Vegetable growing » Potatoes

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Kira Stoletova

The Melodiya potato variety was bred by Dutch breeders. It was tested in some post-Soviet countries and was recognized as a promising varietal crop. In a short time, the variety attracted the attention of most farmers and our country. In Russia, the species is zoned in the central regions.

Description of the potato variety Melody

Description of the potato variety Melody

The variety belongs to the mid-late variety. After the Melodiya potato was included in the State Register, it was recommended for cultivation in the Central Federal District of the Russian Federation.

The bush is semi-erect. On its shoots there are large light green leaves with clearly visible medium waviness along the edges. The corollas of the flowers are red-violet. Potato nests are compact; they can contain from 7 to 11 tubers.

At the stage of full ripeness they have a regular round-oval shape. The smooth yellowish-pink skin with a mesh pattern has small, slightly indented eyes. The pulp of the tubers is yellow in color and boils well. The dry matter content in potatoes is 20%, starch content is 11-17%. The average weight of a tuber is from 95 g to 180 g. Experts note the excellent taste of root vegetables and give them 5 points out of five. If you follow agricultural technology, potatoes give a good harvest and are unpretentious in care.

History of the variety

The melody originated in the Netherlands. This country has long been a leader in the selection of new potato varieties and production of seed material. The originator of the Melodiya variety is one of the Dutch breeding companies - C.Meijer. B.V.

This mid-late potato is distinguished by its beautiful appearance, good taste, high yield and disease resistance.

Did you know? Peter I was the first to introduce potatoes to Russia. Catherine II contributed to the further spread of the overseas vegetable.

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Melody was registered in the state register of vegetable plants of the Russian Federation in 2009 with a recommendation for cultivation in the Central region. The variety is also included in the registers of Ukraine and Moldova, where it is actively grown.

Characteristics of the potato variety Melody

Like most varieties, “Melody” is a heat-loving plant that does not tolerate frost well. Potatoes are medium late; the time from planting to full ripening of the tubers ranges from 100 to 120 days. The period varies depending on the growing region. The variety easily tolerates dry summers, lack of precipitation and irrigation. Root crops at the market maturity stage have a high shelf life. They can be stored for up to 8 months. Losses during this time amount to no more than 5% of the total harvest. The transportability of Melodiya potatoes is high, which allows them to be used for sale.

The variety is characterized by high immunity and low susceptibility to cancer, nematode, scab, blackleg and wrinkled mosaic.

“Melody” potatoes are for table use, boil well, are used for preparing first and second courses, and do not darken after heat treatment. Due to the high starch content in the tubers, they are not suitable for making chips and frying.

Productivity

Depending on weather conditions and the growing region, the period from planting to ripening may vary. On average it is 3-3.5 months. Potato yield depends on the choice of planting site, soil composition, illumination of the area, and its protection from cold northern winds. Experts advise carrying out crop rotation and changing the place for growing Melodiya potatoes at least once every 5 years, provided there are no diseases in the tubers.

Varietal characteristics are maintained for 3 years, after which the seed material must be renewed.

The yield of Melodiya potatoes declared by breeders is about 176-335 c/ha. When grown in small areas on private plots, the yield per sq. m. can range from 5 kg to 14 kg, provided that 5-7 plants are planted per sq. m.

The vegetable is used for preparing first and second courses and for processing

Advantages and disadvantages

Farmers and gardeners highly appreciated the technical characteristics of the Melodiya potato, which has many advantages and disadvantages compared to other varieties. There aren't many downsides.

pros

• High and stable annual yield.
• Possibility of transportation over long distances.
• Long dormant time for tubers.
• High percentage of starchy content, excellent taste.
• Wide possibilities for processing root crops.
• No darkening of the pulp during heat treatment.
• Having immunity to most diseases.

Minuses

• Instability to sub-zero temperatures.
• Not suitable for deep frying.

Advantages and disadvantages

Pros:

• good taste;
• the ability to store fruits for a long time;
• excellent transportability;
• high commercial qualities;
• resistance to major diseases;
• the ability to plant a variety in the same bed for several years;
• drought resistance;
• tubers are reluctant to germinate, their dormant period reaches 8 months;
• universal use.

Minuses:

• quickly degenerates;
• may suffer from late blight.

Landing rules

Before planting, it is necessary to prepare seed material. For this purpose, healthy, undamaged medium-sized tubers are selected. To speed up germination, vernalization can be carried out in the light.

The optimal time for planting potatoes in central Russia is the second ten days of May, when the soil is very wet. You should also focus on its temperature. Shoots appear quickly if the soil has warmed up to +8 ⁰C at a depth of 11 cm.

To plant Melodiya potatoes, choose an area well lit by the sun, protected from drafts by bushes.

Important! When groundwater is located close to the surface, potato beds are made high.

Fertile, moderately acidic soil - chernozem, loam, sandy loam soils - is best suited for growing root crops.

In the fall, deep plowing or digging of the soil is carried out in the selected area with the addition of organic matter and phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. Spring fertilizing should include nitrogen - ammonium sulfate or ammonium nitrate, which is added while loosening the soil. The holes for potatoes are arranged according to the pattern - 70 cm by 30 cm. The tubers are placed in the holes and covered. The depth of embedding depends on the composition of the soil - 7 cm is enough for clay, 10 cm is enough for sandy soil.

It is not recommended to fertilize the soil for potatoes with fresh manure.

Description of the variety

Potatoes "Melody" belong to the mid-late or late varieties and have the following characteristic features:

• The bush is semi-erect, has red-violet inflorescences;
• The leaves are closed, large, green in color, with slightly wavy edges;
• The tubers are oval, the skin is yellow, smooth and mesh in structure;
• Fruit weight is from 95 to 180 grams;
• On average there are 7-11 tubers on one bush;
• The eyes are small, superficial;
• The pulp is yellow.

Features of cultivation

After the first shoots appear, the Melodiya potatoes need care. It consists of timely watering, weeding, loosening and fertilizing.

Watering

At first, after sprouting, potatoes do not require watering, since the plant gets everything it needs from the tuber. Later, you need to ensure that the soil does not dry out more than 5 cm deep. If precipitation falls regularly, Melodiya potatoes do not require additional irrigation. In case of dry weather, watering is carried out twice a week, using up to 5 liters of water for each plant.

Top dressing

If the soil is poor, fertilizer is applied twice - as soon as the shoots reach a height of 20-25 cm, and before flowering. In the first case, urea is used (20 g per 10 liters of water), in the second, 60 g of ash, 60 g of superphosphate and 20 g of potassium sulfate are dissolved in 10 liters. Foliar feeding in the form of spraying can not only give the potatoes additional nutrition, but also protect them from diseases. For this purpose, manganese, boron, copper sulfate, superphosphate and potassium chloride are used.

Weeding, loosening and hilling

To fully saturate the soil with oxygen, it is necessary to loosen it every time after rain to destroy the crust from the surface. At this point, weeds are removed that interfere with the growth of potatoes, robbing them of nutrition and moisture. When night temperatures drop, hilling is carried out to help protect young shoots and stimulate the formation of additional roots.

Advantages and disadvantages

Melodiya potatoes are characterized by the following advantages:

• Excellent taste;
• High resistance to most potato diseases;
• Long shelf life;
• Staying at rest for a long time;

• Due to the presence of a large amount of dry substances in the composition, it is possible to use the variety to create dry food preparations.

Regarding the shortcomings, they note the impossibility of consuming this type of potato fried. The plant needs additional treatment against a disease such as late blight.

Pests and diseases

Since the Melodiya variety is resistant to most diseases, attention should be paid to the prevention and treatment of late blight. To do this, planting material is carefully selected, treated with a fungicide, crop rotation is observed, and pests that can carry the virus are destroyed.

At the first symptoms of late blight, fungicides are sprayed twice with an interval of 10 days.

The most dangerous pest for Melodiya potatoes is the Colorado potato beetle. For preventive purposes, the insecticide “Prestige” is used, treating the tubers with it at the time of planting. To combat the beetle and its larvae, both chemical preparations (Regent, Colorado) and biological ones (Bikol, Fitoverm) are used.

Diseases and pests

Melody potatoes are moderately resistant to late blight and leaf roll virus, therefore they require additional preventive treatment during the growing season. Pathological microorganisms can live in the soil, on tubers, for a long time, and can also be carried on the legs of insect pests. Treatment with fungicides and antifungal agents is carried out before flowering. After this, the use of chemical compounds is prohibited.

The drugs Fitosporin, Alirin, Gamair, Quadris have proven themselves well. Like all types of nightshade, Melody is susceptible to attacks by the Colorado potato beetle. For prevention purposes, the drugs Prestige, Colorado, Regent and others are used.

Harvesting and storage

The approximate harvesting time for potatoes of the “Melody” variety occurs 100-120 days after planting. Depending on the region, this time falls at the end of August or the first half of September. The degree of maturity of tubers can be determined by external signs:

• the tops lay down and dried up;
• tubers are separated from the roots;
• the skin becomes dense and rough.

Important! To speed up ripening, potato tops are mowed a week and a half before harvest.

After harvesting the potatoes, they are dried, sorted and stored. Selected tubers must be whole, healthy and undamaged. The room maintains humidity at 80% and temperature from +2 ⁰С to +4 ⁰С. In such conditions, tubers can lie for up to 8 months without losing their excellent taste and technical qualities.

The maximum yield from the Melodiya variety is achieved by planting 300 bushes on 1 acre

The history of the origin of the potato variety "Melody"

The variety was developed by Dutch breeders working for the company C.MEIJER BV

Since 2009, the Melodiya variety has been included in the State Register of Russia and began to be grown on an industrial scale in the Central District.

Passed registration on the territory of Moldova and Ukraine.

The table presents data on starch content in different varieties: