SOLNECHNAYA PREMIERA is a variety of scorzonera (Scorzonera hispanica L.), grown as an annual in open and closed ground, preferring bright sun or partial shade. The plant has a vertical rosette of leaves with egg-shaped to elongated leaves on a long petiole. The root crop is cylindrical, dark brown, 28–31 cm long and 26–30 cm in diameter, weighing 60–80 g, with white and tender flesh. These characteristics make it popular in cooking as a substitute for asparagus or cauliflower.
The variety yield ranges from 1.5 to 1.8 kg per sq.m., and the period from full germination to harvest is 101–120 days. To obtain uniform and beautiful root crops, the soil is dug up and enriched with well-rotted manure before sowing; loamy and clay-loam soils enriched with organic matter are best. Seeds are sown in rows at 1.5–2 g per sq.m., placing grains 2–3 cm apart and at a depth of 2–3 cm. After the first leaves appear, plants are thinned, leaving 6–8 cm between them.
Scorzonera requires moderate watering – from mid-July to September, 20–25 liters per sq.m., 4–5 times a month, in the absence of heavy rainfall. After harvesting, root crops can be stored in soil under straw or placed vertically in boxes, sprinkling them with moist sand to keep them fresh until constant frosts set in. Due to high content of vitamins C and B, minerals (calcium, iron, phosphorus) and inulin, the root crops of Solnechnaya Premiera are a valuable source of nutrients for dietary food.
