it is necessary to carry out preventive treatments with insecticides.
Hilling significantly increases the productivity of the variety
Potato care
Even novice potato growers can master the growing process that the early potato variety Meteor requires. It includes several points.
- Timely weeding and loosening of the soil.
- Hilling and feeding.
- Watering the area.
- Pest control.
Weeds are removed as they appear. Loosening the soil is a prerequisite because it gives access to the root system and carbon. It promotes rapid growth of tubers.
In the rainy summer, complex fertilizers are applied to the surface of the soil in the area of the stems and incorporated into the soil when hilling the bushes. In dry times, they are added to water for irrigation. Fertilizers should include:
- ammonium nitrate;
- potassium salts;
- superphosphate.
When applied per 1 m², you will need 20 g of each substance.
Fertilizing can also be done with organic matter. To do this, take mullein or bird droppings and dilute it with water 1:1. Place in a warm place for 2 weeks and stir occasionally for better fermentation. Add water 1:10 to the finished substance and water the plantings at the root or between the rows.
You need to fight the Colorado potato beetle by collecting adult insects. But when the larvae appear, insecticides such as Antizhuk, Aktara and other chemicals are used.
Pests and diseases
Good immunity of the variety is provided by the originators. Meteor is not affected by golden cyst nematode, potato canker, tuber blight, scab, rhizoctonia, and various types of rot. If the requirements of agricultural technology are violated, he may become ill with late blight of leaves and Alternaria. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to follow all the rules for growing Meteor potatoes and carry out preventive treatment of the bushes with fungicides.
Dangerous pests include wireworms, Colorado potato beetles, mole crickets and field mice. In this case, spraying the plantings with insecticides, as well as observing crop rotation and traditional methods of controlling rodents, will help.
Harvesting and storage
In order for the taste of potatoes to be preserved until spring, and the tubers not to lose their presentation, it is necessary to create storage conditions for the harvested crop. Harvesting should begin after full maturation. Yellowed tops will indicate this moment. It is important to keep the dug potatoes out in the sun for 3 hours, then move them indoors without direct sunlight. Sort, remove damaged and infected, put in the basement. The storage temperature of the variety is + 2-4 °C, indoor air humidity is 60-80%.
The storage room must be equipped taking into account all requirements
