Tuber Sprouting Management Challenges and Solutions
Potatoes are typically stored at temperatures ranging from 8 to 12 degrees Celsius. This is the most common method of long-term (up to six to nine months) potato storage.
The advantage of storing potatoes at temperatures ranging from 8 to 12 degrees Celsius is that sugar accumulation in stored potato tubers is minimized.
Short-term (three to four months) storage of potatoes is done by non-refrigerated traditional/on-farm methods in sub-temperate, sub-tropical, and tropical countries worldwide.
These short- and long-term storage methods keep potatoes safe not only for consumption but also for processing. However, once the potato’s natural dormancy period is over, the temperatures in these storage methods favor sprouting and sprout growth.
When it comes to cold storage, due to the high costs and lack of infrastructure associated with it, this storage method is often not the most viable option. That’s why sprout suppressants are an appealing option. In most developing countries, potato tubers in post-harvest storage are accompanied by a rapid decline in the potato tuber quality due to the physiological process of sprouting. It results in weight changes, increased respiration, and decreased nutritional quality.
Therefore, proper management of sprouting is critical in potato storage. To avoid tuber sprouting, prolonged storage and transportation of potatoes demand either the retention of their dormant state or the application of sprout growth suppressants.
Life After CIPC
With the ban on CIPC, potato storages must comply with the new regulations that exclude chlorpropham from use in the European Union (EU). Fortunately, there are alternatives. One of these is ethylene gas, which suppresses cell elongation, called anti-sprout control. When using ethylene, virtually no chemicals are added, just a 100% natural growth blockage due to the store’s ethylene concentration.
One of the companies that have pioneered sprout control using ethylene gas is Restrain, which offers a popular ethylene-based sprout inhibitor, using ethylene prevents many of these problems. According to Adrian Briddon, technical manager at Restrain, potato growers are the company’s direct customers.
You can read the rest of this article in your complimentary e-copy of Issue 3 of Potato Business Digital 2022 magazine, which you can access by clicking here.
