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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Madison, Wisconsin » Vegetable Crops Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #292915
Title: Monitoring and predicting shrink potential and future processing quality of potato tubers

Author
item Bethke, Paul
item MILLER, BLAIR - University Of Wisconsin
item BUSSAN, ALVIN - University Of Wisconsin

Submitted to: American Journal of Potato Research
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/29/2013
Publication Date: 2/1/2014
Citation: Bethke, P.C., Miller, B., Bussan, A. 2014. Monitoring and predicting shrink potential and future processing quality of potato tubers. American Journal of Potato Research. 91(1):32-74.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Long-term storage of potato tubers increases risks, which are often attributed to shrink and quality loss. To minimize shrink and ensure high quality tubers, producers must closely monitor the condition of the crop during storage and make necessary adjustments to management plans. Evaluation procedures for assessing crop quality in storage are time consuming and labor intensive. We have begun to develop additional management tools to improve real time storage decisions and ultimately marketing strategies for stored potato crops. Ten fresh market, chip and fry processing potato cultivars are currently being evaluated for the influence of vine desiccation method, storage set-point temperature, and variety on total weight loss and tuber processing quality during long term storage. Additionally, relationships between potato tuber respiration rates and future processing quality across each of these treatments are being evaluated. Six months after harvest, total weight loss across all cultivars and set-point temperatures ranged from 2.96% to 6.86%. Changes in dry matter content were also evaluated and a maximum increase of 2.96% in dry matter content was observed six months post harvest. Respiration rates are being quantified on the same set of materials to assess relationships between tuber weight loss, dry matter content and processing quality. By developing post-harvest modeling tools, producers and user of potato products will be able to make efficient assessments of crop storage status and predict changes in crop quality based upon variety and storage conditions. (Graduate Student Competition, Production and Management, PAA Membership #1320).