Lugovskoy Potato: Description and characteristics of the variety, photo

Potatoes are a staple in our diets almost every day. Borscht, rassolnik, and many other dishes are impossible to prepare without them. Every year, breeders offer new varieties and hybrids that differ in yield, disease resistance, and ripening time. Today, we'll explain why gardeners are so drawn to the "Lugovskoy" potato. A description and photos of the variety are provided in this article.If you plant the same potato variety year after year, the yield gradually declines, and the plant becomes susceptible to various diseases. Now is the time to consider a new variety. The Lugovskoy potato is a mid-late variety, easy to care for, and suitable for growing in many regions of our country. Even novice vegetable growers can achieve a bountiful harvest with the Lugovskoy potato.

Description and characteristics of the variety

The plant is upright and medium-height, with branched stems and small, rich green leaves with sparse hairs and a matte finish with clearly visible veins. The flowers are white and medium-sized. The Lugovskoy potato variety is oval-shaped with a smooth, pink skin. The average potato weight ranges from 85 to 125 g. The white flesh contains 12-19% starch and does not change color during cooking. Lugovskoy is a mid-season variety, with a harvest time of 90-110 days from germination.

Thanks to the work of breeders, the Lugovskoy variety is resistant to the golden potato nematode, potato canker, late blight, and common scab. Another valuable asset of this variety is its high yield of 52 kg per 10 m². Lugovskoy potato tubers store well until the next harvest and maintain a marketable appearance.

Landing

Preparing the tubers. A month before planting potatoes, the tubers need to be germinated. This will allow for earlier germination and, subsequently, harvest. The seeds are brought into a warm room and laid out in a lighted area at a temperature of approximately 20-25°C. ^OAfter 7 days, the temperature is lowered to +10°C (50°F) to prevent the sprouts from overgrowing. Immediately before planting, the tubers are treated with "Prorostok" (1 liter of the working solution is sufficient for 100 kg of potato seeds).

Preparing the plot. The potato bed should be in a well-lit area, away from groundwater. It's best to plant beans, peas, cucumbers, cabbage, beets, peppers, marigolds, or calendula before planting potatoes. In the fall, apply manure (7-8 buckets per 100 square meters) or a complex mineral fertilizer to the plot.

The soil is dug and leveled with a rake. Winter rye can serve as a natural fertilizer. The plant is sown before winter, and in the spring, two weeks before planting the tubers, the green part is cut and incorporated into the soil. This fertilizer contains all the necessary micronutrients. Rye roots suppress weed growth and loosen heavy soils.

In spring, you can improve the soil structure by planting a green manure such as mustard. This plant helps eliminate wireworms and inhibits the growth of pathogenic microflora. The green part is used as fertilizer.

Planting. Lugovskoy potatoes are planted in holes or furrows 10-12 cm deep, with the soil warmed to +8 to +10°C. ^OC. The distance between tubers is maintained at 35 cm, and between rows 60-70 cm is left.

Care. The "Lugovskoy" variety is easy to care for and produces consistent yields even in unfavorable climates. As soon as the young plants grow, they are hilled, raking the soil up to the trunk of the plant. Hilling is done a second time before flowering. This procedure promotes the formation of additional tubers. Hilling is done on moist soil.

If it rains occasionally, there's no need to water potatoes. However, during prolonged droughts, water the plants two to three times per season. The first watering is needed when the sprouts first emerge, then the plants are watered when buds appear, and the last watering is done after flowering.

If the soil is poor, potatoes need fertilizing. Nitrogen fertilizers are applied at the beginning of the growing season; before budding, potato plants require potassium and phosphorus. Follow the manufacturer's instructions when applying fertilizer. Additional feeding is done after watering or rainfall.

Diseases and pests

The Lugovskoy variety is resistant to a number of diseases, including scab, potato cancer, late blight, and other bacterial infections. To prevent the Colorado potato beetle, treat the plantings with the following products: Actellik, Tanrek, and Komandor. If caterpillars appear on the bush, they are most likely a brood of potato moths. Zolon or Confidor Maxi will help control these chewing insects. Pheromone traps can be set to prevent the moths themselves.

Harvesting

Lugovoy potato tubers are dug up in early September on a sunny day to allow the crop to dry thoroughly outdoors. The potato crop is dug up with shovels or pitchforks. The tubers are dried for 2-3 hours, then transferred to a cool, dry room. Before storing, the tubers are sorted, removing any damaged ones.

Reviews

Marina, 37 years old:

"Lugovskoy potatoes are delicious and crisp when boiled. We've been growing these tubers on our plot for three seasons now. We've always had a good harvest. Our soil is clayey, so we add manure in the fall. In the spring, before planting the potatoes, I sow mustard, which prevents wireworms from damaging the tubers."

Alexey, 41 years old:

"The Lugovskoy variety is popular in our gardening community. The plant is easy to care for; I hill it twice a season, weed it a couple of times, and treat it for Colorado potato beetles. I store the harvest in the cellar at 1°C (33°F). We eat our potatoes until June, when the early varieties ripen."

Valentina, 53 years old:

"I've been growing this variety for three seasons now, and I always get a good harvest because the plants aren't fussy about environmental conditions, and here in the Urals, we get long rains and cold snaps in August. The potatoes are delicious, especially boiled and fried. Next season, we plan to replace some of the seeds to prevent the Lugovskoy variety from degenerating."