All people constantly eat potatoes in one form or another. However, not everyone knows who brought potatoes to Russia. This well-known product, the history of its appearance, taste and characteristics will be described in detail in this essay.
Description and origin of the name
Tuberous nightshade, also known as potato, is a type of perennial tuberous herbaceous plant belonging to the nightshade family. Potato tubers are one of the most important foodstuffs.
The scientific name is "tuberous nightshade" (Solánum tuberósum) and was first found by the Swiss scientist, botanist and anatomist Caspar Boen (Baugin) in his work "Plant Species" in 1596. More than half a century later, the Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus used this name in his scientific work on plants.
The Russian name "potato" comes from the German kartoffel, which, in turn, comes from the Italian name tarufolo, tarufo, which means "truffle".
Botanical characteristic
This is a herbaceous plant that grows up tomore than one meter high. Its stem is bare and ribbed. The part of the stem immersed in the soil produces not very long shoots, reaching a length of 15 to 20 cm. However, there are potato varieties whose shoots reach a length of 40 to 50 cm.
The stem and leaves of the potato are dark green in color. The leaves themselves are discontinuous, pinnately dissected and consist of a terminal lobe, several pairs of lateral lobes, and intermediate lobes in between. When the bush has finished growing, the leaves grow to a medium size.
Potato inflorescences are pink, purple and white. They are collected in the form of a shield on the tops of the stems. Corolla and calyx five-part.
Fruit Development
In the underground part of the plant, stolons (underground shoots) grow from the axils of the germinal leaf. They, gradually thickening, give rise to the growth of tubers. A modified potato root is, in fact, a future tuber (fruit). The outer part of tubers beginning to grow consists of a thin layer of cork tissue. The inner part is made of faceted cells with thin walls and a high content of starch.
In potatoes, at the initial stage, it is faceted cells that are responsible for the content of all useful substances, including they affect the taste of the fruit. Potatoes are usually harvested from August to September, although later varieties are available.
Biological characteristics of potatoes
Potatoes propagate vegetatively. Parts or small tubers, and for selection - seeds that appear in fruitsat the inflorescences. They are planted at a shallow depth - from 5 to 10 cm.
Germination of buds (tubers) in the soil begins at a temperature of 5 to 8 °C, although the optimum temperature is considered to be 15-21 °C. For leaf and stem growth, photosynthesis and flowering, the best temperature is between 16 and 22 °C. Compliance with these modes directly affects the characteristics of the potato, as well as its taste.
For the development of the whole plant as a whole (ground and underground parts), a large amount of nutrients is needed. It consumes a significant amount of potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen, which must be added to the soil. Chernozem soils, gray forest soils, soddy-podzolic and drained peatlands are best suited for potato roots and plant development.
Appearance in Russia
When answering the question of who brought potatoes to Russia, Peter I immediately comes to mind. According to legend, the Russian emperor, while in Holland at the end of the 17th century, sent a bag of potatoes to the capital. According to one version, he ordered to send it to the provinces to start growing.
In 1758, the Academy of Sciences of St. Petersburg publishes an article en titled "On the cultivation of earthen apples", which became the first scientific article on the cultivation of potatoes in Russia. Other articles devoted to this topic are published later. However, the mass distribution of potatoes in Russia in the 17th century did not occur.
It was not to a small extent influenced by cultural and religious reasons, butalso frequent poisonings of the "devil's apple". Because of this, the majority of the country's peasant population did not take potatoes seriously for a long time.
However, thanks to Count P. Kiselev, in the period from 1840 to 1842, areas for potatoes were allocated, which quickly began to increase. Over time, the governors kept an account for the cultivation and its volumes before the government.
By the end of the 19th century, crops already occupied more than 1.5 million hectares, and at the beginning of the 20th century, potatoes began to be considered “second bread”, that is, they became one of the main food products. At present, the usefulness and taste are appreciated by people and potatoes are eaten in various forms.
Potato varieties and tastes
To date, about five thousand varieties are known. They are distinguished by a number of characteristics:
- yield;
- maturing dates;
- disease resistance.
In the State Register of Breeding Achievements of Russia, as of 2017, 426 varieties of potatoes are approved for use. There are four main cultivar groups for widespread use:
- canteens;
- feed;
- technical;
- universal.
Quite high requirements are imposed on the most common table varieties. Potatoes should have tender flesh, not darken and contain from 12 to 16% starch, and also be sufficiently saturated with vitamin C. Most often, the tubers of these varieties have a round or oval shape and eyes placed onsurface.
Technical varieties potatoes differ from table varieties in that they have a high starch content, over 19%, and not such high requirements for shape and other characteristics. Feed potatoes, in comparison with other groups, have an increased content of protein and other substances - up to 2-3%.
Universal varieties, as the name implies, occupy an intermediate position between technical and table varieties. The content of proteins and starch in universal varieties is average.
Common varieties
The most common and popular varieties of potatoes include the following:
- Adretta.
- Bereginya.
- Vityaz.
- Goldika.
- Drevlyanka.
- Zhytomyr woman.
- Call.
- Colette.
- Lugovskoy.
- Forget-me-not.
- Rosalind.
- Sineglazka.
- Polesian pink.
- Ukrainian pink.
- Felsina.
Each of the listed varieties has its own characteristics and advantages - both in taste and shelf life. When answering the question of how long potatoes are stored, storage temperature and humidity must be taken into account. With average indicators, potatoes of any variety can be stored for 6 to 7 months. In this case, the temperature should not change, otherwise the shelf life is reduced.
Ripening dates
Potatoes have different ripening times, depending on the variety. The classification of varieties is as follows:
- super early - from 34 to 36days;
- early - from 40 to 50 days;
- mid-early - from 50 to 65 days;
- mid-ripening - from 65 to 80 days;
- medium-late - from 80 to 100 days.
The ripening period of potato tubers is + 15-20 days to the above indicators. Its maximum yield reaches at the end of the growing season. However, even with the most minimal growing period, potatoes yield on average about half of the maximum possible yield. Thanks to these characteristics, potatoes are suitable for cultivation even in the Far East and northern regions of Russia, where, as is known, the growing season is less than 60 days a year.
Popular and expensive varieties
In Russia, one of the most common and popular varieties is Hannibal. This is the scientific name of the most common blue-eye. This variety received its scientific name in honor of Abram Petrovich Hannibal, great-grandfather of A. S. Pushkin. According to some researchers, it was he who carried out the selection of this potato variety, and also experimented with preserving the crop. However, this version does not find confirmation in scientific circles.
One of the most expensive potato varieties is called La Bonnotte. This potato is grown on the island of Noirmoutier, off the Atlantic French coast. Local breeders managed to bring out exceptionally tender tubers that are harvested only by hand. The annual harvest is not more than 100 tons annually. Due to its unusual taste and tenderness, as well as a small harvest, this variety is valuedhigh enough. Only we althy gourmets can afford it, since 1 kg of this potato costs about 500 euros.
How to tell fodder potatoes from table potatoes?
Fodder potatoes are actively used in animal husbandry. It is fed to cattle, pigs and sheep. It perfectly replaces grain and herbal food due to the beneficial substances in its composition. In addition to the potatoes themselves, potato tops are also used.
However, the question arises, how do fodder and table varieties differ? In fact, apart from the size, there are no distinguishing features in these varieties of potatoes. Mainly fodder potatoes differ from table potatoes in their large size, in other words, they can be distinguished visually.
You can taste a significant difference as forage varieties will be more watery and not as tasty as table varieties. However, many do not even suspect that there are such divisions into groups in potatoes. Wateriness and not very rich taste people simply attribute to an unsuccessful harvest or low quality. In reality, these are ordinary fodder potatoes.
Potato pests
The stem and leaves of potatoes are subject to various diseases, as well as insect attack. The worst enemy of potatoes is the Colorado potato beetle. It belongs to the leaf beetle family. The beetle is dangerous because it and its larvae eat the leaves of any nightshade crops, such as tomato, eggplant and, of course, potatoes. If you do not fight the Colorado potato beetle in a timely manner, then you canto lose absolutely the entire crop, as this insect is characterized by extreme voracity.
Another no less dangerous enemy of potatoes is click beetles. They belong to the Coleoptera order and pose a danger to potatoes primarily with their larvae, which are called wireworms. They damage stems and potato tubers, gnawing holes and labyrinths in them. Potatoes that have been attacked by a wireworm lag behind in development and growth, and also bring less yield. Moreover, the resulting crop is of rather poor quality and is most often damaged by rot. It appears as a result of bacteria and fungi entering through the holes made by the wireworm.
Diseases
Potato, like any other vegetable crop, in addition to insect pests, is subject to attacks of various kinds of diseases. Late blight is considered one of the most dangerous diseases for plants of the nightshade family. To understand how serious this disease is, it is worth saying that the annual loss is approximately 4 million tons of the nightshade crop.
One of the main reasons for the destruction of potatoes is the various types of scab, as well as the defeat of viruses. Potato infection occurs due to mechanical damage, for example during planting, harvesting or plant care. If a potato is affected by a virus, then the infection gradually destroys both the plant itself and the tubers.
Taste
Continuing to consider the characteristics of potatoes, it should be said about its taste. They are soimportant indicator of a variety, such as its yield. When choosing a potato variety for planting, most often the taste factor is decisive.
What does the taste of potatoes depend on? In fact, this is one of the most difficult issues in potato growing. This includes two concepts - this is an individual taste perception and high taste qualities.
The taste of potatoes directly depends on such indicators as the chemical composition, which, in turn, determines the nutritional value and usefulness for the human body as a whole. The content of protein, starch, amino acids, macro- and microelements, as well as vitamins ultimately forms the taste of potatoes.
The perception of taste is a rather subjective thing, as it is dictated by the feelings of a particular person or the traditions of national cuisine. These figures may or may not match. In this regard, it is quite difficult to say which kind of potato is tastier. So, for example, someone likes crumbly potatoes, and the other way around. Some people prefer thin-skinned potatoes, some don't. It is also impossible to reveal the best taste and the color of the tubers. Pink, bluish, yellow are just colors, and so far scientists have not given an affirmative answer whether the color of the tuber affects its taste. So taste is more of a personal preference than a character trait.
Yields
The yield of potatoes, the characteristics of which are given in the article, is influenced by a number of factors. These are weather and climatic conditions, and the quality of the soil, and the methods of its processing, andthe quality of planting material, the he alth of tubers during growth, disease prevention and much more.
One of the main criteria for planting potatoes is the choice of high-quality planting material. It is he and, of course, compliance with other requirements that allow you to harvest a good harvest.
In our country, as of 2015, the maximum potato harvest per hectare was recorded. If India and China are the world leaders in growing potatoes, then Russia is the leader in terms of yield per hectare. It is possible to do this thanks to the unique breeding school and the work of scientists.
An interesting fact is that when growing the same potato variety in different countries, the yield per hectare will be different. As mentioned earlier, a huge number of factors affect this.
In conclusion, it should be noted that potatoes have other uses besides being eaten in different forms. Potato crafts are often created in schools and kindergartens. This is such a versatile product that does not require special skills, but only a fantasy. Due to the ease of processing and versatility of potatoes, you can create a wide variety of crafts from potatoes - animals, fish and much more. Children are often delighted with such an activity.
