Beet variety Egyptian flat

Among the favorite and proven varieties of table beets, many vegetable growers call the Egyptian flat beet, which has good taste. Despite the name, this interesting variety belongs to the domestic selection. It was bred by mass selection from samples of foreign origin in the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution "Research Institute of Agriculture of the Central Chernozem Strip named after V.V. Dokuchaev ". Beets have been on variety testing since 1937; they were included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements of Russia in 1943, a difficult year for the country. Regions of admission: Central, Central Black Earth, East Siberian, Ural and Far Eastern. For many years, the variety has been grown in the countries of the former USSR, for example, in Armenia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine. Recommended for autumn and winter use.

Description

The rosette of leaves is erect, about 45 cm high. The petioles are long - 21 - 25 cm, 0.6 - 1.2 cm thick, painted in a pink-red hue due to the high content of anthocyanins, and the color becomes most intense towards the end of the growing season. Leaf blade of medium size (length 16 - 22 cm, width 12 - 14 cm), elongated, with a wide wavy edge, green. The surface of the Egyptian flat blade is slightly shiny, slightly bubbly, the central and lateral veins are colored. The beetroot crop has a flat-round shape, is strongly flattened from the top and bottom, looks very neat. The head is small. The axial root is of medium thickness, long. The surface is smooth, the skin and axial root are colored dark red. The pulp is juicy, of medium tenderness, quite dense, dark pink-red, with a purple tint, the rings are not pronounced, there are no white veins. Taste according to reviews is very good, sweetish. Even despite the fact that new, more delicious varieties appear, our heroine does not lose popularity. The diameter of the vegetable is from 6.5 to 12.5 cm, the height is 6 - 8 cm. The usual weight is 200 - 300 grams, but sometimes there are specimens with a maximum weight of 520 grams.

Characteristics

• In terms of ripening, our heroine belongs to the mid-season varieties. From the moment the first shoots appear until the start of harvesting, it takes about 100 - 120 days. Small adjustments, of course, can be made by the weather, but they will be insignificant;
• the yield is good, according to some sources, it ranges from 5.0 to 8.3 kg per 1 square meter;
• the vegetable is immersed in the soil by half or more during the growing season;
• good productivity is possible due to the resistance of beets to flowering. Partly due to this, the roots of the Egyptian flat are famous for their tender and sweet pulp;
• the variety is adaptive, tolerates cold snaps well, is resistant to dry periods, so the hot summer does not bring much harm to it;
• upsetting by the poor resistance to cercospora, the main enemy of culture;

• transportability is excellent, long-term transportation does not affect the appearance of the vegetable;
• longevity is not as good as in mid-season or late varieties; the vegetable will definitely not last until summer. But it is quite possible to store the harvest throughout the autumn-winter period. Of course, you need to observe the temperature regime, monitor the humidity and periodically sort out the crop in order to separate the root crops that have begun to deteriorate from the healthy ones in time. When stored in winter, the shelf life is 75 - 89%. First of all, try to eat small fruits that lose moisture faster and shrivel;
• taking into account the good taste, the vegetable is consumed in its natural form, vitamin salads are prepared, used to prepare many favorite dishes (borsch, herring under a fur coat, vinaigrette etc.). Also, beets are one of the ingredients in vegetable juice.

Agrotechnics

The seeds of the Egyptian flat are sown in late April - early May, when the soil warmed up to 6 - 8 ° C. Sowing depth - 2 - 3 cm. Thinning should be carried out after the sprouts appear. The distance between the beets in the garden should be at least 6 - 7 cm.Experienced gardeners during thinning do not throw out the young plants that have become superfluous, but transplant them to another bed (although this procedure is best done with already grown plants, the rosette of which has grown by 7-10 cm). Set aside sunny places for the garden; in the shade, the vegetable grows small. The variety is responsive to the application of potash fertilizers and ash, feeding is carried out at least 2 times during the growing season. Moderate watering is required, the soil should not dry out and become waterlogged. After the moisture is completely absorbed, you should carefully loosen it. Strictly monitor the cleanliness of the beds, do not allow the growth of weeds, which can cause the spread of diseases and pests. In addition, weeds compete with the crop for moisture and nutrition. The best way to keep disease under control is to rotate. And, of course, be sure to carry out preventive treatments.

This beet is excellent for winter sowing, which will provide an early harvest next year. In this case, the planting date is late October or early November. Sowing is carried out only with dry seeds.

Separately, I would like to talk about the quality of seed material. Many gardeners complain that seeds germinate very poorly, so before sowing, conduct a simple test that will help you select high-quality material for sowing. Pour the seeds into a container with slightly salted water (dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt in 1 glass of water), stir well and wait for 5 - 7 minutes. The seeds with the embryo inside will settle to the bottom, and the empty ones will remain on the surface.

Egyptian flat, despite its long history, remains a favorite and popular variety among many vegetable growers. There are many reasons for this. Simple agricultural technology, unpretentious culture, productivity, good taste and rich, uniform pulp color. Harvesting neat, attractively shaped root vegetables is a very enjoyable process. True, there are varieties and disadvantages. The main one is poor resistance to cercospora. In addition, the shelf life of the beets is insufficient.