The results of ecological testing of early and mid-season potato varieties in the Komi Republic

Abstract

Search and introduction of new potato varieties that can be recommended for cultivation in soil and climatic conditions of the Komi Republic are especially important against the background of the average yield in the region of 12.1 t/ha, that is 6.7 t/ha lower than the average in Russia. In 2019-2020 on the basis of the A. V. Zhuravsky Institute of Agrobiotechnology of the Federal Research Center of the Komi Scientific Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, there were tested potato varieties of the early maturing group – Armada, Meteor, Gulliver, Taifun and Krepysh (standard) and the mid-season group – Varyag, Vympel, Krasa Meshchery, Kumach, Fritella, Vychegodskii and Zyryanets (standard). From the early maturing group, the varieties Armada and Gulliver have been selected as giving a consistently high yield, which exceeded the standard by 6.8-7.1 t/ha on average for two years. Among mid-season varieties no one reliably exceeded the standard variety Zyryanets in terms of yield productivity. The highest yield and marketability was noted for the Fritella variety – 30.5 t/ha and 97 %. All the varieties under study, except for Vychegodskii, showed an average resistance of the tops to late blight damage. Moderate early blight damage of the tops (up to 20 % of the leaf surface) was noted in three varieties – Meteor, Taifun and Vychegodski. The following varieties showed high resistance to common scab - Vympel (no damage), Zyryanets (few lesions) and Gulliver (up to 10 % of tuber surface damage). In all studied varieties the potato tubers were not affected by late blight during both years of research. For cultivation, the agricultural producers of the Komi Republic should use the varieties Armada (29.7 t/ha), Gulliver (28.1 t/ha), Vympel (29.2 t/ha), Fritella (30.5 t/ha), which have good resistance to phytopathogens and high quality of tubers.