Christmas

The Christmas potato is a medium-early table variety with a maturation period of 65 to 80 days. Plants are of medium height, upright, and compact, forming round-oval tubers of light beige or yellow color with smooth skin and small surface eyes. The flesh is creamy and does not darken when cut, making this variety suitable for various cooking methods, including boiling, frying, and baking. The average weight of marketable tubers is 90-95 grams, and the number of tubers per plant reaches 12-14. The starch content of the tubers is 14-16%, corresponding to the culinary type BC.

The variety is characterized by high yield — from 33 to 43 tons per hectare, with a marketability of 85-90%. The tuber storage capacity is about 96%, ensuring good storage without loss of quality. The Christmas potato is resistant to mechanical damage and potato nematodes, has moderate resistance to viral diseases, phytophthora blight of foliage and tubers, and dry fusarium rot. However, the variety is susceptible to common scab, requiring attention in agronomy.

For cultivation, open ground is recommended, with sowing in May at a spacing of 60 x 35 cm and depth of 8-10 cm. Optimal preceding crops include perennial grasses, winter crops, legumes, annual grasses, and flax. Crop care includes maintaining soil looseness and timely weed control, which promotes healthy and productive planting. The breeder of this variety is the FGBOU Leningrad Research Institute of Vegetable Crops «Belyagorka» of the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences.