Beetroot is one of the root crops that vegetable growers actively grow on their plots. This vegetable is quite resistant to spring cold snaps and is not too fussy to care for. Therefore, growing beets is not difficult and even novice gardeners can do it. Usually this root crop is planted with seeds directly into open ground in most regions of our country.
First of all, it is necessary to decide on the varieties of beets that vegetable growers are going to grow in their garden. Varieties must be zoned to the specific region in which they will be grown.
| Main varieties | Characteristics of the root vegetable | Root ripening |
| Pablo F1 | The root crop has a round shape, grows to medium size, the pulp is sweet, hot weather the plant needs abundant watering | The ripening period of the root crop is about 3 months |
| Detroit | The root crop grows of medium size, has a round shape, and is resistant to spring cold snaps. | Maturing period - up to 4 months |
| Bordeaux 237 | The root crop has a round shape and medium size. Flesh color - bright red | Early ripening variety |
| Modana | The variety is grown by seedlings in open ground, the shape of the root crop is round, the pulp is sweet, the color of the pulp is crimson | Ripening time - about 3 months |
| Borscht | The shape of the root crop is round, bright red, can grow in any type of soil | Ripening time - about 4 months |
| Opolskaya | The root vegetable is oblong, the color of the pulp is crimson, requires regular watering, the skin is thin | Mid-season variety |
| Mulatto | The shape of the root vegetable is round, the color of the pulp is dark crimson, does not change when boiling or frying. | Mid-season variety |
| Incomparable A 463 | Round fruits big size, practically not damaged by “harmful” bugs | Ripening time is about 75 days |
| Delicatessen | Small round root vegetables. Color - light crimson, resistant to vibrations weather conditions and to frost. | Mid-season variety |
| Renova | The root vegetables are cylindrical in shape, the skin is thin, and the color is bright crimson. | Late ripening variety |
| Single shoot | Round, large root vegetables with thin skin. Resistant to diseases and pests. | Late ripening variety |
| Cylinder | The fruits have the shape of a small cylinder, the skin is of medium thickness, and the beets are resistant to diseases. | Late ripening variety |
Varieties of this root crop are divided into:
To get good yields from any of the beet varieties, it is necessary to plant the seed material in open ground on time.
Preparation planting material - important stage in the process of growing beets. The seeds of this vegetable crop are quite large, so they are easy to plant at the required distance from each other. However, from each seed, as a rule, several sprouts grow. Therefore in open ground young beet seedlings are sure to dive.
However There is no need to throw away excess sprouts. They are practically not damaged when picked, and such sprouts can be planted in the beds at the required distance. Such seedlings acclimatize well and quickly catch up in growth with other young beet sprouts.
In order for this vegetable crop to be less susceptible to disease and to grow better, the seed material must first be prepared.
First, the seeds should be disinfected. To do this, they are placed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 120 - 150 minutes. Also, to avoid fungal diseases, the seeds are soaked in a fungicide solution. In this case, the beets will be protected already initial stage from the occurrence of these diseases.
In order for the seed material to germinate better and ripen faster in the future, it should be soaked in solutions that promote the fastest growth and development of beets. Here are some of the solutions in which the seeds of this vegetable crop should be kept:
Any of these solutions is made on the basis of water, the temperature of which fluctuates around 30-40°C.
The seed material must lie in any of the solutions for at least 120 minutes. Then you need to take it out, wash it under running water and wrap it in damp gauze for a couple or three days. After all the procedures described above, the beet seeds are ready for planting in open ground.
In order to harden the seed material and accustom it to possible spring temperature changes, it should be processed alternately hot and cold water . First, the seeds are placed in water at a temperature of about 68°C. The seed is kept in this water for at least 30 minutes, then the water is drained and cool water is poured. This procedure allows beet seeds to get used to spring weather changes in advance.
If the beds for planting beets are not prepared in advance, then the harvest of this vegetable crop is unlikely to be large. It should be remembered that When planting beets, like any other vegetable crop, you should follow the basic rules of crop rotation. The best predecessors of this root vegetable are cucumbers, potatoes or cabbage.
Beets do not grow well in heavy clay soils, since such soil does not allow oxygen to pass through well. And the lack of this element leads to early spoilage of beets. Best views The soil in which the seeds of this root crop should be sown is sandstone and any other loose soil.
The area where beets will be grown should be carefully dug up with one shovel. Then complex compounds are added to the soil mineral fertilizers, as well as organics.
When is the best time to plant beets so that the seeds grow quickly? It should be remembered that the temperature of the soil in which beets are planted must be at least +7°C. Typically, vegetable growers wait until all the snow in the garden has melted and cover the beds where they will plant this vegetable. vegetable crop, transparent covering material. This is necessary so that the earth warms up faster.
There is a special scheme for planting seeds. Sowing should not be done immediately after frost. And only when the earth is warm enough can you begin to plant beets. This usually happens in the first or second ten days of April. The distance between seeds should be at least 5 - 7 cm, and between rows - about 0.3 cm. The depth of seeding is about 3.5 cm.
After sowing, the beds are mulched with a layer of humus (or peat fertilizer). The appearance of the first shoots should be expected 14 - 19 days after planting.
Beets can be planted not only with seeds in open ground, but also with seedlings. However, growing beet seedlings is not very popular among vegetable growers, as it is a rather labor-intensive process.
As soon as the first seedlings appear, you should carefully monitor them. It is during this period that young shoots are most vulnerable. You need to be especially careful about this. So that after watering a crust does not form on the surface of the soil. To do this, after watering you should carefully loosen upper layer soil.
Simultaneously with loosening, it is necessary to remove the emerging weeds. Weeds grow much faster cultivated plants and are able to score vegetable plants. Typically, to reduce the growth of weeds and retain moisture in the soil longer, you should mulch the beds with humus. This event simultaneously allows you to supply the soil with nutrients.
Growing beets with seeds in open ground is not too difficult. And the resulting harvest can be stored in the cellar until the start of the next season.
Exist different ways sowing beets. The two planting options are seeds and seedlings. The right time It can be spring or autumn, the main thing is compliance correct timing. carried out during the 1st-2nd decade of May, when the soil becomes completely warmed up.
If the seeds are in insufficiently warmed soil, the shoots will begin to shoot and good harvest will not be received.
The autumn period can also be chosen for planting beet seeds, usually late October or November, depending on the region. Landing is carried out when the air temperature reaches -4 degrees. It should not be carried out too quickly, as the seeds awakened by the heat may die.
Often beets are planted using seedlings. In this case, the seeds are planted at home. Planting is also done inside a greenhouse or greenhouse.
Seedling seeds are sown when the first days of April arrive and a month later they are placed in open ground. Seedling method Planting beets ensures an early harvest and saves seeds, since the sprouts remaining after thinning are also suitable for planting.
Sowing time for beets is determined by the climate conditions of the region in which you live. Optimal time Vegetable planting is when the last frost has gone. The sowing time is also affected by whether you are going to cover the crops with film.
Sowing time also determines the beet variety. Generally, early varieties subject to more early sowing, and later ones should be planted later. Upon landing late varieties too early the formation of a coarser root crop will occur.
You can often hear advice to plant beets in early spring, in March. However, it does not tolerate frost very well, you should keep this in mind. In the Ural and Siberian areas, beets will have to be planted in open ground one way or another when mid-May arrives. When seedlings are grown at home for a long time, they become stretched and future productivity decreases. This means that to plant seedlings in the garden, it is more correct to sow them in April, in the early days or in the middle.
The appearance of 2-3 true leaves means the seedlings are ready for open ground. It is important to prevent excessive growth of seedlings. If the roots rest on the bottom of the box, the shape of the root crops may turn out to be incorrect.
Planting seedlings in the garden occurs when the soil is heated to at least +10 degrees (usually mid-May).
Beets are a heat-loving vegetable, so they are planted in soil that is warmed up to +5-10 degrees. The timing of planting beets varies depending on the climate. For example, in the southern regions (Krasnodar, Kuban) beets are planted in March-April. At the same time, in the Moscow region, it occurs in the early to middle May days, and in the Siberian and Ural areas - this is the second half of May.
It is prohibited to sow beets except when the soil is warmed to a depth of 10 cm (in spring), or otherwise than in the fall for winter planting in late-early October-November.
If you sow beets for seedlings before the middle April, under weather conditions that do not allow planting in the garden bed, the seedlings will stretch.
Read more about what can be planted after beets, next to the crop and what predecessors are suitable for it.
If grown in the right place, beets do not require fertilizing.
We invite you to watch a video on how to properly grow beets:
The time when beets are planted is the most important factor in caring for her. In open ground and in autumn. Seedling seeds are planted when one and a half months remain before transplanting into open ground conditions.
At a temperature of +5 degrees, the seeds begin to germinate and can withstand short-term cold snaps down to -2 degrees. But freezing should be avoided as this leads to flowering of plants.
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Thanks to simple agricultural cultivation techniques and the possibility long-term storage, beets are one of the five popular vegetables that any gardener grows on his plot. In addition, this vegetable not only has a unique color and taste, but is also very healthy. The root vegetable contains vitamins B, B2, C, P, PP, mineral salts, sugar and organic acids. Sowing and growing beets is not difficult, but there are some nuances that will be useful for both beginners and experienced gardeners.
Beets are so widely used in preparations and in manufacturing culinary dishes, which has received truly popular recognition. In the south of Russia, as well as in Ukraine, it has another name - beetroot. In addition to the table varieties common among gardeners, there are also varieties such as sugar and fodder beets.
Fodder beet roots can grow up to huge sizes, weighing 2-3 kg each, and it is beneficial to sow it for those gardeners who keep domestic animals on their plots. Fodder beets are an excellent addition to the diet of goats, cows, horses, as well as chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys.
Sugar beets are known as raw materials for the production of sugar on an industrial scale. But some amateur gardeners are happy to sow it in their plots.
The most popular and productive varieties table beets with tasty pulp are:
The following varieties are better suited for preservation:
Beet seeds appear large, but this is a misleading idea. The fact is that they are connected to each other into small lumps of several pieces and are covered with a dry hard shell. Therefore, if you sow them, several plants will sprout from the lump. That's why thinning - necessary procedure when caring for crops.
However, to make life easier for gardeners, special varieties have long appeared that were created specifically so as not to thin out the seedlings. As an example, we can cite the varieties - Single-germ, Bordeaux single-seeded.
Beet seeds are poorly germinating and germinate rather slowly. To speed up this process, before sowing, it is recommended to soak them for a day in warm water with any growth stimulator: Zircon, Epin, HB-101, Energen. If growth stimulants are not at hand, you can simply dilute a tablespoon of wood ash in a liter warm water and use the prepared solution to soak the seeds.
It’s also good to water the seeds sparingly. hot water temperature +50 – +55°С and leave for half an hour to cool. This procedure will help the seeds awaken faster, and at the same time disinfect and free them from infections. Disinfection is also carried out using a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
After soaking, you can wrap the seeds in a damp cloth soaked nutrient solution, and leave in a plastic bag in a damp, warm place for three days until completely swollen.
In the northern regions of Russia, the seedling method of growing and protecting young plants from possible frosts with the help of covering material is often used to obtain early harvests.
Beetroot is a cold-resistant vegetable and seed germination is possible already at a temperature of +5 degrees. But it is still more demanding of heat than, for example, carrots or cabbage. If sown at such temperatures, the appearance of the first shoots may take up to three weeks.
If you sow seeds in too cold soil, then instead of root crops you can get a large percentage of flower stalks in the first year of cultivation. Therefore, before sowing beets, make sure that minimum temperature heating of the earth at a depth of 10 cm is +8 – +10°C. Optimal conditions for growth temperatures are +10 – +15°C.
In such conditions, the waiting time for seedlings is reduced to 5-6 days. But keep in mind that the higher the air and soil temperatures, the more important it is to provide the seeds with sufficient moisture for germination.
By folk signs You can start sowing this crop from the moment the daffodils or muscari bloom. In general, the timing of sowing beet seeds in open ground strongly depends on the weather conditions of a particular region and can range from mid-April (for southern regions) to mid-late May (for middle and northern latitudes).
Traditionally, beets are sown in open ground when established warm weather approximately one to two weeks after sowing carrots.
In addition, it is important to understand for what purposes you want to use the planted beets. If you want to cook a variety of dishes from it during the summer and early autumn, then the seeds are sown in the spring, at the most early dates, as far as weather permits. To make preparations for the winter and use root crops for storage, it is better to sow it closer to summer or even throughout June, but preferably no later than July. Because vegetables may not have time to fully ripen before the onset of frost.
Not every place is suitable to sow and successfully grow this crop. All varieties of beets are loved sunlight and cannot stand the shadow. As a last resort, you can sow in beds where there is partial shade in the afternoon, but half the day the sowing area should be illuminated by the sun.
Good predecessors for beets are tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, onions and members of the legume family. You should not sow seeds in the same beds as last year, as well as where carrots, cabbage and radishes grew last season, since these crops have common diseases and pests, and instead of fighting them it is better to use crop rotation.
The soil itself for sowing must be breathable, fertile, and have a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction. Usually the beds for sowing this vegetable are prepared in the fall. For 1 sq. m of soil is added:
If the soil does not seem fertile enough, then in the spring an additional 2-3 kg of humus or compost is added. But using fresh manure when planting beets is strictly prohibited. It needs to rest for at least 3 years before it can be used for feeding.
At increased acidity fluffed lime is used, which is added at the rate of approximately 0.5 kg per square meter land. In the spring, a week before sowing, the soil is additionally loosened to a depth of 5-8 cm, while simultaneously destroying the weeds that have managed to sprout.
To properly sow beet seeds, you need to mark grooves on the future bed, 3-4 cm deep, spaced from each other at a distance of 20 - 35 cm. The grooves are spilled with water, seeds are placed in them every 6-8 cm. Seeds in the recesses are poured on top with a light earth mixture, spilled again with water.
After the emergence of seedlings, if necessary, they are thinned out, leaving sprouts every 3-4 cm. The removed sprouts can be transplanted to another bed, thus using them to increase the yield. The plantings are thinned a second time when the leaves close. This time, the removed root crops reach such a size that they can be used for food.
In addition to thinning, the main aspects of caring for plantings include watering and fertilizing. Water the beet beds as the soil dries out. Over-wetting the soil is not recommended, as this can worsen the taste and cause plant diseases.
The first feeding of plants is applied after the first thinning - mainly nitrogen-containing ones are used. organic fertilizers. The second fertilizing with potassium fertilizers (possibly wood ash) is carried out at the moment the leaves close during the formation of root crops.
It is better to thin out after the next watering, simultaneously loosening the soil and removing weeds.
Beet harvesting begins without waiting for the first frost. In favorable cool conditions, root vegetables can be stored until spring.
Beetroot was brought to Rus' from Byzantium back in the 10th century. In ancient times this plant was highly valued for its healing properties, for example, Hippocrates used it to treat infectious and skin diseases. Currently, beets are firmly established in our diet, in addition, there are many recipes traditional medicine, in which this useful root vegetable has found application.
It is difficult to find a summer resident who does not grow table beets on his plot, and there is a simple explanation for this. Not only is it very healthy vegetable, as mentioned above, so, among other things, it is easy to grow, since it is extremely unpretentious plant. But despite this, in order to get an excellent harvest, you must follow some rules. Let's figure out how to plant beets (sowing, seedlings, features, care), we will try to tell you about all this in this article.
First, let's decide when to sow beets in open ground. This healthy vegetable can be sown in the spring, or before winter.
To obtain an early harvest, sowing is carried out in the fall, at the beginning of November, or under film at the end of April, and those beets that are intended for long-term storage are sown in May, after the 10th, but no later than May 20th. If you sow seeds too early, in cold soil, the roots may not grow, instead flower stalks form. After the first shoots appear, the film can be removed (beet seedlings tolerate frosts down to -2 o C).
It is best to prepare the bed for planting in the fall. First of all, it should be dug up on the bayonet of a shovel and thoroughly loosened. It is advisable to add half a bucket per m2 of rotted compost or humus to the soil (it is not recommended to add fresh manure). If it is large, it is recommended to add lime or chalk when digging at the rate of 1 cup per m2 (you cannot add it in the spring, this can cause a disease of root crops such as scab). Before sowing, you should fertilize the soil; the following mixture is suitable: 10-12 teaspoons of boric acid, 1 teaspoon of magnesium sulfate, about 2 cups of ash and a tablet of microelements (all this per m2). You should not apply chlorine-containing fertilizers to plantings, but magnesium really likes it. Growing beets in open ground sandy soil requires the addition of peat, turf soil and humus to the site (1 bucket per m2). IN clay soil add a full bucket of peat and coarse river sand with the addition of two liters of old sawdust, which should first be treated with a urea solution.
How to plant beets with seeds in open ground, you ask? So, before sowing, the seeds should first be prepared for planting. To do this, it is advisable to soak them in a solution of baking soda or ash (half a teaspoon per 0.5 liter of water) for a day, then rinse, wrap in a damp cloth and keep in this form at a temperature not lower than 25 0 C for two days. This technique allows you to get vigorous shoots a week after sowing.
How and when to plant beets? Planting is carried out, as mentioned above, in the spring or autumn. So, if you plant beets in the fall, then the seeding rate will be 3g per m2, the seeds are planted to a depth of about 4 cm, and covered with mulch on top.
How to plant beets with seeds in the ground and seedlings in the spring? Seeds are sown in rows at a distance of 30-40 cm from each other, in grooves to a depth of 2.5-3 cm. The prepared grooves are spilled with hot water, the seeds are laid out in them at a distance of 2-3 cm from one another, then they are lightly pressed into soil and mulch. Most beet seeds are multi-sprouting, that is, 2-4 sprouts appear from one seed, so 5-6 days after the seedlings appear, the first thinning is carried out, in which the plants are left at a distance of 3-4 cm from one another. The second thinning is done after the formation of 5-6 leaves, leaving a distance between root crops of 8-10 cm.
We looked at how to plant beets with seeds in open ground, but in the spring some gardeners prefer to plant this vegetable as seedlings, so let's talk about how to do it correctly.
A month before planting beets on permanent place Seedlings are sown in a specially prepared substrate according to a 4 x 4 cm pattern. This method of growing allows you to get a harvest 3 weeks earlier than usual. It is not necessary to dive seedlings before planting them in the ground. Required temperature for cultivation - 15-20 o C. It is best to grow beets with oval root crops as seedlings. Transplanting it to a permanent place begins when the plant forms 3-4 leaves. Before this, the container with the seedlings is thoroughly spilled with water, after which the plant is dug out with a special spatula. In order for the beets to take root better, the root of the sprout is shortened by about 1/4 before planting. After this, the seedlings are thoroughly watered. Plants are planted at a distance of 8-10 cm from one another.
Further care of beets consists of timely loosening, weeding, fertilizing and watering.
So, we figured out when to sow beets in open ground, now let's talk about how to care for them.
Beet seeds, as mentioned above, germinate slowly, therefore, approximately 3-4 days after sowing, it is recommended to slightly loosen the soil on the ridge with a spring rake, this will ensure smooth germination. Real deep loosening is carried out for the first time 4 days after friendly shoots have appeared. In general, beets are very responsive to loosening, so do not forget to loosen the soil after rain or watering, but after the leaves have closed, loosening should be stopped.
This vegetable does not like darkening, so do not forget to weed the weeds in time, this is especially true in the phase of setting root crops. By the way, in August, beets require another thinning; when weeding, remove excess roots, the distance between plants should be 15-20 cm. After weeding and thinning, be sure to hill up the plants and mulch the soil.
Many summer residents pick off the leaves on beets to prepare summer soups and salads. Doing this is strictly prohibited; the yield will be significantly lower. Do not forget to water the beets in a timely manner; with a lack of moisture, the root crops become woody. For better ripening, watering is stopped 4-5 weeks before
An excess of nitrogen in the soil can lead to voids forming inside the root crops; with a lack of boron, heart rot can develop. Appearance yellow spots on the leaves indicates a lack of potassium, redness of the tops indicates a lack of sodium and increased acidity of the soil.
Beetroot is affected by diseases such as false rust, blight, and leaf spot. Pests of this root crop are root beetle, beet aphid, nematode, flea beetle, fly, root aphid, smooth dead beetle. Folk remedies that have been proven for centuries will help you cope with these diseases and pests.
Beet harvesting begins before the onset of frost, that is, no later than mid-September; in general, the growing season of the root crop (depending on the variety) ranges from 50 to 80 days. Before storage, the leaves should be cut off at a distance of approximately 3 cm from the root crop. Store beets in boxes, sprinkled with sand, at a temperature of 1-3 0 C.
"Bordo 237", "Pablo", "Podzimnyaya A-474", "Cold-resistant", "Renova", "Griboedovskaya flat A-473", "Egyptian flat", "Pushkinskaya flat K-18", "Incomparable A-46 ", "Single-germ".
Well, that’s all, you now know when to sow beets in open ground, which seeds to prefer, how to care for them and how to store them.
Have a good harvest!
Vegetables are without a doubt very healthy. They should be on the table every day. We recommend growing your own vegetables at the dacha, then they will pure product and will bring more benefits.
Vegetables are used in many dishes. At the dacha, people grow in small quantity various vegetables.
We'll tell you how to grow delicious beets yourself, Find out how and when to plant beets.
Beets contain many vitamins and microelements.
The vegetable grows for 2 years. The leaves of the plant are fleshy and shaped like a rosette. Depending on the variety, beets are different color and shapes.
Beets are easy to grow and store well. It contains a lot of fiber, minerals, organic acids, as well as vitamins B, C, P, B2, PP. This is a nutritious vegetable.
Beets contain a lot of alkalis small volume acids The juice of the root vegetable cleanses the blood, improves digestion, and is used to treat viral ailments and colds.
Vegetables love warmth; when caring for them, you need to observe the temperature regime.
Breeders have developed excellent varieties of plants. For example, foreign species: Chervona kulya, Bikores, Regala, Bolivar (Poland); domestic varieties: Diy, Bordeaux 237, Smena, Bagryannaya, Delicatesnaya.
Egyptian Flat is suitable for eating in the fall and winter; Detroit and Cylinder are better for canning and storing.
A rich harvest will be ensured by a properly selected area that is well lit. Planting beets where in previous years cucumbers, cabbage, potatoes, and tomatoes were planted. In subsequent years, the site is changed; planting can be resumed after 3-4 seasons. Beets do not like waterlogged, acidic soil, but they will grow well in loam.
The soil requires cultivation; weeds need to be removed. Before planting, the area should be dug up and fertilized with superphosphate, saltpeter, potassium chloride, compost, and, if necessary, lime.
Methods of growing beets:
With the first method, sowing is single-line (45 cm between rows) or two-line - 25 cm between rows and 50 cm between tapes. Planted at a depth of 3-4 cm, mulching is carried out between the rows.
Sow beet seeds May 1-10, while spring moisture has not yet left the soil. For seedlings, 3-4 seeds are sown in greenhouse nests, then thinned. The shoots are transplanted into the ground after they have grown to 8 cm and are planted at a shallow depth. Between rows 30 cm, between seedlings - from 15 to 20 cm.
Beets are sown in spring or before the start of winter. For spring sowing, soil warming up to 8-10 degrees at a depth of 10 cm is required.
Autumn sowing is better, as you can get a harvest as early as the end of June. To quickly germinate the seeds, they need to be soaked for several days before sowing.
Beets for seedlings need to be planted 1.5 weeks earlier than in open ground.
You need to know how to plant beets, as well as how to properly care for them: when to feed, how to water, thin out, weed, etc.
Immediately after the seedlings have taken root, feeding should be repeated a month later. Fertilizers must contain nitrogen and potassium.
Watering is carried out for the first time after young strong shoots have appeared, and the last time before harvesting (2-3 weeks before). Irrigate in such a way that moisture penetrates 20 cm deep into the soil, after which the soil must be loosened.
Beet seedlings grow densely because each seed is a group of fused seeds. To do this, the seedlings should be thinned out so that the shoots do not stretch out and the root crops do not become deformed. It is necessary to thin out very early.
The first time it is necessary to thin out when a pair of leaves appears, there should be a distance of 2-3 cm between plants, subsequent thinning is done after the appearance of 4-5 leaves, the distance is left at 6-7 cm.
In addition, clearing of weeds, harrowing is necessary as early as possible.
Before frost begins, the beets must be removed by carefully digging up the root crop, cleared of soil, removed leaves, the cuttings should be left no more than 1 cm. For storage, take root crops with a diameter of 7-10 cm.
Sort the beets in advance, dry them, put them in boxes, sprinkle with sand, sawdust or peat. Beets should be stored in a cool and well-ventilated place. Your question how and when to plant beets exhausted, continue to stay with our site and be informed in everything related to your garden.
