Potato variety Ivan da Marya

Ivan da Marya is a late-ripening potato variety (Solanum tuberosum). It was obtained as a result of amateur selection. There is evidence that it was bred in the 80s and 90s on the basis of the Scottish variety King Edward, using also the now popular Dutch Picasso... It was widespread throughout the territory of the USSR, and even now it does not lose its position. Differs in an unusual color of the peel. Currently considered obsolete, it is still cultivated by amateur gardeners due to its excellent taste and good yield. Prone to scab disease.

The variety has many synonyms, the most popular of them are: Gorbachevka, Drunkard, Ryabinushka, Ryabukha, Little Red Riding Hood, Matryoshka. It should also be said that some sources claim that Picasso and Ivan da Marya are the same variety, but this is not the case. They differ both in external indicators and in consumer and physiological characteristics.

The period from emergence to full maturation is 120-150 days.

The plant is quite tall, erect, compact, abundantly leafy. The leaves are large. The flowers are white or light beige. The flowering is poor, the buds often fall off.

The root system of potatoes is powerful, 12-25 medium-sized tubers with a mass of 60-150 grams each can form on one plant, there are practically no small ones. The tubers have a regular rounded-oval shape, a leveled surface. The rind is yellow-red in color, moreover, a red tint prevails at the top of the tuber, due to which the variety has received the nickname "Little Red Riding Hood". The cut flesh has a light cream color. The eyes are small, colored red, sometimes surrounded by a red pigment spot, making the tuber as a whole looks spotty.

The yield of the variety is quite good - 200-320 kg / ha. However, this indicator is highly dependent on the type of soil, weather conditions of the season and many other factors that can affect the development of plants. The yield of marketable tubers is quite high, keeping quality also does not lag behind - 90%.

The taste qualities of Ivan da Marya are excellent, according to gardeners' reviews. Despite the fact that this potato is inferior in its characteristics to many other modern varieties, many people continue to grow it precisely because of its excellent taste. Tubers are suitable for cooking any kind of food, have a low digestibility, and will show themselves best when fried. The pulp is rather crumbly, starchy, of a very pleasant consistency. The starch content in it is noted at the level of 10-14%.

The variety is undemanding to the type of soil, it can grow on any soil, however, it shows the best yield on slightly acidified. Plants are very painful to tolerate drought, even short-term, so you need to carefully monitor soil moisture, especially in regions with hot summers. Otherwise, landing will not cause you additional trouble. It will be enough to carry out standard agrotechnical techniques in a timely manner, while the plants will delight you with a good harvest.

This potato is susceptible to scab, moderately resistant to leaf roll virus, cancer and late blight. Needs increased attention to preventive measures against these diseases. It is because of its tendency to be defeated by scab that gardeners are increasingly removing it from their plots, replacing it with new varieties.

According to the observations of potato growers, Ivan da Marya is prone to very rapid degeneration. And this is a big problem, because the seed needs to be replaced more often, and it becomes more and more difficult to buy it every year.Often, planting tubers can only be obtained from enthusiastic collectors of various very rare varieties. There is another problem associated with this nuance - often unscrupulous sellers offer a completely different variety under the guise of Gorbachevka. Someone does this on purpose, while someone simply does not fully understand what kind of potatoes he grows.

In conclusion, I would like to say that our hero has a fairly large number of advantages, among which, of course, excellent taste and good yield. But his shortcomings are still significant. However, if you are a skilled, experienced gardener, confident in your abilities, then you can safely choose this variety for cultivation. Ivan da Marya will certainly delight you with the harvest, and your neighbors will also want to have such an "exhibit" on their site.