Sineglazka Potato: Description and characteristics of the variety, reviews, photos

The "Sineglazka" potato variety has been popular for many years among summer residents and rural dwellers. This variety was developed in the post-war years by breeder S.I. Domin. This variety was not suitable for commercial cultivation. However, its low maintenance and excellent taste make it a rival to many new potato varieties.The "Sineglazka" potato variety is used to prepare a wide variety of dishes. The plant forms vigorous bushes with dark green foliage. This variety produces long-lasting blue flowers and produces virtually no berries.

Description and characteristics

This mid-season variety produces beige tubers with purple eyes. The potatoes are oval-oblong in shape and have a smooth skin. The flesh is white when cut, with a starch content of up to 15.5%. The average tuber weight is 150 to 200 grams. This variety is quite productive, yielding up to 500 kg of tubers per 100 square meters.

This variety has a long growing season. The tubers develop into regular-shaped tubers of nearly uniform size. The yield of this variety is typically concentrated within the planting hole and does not spread beyond its boundaries.

Blue-eyed potatoes are resistant to diseases such as scab, nematodes, potato cancer, and various viruses. The seed should be renewed every four to five years. Failure to do so will cause the potatoes to degenerate and yield to decline.

Advantages of the variety

The main advantages of this variety are good yield and excellent taste. Sineglazka potatoes also store well in private cellars, are resistant to a number of diseases, and are easy to care for. The tubers of this variety contain high levels of vitamin B, vitamin C, potassium, zinc, and manganese.

Disadvantages of the variety

This potato variety is not suitable for commercial cultivation due to its demanding storage conditions. Every few years, the roots become smaller, reducing the yield and quality. Therefore, the seed must be replaced every few years. Blue-eyed potatoes are susceptible to late blight, requiring additional protection measures.

Preparing seed potatoes for planting

Germination. In early April, potatoes intended for planting are brought into a warm room to germinate. The air temperature should be between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius. The tubers are sorted and any signs of disease are removed. Potatoes with weak, thread-like sprouts should also be discarded.

The seed potatoes are laid out in boxes or on burlap in one or at most two layers. If space is limited, nets or transparent bags with holes for air circulation can be used to sprout the potatoes. After a few days, the temperature is reduced to 10 or 14 degrees Celsius. This technique promotes the formation of strong sprouts and prevents them from becoming stretched.

Sometimes tubers sprout quickly, but it's not time to plant yet. In this case, the sprouts are carefully broken off, without damaging the eyes. This procedure can be repeated twice; when the third sprout appears, the potatoes should be planted.

Another key factor for potato sprouts is room humidity. Optimal humidity levels are between 80 and 85%. If the air in the room is dry, mist the seeds with water several times a day or place containers of water nearby. The potatoes will sprout in about 30 days, and by the time they're ready to plant, the sprouts should be 1-1.5 cm tall.

Treatment. Before planting, the tubers are treated with copper sulfate, which is an effective preventative against many diseases. To do this, prepare a solution: add 1 teaspoon of the solution to three liters of water, mix thoroughly, and spray the potatoes or soak them in the solution for 1 minute. After five days, the seed tubers can be treated with a fertilizer solution or growth stimulant.

The nutrient solution is prepared as follows: dissolve 1 tablespoon of ammonium nitrate and 1 tablespoon of superphosphate in 10 liters of water. On the day of planting, the tubers are immersed in the nutrient solution for an hour and then air-dried. This provides the tubers with additional nutrition, which helps activate all the chemical processes essential for plant growth and development.

How to properly cut tubers. Cutting tubers is only necessary if planting material is in short supply or as a way to quickly propagate the desired variety. In these cases, medium-sized tubers are divided into two halves, and large tubers into three to four pieces. Experts recommend cutting potatoes 7-10 days before planting to allow a protective layer to form on the cut surface. If cutting tubers on the day of planting is necessary, they should be treated with Maxim, Sinclair, Celeste-Top, or Switch.

Landing

Blue-eyed potatoes are planted in late April or from May 1st to 9th. Choose an open, sunny site with light, fertile soil that won't flood during high water periods. When digging the area for planting potatoes, you can add nitrogen-containing fertilizer to the soil. Plant the seeds 10 cm deep, spacing them at least 35-40 cm apart. Maintain a distance of 60-70 cm between rows.

Care

Watering. Avoid stagnant water, as a lack of moisture also negatively impacts the harvest. Plants require regular watering during the following periods:

• after the sprouts appear;
• during budding;
• after flowering has ended.

If there's a severe drought and the soil begins to crack and the potato plants appear drooping, watering is essential. To properly moisten potato plants, use 40 liters of water per square meter.

Hilling and loosening. Sineglazka potatoes are hilled twice during growth. The first hilling is done when the tops have grown 15-20 cm. The soil is raked from the row spacing toward the stem of the plant. The next hilling is done two weeks later. It's best to loosen the soil after rain or watering. To prevent moisture evaporation, the row spacing is mulched with hay, straw, or fresh grass.

Top dressing

If nitrogen fertilizer was added during soil tillage before planting, sineglazka does not require additional feeding during the first growth phase. During the second growth phase, plants require organic fertilizer. For this, use rotted manure at a rate of 5 kg per 10 m². Organic fertilizer is applied after precipitation, before hilling.

Common diseases

Phoma. Symptoms of the disease can be seen during flowering. An elongated spot forms at the base of the leaf petiole, which then spreads to the stem. Diseased stems die, and fungal spores spread to the tubers. Round dark spots are visible on affected potatoes. This crop cannot be stored. Use "Shirlan" or "Thanos" to treat young shoots. Before flowering, potato crops are treated with the fungicide "Ridomil Gold MC."

Leaf curl virus. The leaf changes color, turning yellow on the upper side and pink on the underside. The leaves then curl along the midrib, taking on a boat-like shape. The leaf becomes hard and breaks when touched. This disease is not treatable. Infected plants are dug up and burned outside the garden.

Banded mosaic. This disease manifests itself during budding. Dead patches of tissue can be seen on the lower leaves, and necrosis gradually spreads to the entire leaf and petiole. Over time, all the leaves fall off, and the plant is unable to grow and develop normally. Yield loss from this disease can be up to 90%. The disease is untreatable, so the plants and tubers are destroyed.

Pests

Potato moth. This insect's egg clutch can be found on the underside of a leaf near the petiole. Caterpillars soon emerge, feeding on leaves and roots located closer to the ground. Damaged potatoes begin to rot. Potato moths can be caught with pheromone traps. If caterpillars have already appeared, treat the plants with Cytocor or Iskra. Two weeks before harvest, apply Bitoxibacillin.

Wireworm. This is the name given to the click beetle larvae that bore holes in potatoes. Damaged crops cannot be stored. Add Bazudin or Pochin to the planting hole. The area is dug over in late fall to expose the larvae to the surface and allow them to freeze to death. Weeds, especially couch grass, should be avoided. Marigolds, whose scent repel click beetles, are planted near the potatoes.

Colorado potato beetle. The larvae of this insect can destroy crops in a matter of days. To avoid crop losses, plants are sprayed with "Shedevr" or "Prestige," "Batsikol," and "Dendrobacillin."

When to dig up and how to store the harvest

Sineglazka (Blue-Eyed) potatoes begin to ripen in July, but for long-term storage, the tubers are dug up in late August or early September. Dry, sunny weather is essential during these periods. The dug potatoes must be thoroughly dried before they can be stored. Damaged tubers or those showing signs of disease should not be stored for the winter. Store the potato harvest in a cool room at a temperature of 2°C (37°F) and 80% humidity. The tubers are placed in wooden crates, boxes, or fabric bags.

Reviews

Maxim, 32 years old:

"My grandfather grew the Sineglazka potato variety; the potatoes were always large. Last year, I decided to try planting this variety myself. We started digging up the harvest in mid-July; the tubers were medium-sized and thin-skinned. I dug up the remaining crop at the end of August. I harvested about 450 kg from one hundred square meters, and I'm happy with the result."

Mikhail, 47 years old:

"This is my third season planting blue-eyed potatoes; they're delicious. Growing them is practically hassle-free, except for the occasional Colorado potato beetle. I store the harvest in wooden boxes in the cellar; the potatoes keep well until spring."

Anna, 54 years old:

"A neighbor shared the seeds of this variety. My husband and I planted two buckets of 'Sineglazka' the first year. We watered the potato beds twice during the summer, on particularly hot days. We were very pleased with the harvest: the tubers were large, with some medium-sized ones, and there were almost no small potatoes. This year we'll be growing 'Sineglazka' from our own seeds."