General remarks 

Bellini is a very high yielding potato variety. The tubers are long oval with a very uniform shape and size. Skin and flesh colours are light yellow. Cooking type B with no after cooking discoloration. The dry matter content is average, about 20,7%. Bellini is grown mainly in the Mediterranean countries to the Middle East as a quality table potato. Also the pre-packing results coming from North West Europe are very promising.

Maturity

Medium early.

Seed treatment

When the tuber dormancy has broken, Bellini will have good and strong sprouts. Bellini can be planted directly from storage.

Cultivation

Bellini has a high number of tubers per plant. The planting distance in the row is depending on the needs of the market. For pre-packing, the planting density should be higher than normal. If the aim of Bellini is to produce bigger tubers for the fresh market, it is important to plant this variety wider in the row. The well developing root system makes this variety very reliable. To avoid green tubers and to minimise the risk of infection by tuber moth, a well constructed ridge and the possibility for irrigation is recommended.

Fertilisation

The fertiliser inputs of Bellini requires around 10% more Nitrate compared to Spunta. A split application is recommended. Bellini requires more Potassium than normal.

Harvest

Bellini has a moderate resistance to mechanical damage and internal bruising and is rather susceptible to Fusarium. Therefore harvest and handle with great care to avoid damage.

Storage

The dormancy period of Bellini is average and Bellini can be stored for longer period.

 Resistance to diseases

Bellini is resistant to Potato Cyst Nematodes (Ro1,4) and resistant to wart disease (race 1). Somewhat sensitive to foliage blight, but little susceptible to tuber blight. Moderate resistance to common scab. Bellini has a good resistance to Leaf roll virus and a reasonable resistance to PVY.