Innovator potato variety: characteristics and comparison tables, reviews

The Innovator variety is widely grown throughout Russia, both for industrial purposes and in small farmsteads and garden plots. The Innovator variety is considered one of the best for making French fries.

General characteristics of the Innovator potato variety in the table

This mid-early variety is popular due to its excellent resistance to adverse weather conditions and some dangerous diseases. It also boasts excellent flavor, long shelf life, and high yields.

Key Features:

Parameter	Characteristic
General information	Mid-early variety.
Ripening time	60-90 days after emergence.
Starch concentration	12-15%
Marketability of tubers	83-147 g
Number of tubers on one bush	6-11 pcs.
Productivity	On an industrial scale 320-330 centners per 1 hectare, in private farms 15-30 kg per 1 sq. m.
Class and purpose in cooking	3-4. For frying, salads, fries, stewing and baking, for chips and mashed potatoes.
Taste characteristics	Good taste, does not boil over.
Marketability	82-96%
Shelf life	95%
Peel color	Creamy.
Color of pulp	Soft yellow
Eyes	Shallow, small, and sparsely located.
Color of inflorescences	Snow-white.
Suitable regions for growing	Central, Volga-Vyatka, Central Black Earth.
Disease resistance	High: cancer, pale nematode. Medium: late blight, scab. Low: rhizoctonia, golden nematode. Susceptible to attacks by the Colorado potato beetle.
Growing specifics	Deep planting.
	2010

Photo of the Innovator variety:

The origin of the Innovator potato variety

Developed by HZPC Holland BV (Holland). It has been cultivated in Russia for about 20 years, but was only added to the registry in 2010. Various farms located in the Tyumen and Sverdlovsk regions, the Moscow region, Tatarstan, and Stavropol Krai are listed as domestic originators.

Detailed description of the Innovator potato variety

Let's look at the main characteristics.

Bushes

The shoots are erect and short, no more than 0.6-0.7 cm tall. The stems are spreading, with medium foliage.

The leaf blades are large, soft emerald, with moderate waviness along the perimeter.

The flowers are large and snow-white. Berries appear rarely.

Tubers

Oval, approximately the same size. The skin is light yellowish and rough. Small, shallow eyes may appear on it.

The flesh is light yellowish and firm. It is easily cooked. It retains its color after cooking or freezing.

Nutrients and nutritional value

The product contains:

• ascorbic acid;
• vitamin K;
• iron;
• potassium;
• manganese;
• copper;
• folic, nicotinic, oxalic acid;
• essential amino acids;
• saturated and unsaturated fatty acids;
• purines, etc.

The calorie content is low, 100 g of the product contains approximately 70-80 kcal.

Productivity, ripening time

It is a stable, high-yielding variety. Farmers can harvest 320-330 centners per hectare. In gardens, the yield is approximately 15-30 kg per square meter. The highest yield was recorded in the Kirov region, where 344 centners per hectare were harvested.

New potatoes are ready for consumption after just 60 days. Technical maturity occurs in 70-90 days, depending on the growing region.

Resistance to diseases and pests

Resistant to potato wart and pale nematode. Shows moderate resistance to late blight and scab. Innovator is susceptible to rhizoctonia, Colorado potato beetle, and golden nematode.

Name of the disease	Degree of stability
Cancer	High
Rhizoctonia	Average
Cyst-forming nematode	Pa 2.3
Late blight of tubers and tops	Tubers: 5, 5. Tops: 7.
Common scab	6.5

What regions is it suitable for?

Potatoes are recommended for cultivation in the Central, Volga-Vyatka, and Central Black Earth regions. However, due to their good adaptation to harsh weather conditions and drought, they are also suitable for planting in Siberia and southern Russia.

Advantages and disadvantages of the Innovator potato variety

The advantages include:

• a relatively short period between emergence and harvest;
• consistently high yields;
• excellent product characteristics (appearance, shelf life, transportation);
• no special soil requirements for cultivation;
• resistance to drought and cold.

The Innovator's disadvantages include its susceptibility to rhizoctonia, Colorado potato beetle, and golden nematode. However, with timely prevention, these problems can be avoided.

Planting Features of the Innovator Potato Variety

To get a good harvest, you need to follow certain requirements.

Requirements for the landing site and its preparation

The variety grows well in any soil, but especially in sandy loam with high fertility and neutral acidity.

To achieve these characteristics, you need to make:

• sand or sawdust at the rate of one bucket per 1 sq. m in heavy clay soil;
• lime or dolomite flour (500/200 g per 1 sq. m) in too alkaline soil.

Please note! To prevent infections and promote better development, it is recommended to add a cup of wood ash to each hole before planting. It would also be beneficial if the soil was dug in the fall and superphosphate, manure, and compost were added.

Selection and preparation of seed tubers

Step by step actions:

1. Sort the potatoes into boxes in a layer of about 3 cm.
2. Spray the planting material with warm water twice a day.
3. For the first week, keep the boxes at a temperature of +18°C, then lower it to +15°C.
4. After 21 days, select the planting material. Suitable tubers must have formed skins and sprouted eyes. Tubers with spots or damage must not be used.
5. Place the seedlings in a box filled with compost, sprout-side up. Cover the tubers with peat moss. There should be no more than four rows in a box. Periodically moisten the potatoes with a mineral solution.
6. After 40 days, the tubers will be ready for planting. They can be placed in open ground beds.

Planting times and rules

Planting can begin in May, or earlier in southern regions. The most important thing is to allow the soil to warm up to 7°C.

The planting depth should be at least 10 cm. If the soil is light, then 15 cm. The distance between tubers is 35 cm, and between adjacent rows 75 cm.

Caring for the Innovator potato variety

For a bountiful and healthy harvest, not only correct planting is important, but also subsequent care.

Watering

Potatoes should be watered for the first time when buds begin to form. The plants should be watered again after flowering. After this, water moderately. The top layer of soil should always be slightly moist, but not soggy, as this can lead to the development of various diseases.

Top dressing

The following can be used as fertilizer:

• bird droppings diluted with water 1 to 10;
• urea (1 tbsp per 10 l);
• mullein (1 l per 10 l).

In spring, you can use complex mineral fertilizers, following the instructions on the package.

Any nutrient mixtures are poured into the spaces between rows to avoid burning the root system.

Loosening, weeding, hilling

Loosening the soil is essential to improve the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the roots. This should be done no more than three times per season.

The frequency of weeding depends on how the potatoes are grown. If sprouted tubers are planted, weeding should be done three weeks after they are planted outdoors and before flowering begins. When using seeds, weeding may be necessary even before germination if weeds appear first.

Hilling should be done 3 times during the growing season:

• 3 weeks after planting;
• in another 21 days;
• before flowering begins.

Important! Hilling should be done after rain or watering. Raking soil from the space between rows toward the potatoes.

Protection against potato diseases and pests (table)

The table below presents measures for the prevention and control of infections and parasites that most often affect Innovator.

Disease/pest	Prevention	Treatment
Rhizoctonia (black scab)	compliance with agrotechnical requirements; compliance with crop rotation; Use only healthy tubers for planting; pre-planting treatment with Baktofit, Integral, Agat 25 K.	The disease is not treatable. The affected bush must be immediately dug up and burned to prevent the infection from spreading.
Golden nematode		Use of drugs: Nematicides: Nurell-D, Nematophagin (destroy overwintered larvae, interrupting the life cycle of pests); Mercaptophos 0.02% (4 treatments are required with an interval of 5 days).
Colorado beetle		manual collection (if the damage is not severe); the drug Fitoverm (paralyzes and causes the death of insects); biopreparation Agro Vertin (destroys many parasites, while being absolutely harmless to crops and people); Colorado (highly toxic, safety precautions must be observed when using); poisonous drug Regent (also toxic, but destroys adult insects and larvae).

The nuances of harvesting and storing the Innovator potato variety

Before harvesting, it's important to check the technical maturity of the crop (if it's being stored). To do this, dig up one bush; the tubers should have a firm skin.

Harvesting should be done in sunny, dry weather. Dig up the tubers in the morning and spread them out in the beds until evening. Then, move them to a shaded area under a canopy and dry them outdoors for three days. Next, sort the tubers into wooden boxes and store them in a cellar or basement.

Please note! Harvest times vary by region. Preferred months are late August through September.

Comparison of the Innovator potato variety with other varieties in the table

Variety	Ripening period (number of days to maturity)	Starch (%)	Yield (c/ha)	Weight of tubers (g) Number of tubers per bush	Shelf life (%)
Innovator	Mid-early***	12-15	320-344	83-147 6-11	94
Strongman	Mid-early***	10-12	127-275	80-105 15-20	97
Ilyinsky	Mid-early***	15.7-18	176-346	55-160 8-13	93
Armada	Early ripening**	17-18	230-370	96-130 9-14	80-85
Giant	Mid-season****	16-19	290-424	100-140 8-13	97
Explosive	Early ripening**	16-17	156-240	110-150 8-14	95
Zekura	Mid-early***	13-18	350-370	60-150 12-20	98
Kolobok	Mid-season****	11-13	130-250	90-140 15-18	96
Handsome	Mid-early***	12.4-17.8	169-201	90-170 6-10	97
Latona	Early ripening**	16-20	400-450	90-140 10-15	96
Memphis	Mid-early***	14.2-16.7	330-610	80-160 9-11	94
Meteor	Early ripening**	10-16	210-405	100-150 10-12	95
Molly	Early ripening**	11.4-13.4	171-308	98-142 20-25	82
Nakra	Mid-season****	18-22	203-308	65-160 6-11	95
Nikulinsky	Mid-late***** (late******, up to 120 days)	21.3	170-420	70-120 12-15	97
Rosalind	Early ripening**	12-17	203-223	60-115 10-16	94
Bellarosa	Ultra-early*	12-16	350-550	100-200 7-15	93-96

*Ultra-early – 35-50 days.

**Early ripening – 50-65 days.

***Mid-early – 65-80 days.

****Mid-season – 80-95 days.

*****Mid-late – 95-110 days.

******Late – 110 days or more.

Real reviews from gardeners about the Innovator potato variety

The Innovator variety is known for its high yield and excellent taste, as evidenced by numerous reviews from gardeners. Here are a few.

User Victoria

August 1, 2018:

I bought 4 kilograms of potatoes this year, 2018. Innovator When I planted it, I thought it wouldn't be enough. We dug up one bush at the end of July and counted 31 mature tubers and 5 immature peas. What a yield! Plus, this variety turned out to be very tasty.

…the same March 18, 2019:

Litter Innovator Very productive. We harvested 6 bags from a 4-kilogram plant this summer. Delicious mashed and fried, and baked, these potatoes are practically unrivaled. But most importantly, they don't turn tough in first courses after refrigeration. I highly recommend them!

User Nadfi

I liked Lorkh and Innovator.

The fried lorkh was a little dry (but maybe that's why I didn't use enough oil), and the baked one (in the microwave) tasted like the country potatoes I remember from my childhood. Apparently, it was a common variety :).

The Innovator is a firm, delicious potato. It's no wonder McDonald's makes fries out of it (I can't vouch for that, but I stumbled across that information once :).

User SvetlanaTu, Moscow

I've always wondered what kind of fries they have at McDonald's. I found a reference. It's the Innovator variety.
I even found where they grow and sell it. In Chuvashia, at the company Slava Potato.

In addition to its high yield, good shelf life, and high culinary value, the Innovator variety is also quite easy to grow; the main thing is to follow the crop's standard planting and care requirements.