General potato storage technology

Potatoes are one of the main food products, dishes from which are present on our table all year round. But in order for this tasty and healthy vegetable to reach our kitchen, it must not only be grown and harvested, but also stored from the time of autumn harvest until the next harvest. And for this, potato storage technology must be followed.

Potato storage technology is determined by the initial quality of the tubers. To increase their keeping quality, all protective measures should be strictly followed during the potato growing season.

Tubers should be harvested at the optimal time. First, early-ripening varieties are harvested, then mid-ripening ones, and lastly, late-ripening ones. 10–12 days before harvesting, it is necessary to remove the tops. For good preservation of potatoes, it is important that during harvesting, as well as loading and unloading, the tubers are damaged as little as possible, since damage makes them more susceptible to disease.

The most important technique for preparing potatoes for long-term storage is drying them. It is especially important for the preservation of tubers, which are kept in simple storage facilities with natural ventilation. Drying ensures potato resistance to infectious diseases (late blight, wet rot, etc.). As a rule, tubers are dried in a furrow for 1 to 2 hours. Their longer stay there, especially at night, on the contrary, reduces the keeping quality of tubers.

One of the most important stages of potato storage is the preparation of the storage facility, which consists of repairs, thorough cleaning of debris and remnants of last year’s potatoes, and whitewashing of the premises (two to three weeks before placing the tubers there). Copper sulfate diluted in a small amount of warm water is added to the whitewash.