My stored potatoes turn green and start sprouting, and I lose weight and quality. How do I reduce these losses?
How to prevent greening and sprouting losses in stored potato (aloo)?
DDevendra Singh6mo ago · 281 views
4 Answers
🌾Farmer.in Krishi TeamExpert ✓6mo ago
Greening and sprouting are two different problems with two different causes. Greening comes from light exposure, which turns the skin green and bitter and makes those tubers unfit for sale, so keep ware potatoes out of light in a dark, covered store and never spread them in the open sun. Sprouting and weight loss come from warm storage, so for long holding, cold storage at the recommended temperature is the reliable answer, since farm storage at room temperature leads to heavy sprouting, shrinkage and rotting over a few months. For short on farm holding, keep tubers in a cool, dark, dry, ventilated place, remove rotting ones, and avoid bruising at harvest which speeds up rot. Seed and ware potatoes have different storage needs, so check your district KVK or cold store for the right conditions for your purpose.
JJagdish Sharma6mo ago
For short holding at home I keep the tubers in a dark inner room covered with gunny and dry straw, away from any window light. The covered heap stopped the greening. But I do not try to hold them this way for more than a few weeks because sprouting starts as it warms up.
PPawan Kumar6mo ago
Bruising at digging was speeding up my rot and sprouting. I started harvesting gently in cooler hours and grading out every cut and bruised tuber before storing. The clean, undamaged ones held far better than a mixed lot.
SSurendra Singh5mo ago
Work out whether the cold store rent is worth it for your lot. For ware potato I store only the quantity I expect to sell at a better off season price, and I sell the rest fresh. Paying rent and then facing a flat off season market once taught me not to store everything.