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Disease arises during the storage of potatoes as a result of pathogens introduced during growing and harvest of the tubers. In this study, the causative fungi of domestic potato dry rot disease were identified, and their pathogenicity was confirmed. A total of 76 species were isolated from 93 potato necropods collected from samples inoculated with dry rot disease. These 76 isolates were identified as Fusarium boothii, F. circinatum, F. citricola, F. foetens, F. iranicum, F. longifundum, F. oxysporum, F. pseudoanthophilum, F. solani, Botryotinia ranunculi, Clonostachys rosea, and Humicola nigrescens. The average size of the inoculation site was ≥ 4.6 mm in F. oxysporum and F. solani, which were pathogenic to dry rot in potatoes but were not pathogenic compared to other strains up to 5 weeks in a 15 to 20 °C and 99% RH environment. The pathogenicity of F. foetens and F. pseudoanthophilum was related to a strong relationship by forming a single system with F. oxysporum. However, except for F. oxysporum and F. solani, these strains have not yet been reported to be associated with dry rot disease. Additionally, the length of the cross-section and longitudinal section of the potato damage symptom inoculated with C. rosea increased the most among all strains. This suggests that C. rosea is the dominant species involved in domestic potato dry rot disease. By contrast, there are no reports of the involvement of B. ranunculi and H. nigrescens in dry rot disease. Therefore, these strains can be seen as parasitic using potato sclerosis as nutrients in in vivo experiments through wounds and are not directly related to dry rot disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is an important food crop that plays a pivotal role in preserving worldwide food security. Due to its polyploid genome, high heterogeneity, and phenotypic plasticity, sweet potato genetic characterization and breeding is challenging. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) can provide important resources for breeders to improve breeding efficiency and effectiveness. GWASpoly was used to identify 28 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), comprising 21 unique genetic loci, associated with sweet potato storage root traits including dry matter (4 loci), subjective flesh color (5 loci), flesh hue angle (3 loci), and subjective skin color and skin hue angle (9 loci), in 384 accessions from the USDA sweet potato germplasm collection. The I. batatas 'Beauregard' and I. trifida reference genomes were utilized to identify candidate genes located within 100 kb from the SNPs that may affect the storage traits of dry matter, flesh color, and skin color. These candidate genes include transcription factors (especially Myb, bHLH, and WRKY family members), metabolite transporters, and metabolic enzymes and associated proteins involved in starch, carotenoid, and anthocyanin synthesis. A greater understanding of the genetic loci underlying sweet potato storage root traits will enable marker-assisted breeding of new varieties with desired traits. This study not only reinforces previous research findings on genes associated with dry matter and β-carotene content but also introduces novel genetic loci linked to these traits as well as other root characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cold temperature storage (lower than 10 °C) has been used as a management strategy to extend marketability and reduce potato storage losses. However, cold temperatures may result in dark-colored chips through a process known as cold-induced sweetening (CIS). 'Dakota Crisp' and 'Dakota Diamond' are two North Dakota State University potato breeding program cultivar releases selected for cold-chipping ability with high tuber yield potential. Two-year storage trials were conducted to examine sugar development and tuber processing quality of four cultivars grown at three nitrogen rates under irrigated and non-irrigated field conditions. The two-way interaction between storage period and storage temperature was significant for sucrose content, glucose content, visual chip color, and Agtron values, indicating a difference in sugar development for each storage temperature profile. Among the four cultivars evaluated under both irrigated and non-irrigated production conditions, 'Dakota Pearl' accumulated significantly less sucrose and glucose compared to other cultivars under the same storage conditions. 'Dakota Crisp' produced acceptable chip color from 8.9 °C after long term storage, while 'Dakota Diamond' produced acceptable chip color from 8.9 °C for up to 6 months of storage. These results emphasize the importance of developing cultivar-specific management profiles including storage and the informational need for producers and processors in determining the best practices for individual cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potato is the fourth most consumed crop in the world. More than half of the crop is stored for three to nine months at cold temperatures (3–10 °C) for the fresh and seed market. One of the main causes of fresh potato waste in the retail supply chain is the processing of fungal and bacterial rots during storage. Dry rot is a fungal disease that mainly affects the potato crop during storage and is responsible for 1% of tuber losses in the UK. It is produced by Fusarium spp., such as Fusarium sambucinum and F. oxysporum, which can lead to the accumulation of mycotoxins in the potato tuber. Little is known about the impact of environmental factors on the accumulation of mycotoxins in potato tubers. Understanding the ecophysiology of these fungi is key to mitigating their occurrence under commercial storage conditions. Therefore, this work aimed to elucidate the effect of three different temperatures (5, 10, and 15 °C) and two different water activities (aw; 0.97, 0.99) on the ecophysiology and mycotoxin accumulation of F. sambucinum and F. oxysporum in a potato-based semi-synthetic medium. The mycotoxin accumulation was then studied in vivo, in potato tubers cultivated under organic farming conditions, stored for 40 days at 8.5 °C. Results showed that higher temperatures and aw enhanced fungal growth, lag time, and mycotoxin accumulation in vitro. Growth rate was 2 and 3.6 times higher when the temperature increased from 5 to 10 and 15 °C, respectively. Six different mycotoxins (T-2, HT-2, diacetoxyscirpenol, 15-acetoxyscirpenol, neosolaniol, and beauvericin) were detected in vitro and in vivo. T-2 was the most abundant mycotoxin detected in vitro, observing 106 ng of T-2/g media after 21 days of incubation at 10 °C and 0.99 aw. Due to the long period of time that potato tubers spend in storage, the fluctuations of environmental factors, such as temperature and relative humidity, could promote the development of fungal rot, as well as mycotoxin accumulation. This could result in important food and economic losses for the potato market and a threat to food safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sweet potato is an important food security crop, and the world market for this root is on the rise. Based on the physiological changes in plants in response to climatic conditions and fertilization, this study evaluated the effects of the growing season (rainy and dry season) and P2O5 doses (0, 50, 100, 200 and 400 kg ha-1) on total yield, marketable classes yields, as well as chemical composition of storage roots of two sweet potato cultivars. The storage roots yield was greater in the rainy season. The optimum agronomic and economic doses were 128 and 95 kg ha-1 P2O5 for the cultivar Canadense. Cultivar Uruguaiana did not respond to phosphate fertilization, but its storage roots had higher contents of dry matter, lipids, fibers, total and reducing sugars, and starch. Sweet potato cultivation in the rainy season with doses up to 100 kg ha-1 P2O5 increase root yield in marketable size classes in higher economic value and with higher carbohydrate contents. The results can help producers schedule the planting and harvesting of sweet potatoes throughout the year and contribute to the seasonal management of phosphate fertilizer application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Fungicides based on dithiocarbamates have been used to protect crops from fungal diseases for more than half a century. The purpose of this work was to show the potential impact of improper potato storage on the analysis of mancozeb and other dithiocarbamates. The resulting field samples were divided into two parts. The first part was subjected to sample preparation without violation of storage conditions. Sample preparation of the second part of the sample was carried out after artificially simulated storage violation conditions. The method for the analysis of dithiocarbamates is based on the acid hydrolysis of the sample with the formation of carbon disulphide and its subsequent analysis using GC-FPD. The results of the analysis showed the content in the experimental and control samples of a large amount of carbon disulphide, which is not a product of the hydrolysis of mancozeb. Thus, it is not possible to estimate the correct amount of mancozeb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fresh-cut sweet potatoes are popular among consumers for their freshness and convenience. However, rapid browning and oxidative damage under stress significantly degrade their storage quality. This study aims to evaluate the effects of citric acid (CA) treatment on maintaining the quality of fresh-cut sweet potatoes during storage and to explore the underlying mechanisms. Fresh-cut sweet potatoes were immersed in 1% (w/v) CA for 10 min, with water treatment as the control (CK), and stored at 4 °C for 8 d. Physicochemical parameters were evaluated every 2 d. After 8 d of storage, CA-treated samples exhibited significantly lower total colony count (3.34 lg CFU g−1), soluble sugar content (1.52%), and lignin content (2.62 OD280 g−1) compared to the CK group (P < 0.05), and better maintained color values. Additionally, CA treatment inhibited the increase in browning-related enzyme activities (phenylalanine deaminase, polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase) and the accumulation of browning products (total phenolics, soluble quinones), resulting in a browning index 8.15% lower than the CK group at the end of storage. The CA-treated fresh-cut sweet potatoes also exhibited lower malondialdehyde content (0.58 µmol g−1) and lipoxygenase activity (3.19 U g−1), while showing higher activities of antioxidant enzymes such as catalase and ascorbate peroxidase, and enhanced free radical scavenging capacity, indicating that CA treatment helps mitigate cutting-induced oxidative stress. In conclusion, our findings highlight the significant potential of CA treatment in preserving the storage quality of fresh-cut sweet potatoes and provide new insights into its regulatory mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

【Objective】The study was conducted to explore the changes in quality of different varieties of fresh sweet potato during storage, which would provide data support and theoretical guidance for the research of storage quality and scientific storage of fresh sweet potato.【Method】In the study, six fresh sweet potato varieties, ‘AN’ ‘G42’ ‘G87’ ‘G72’ ‘G79’ and ‘P32’ were stored at temperature of 18 (±1)℃ and humidity of 70 (±2)% for 60 days. The change rules of indicators such as rot rate, weight loss rate, dry matter weight, amylase activity, starch, soluble sugar, carotenoids and flavor during storage and correlation analysis of these indicators were studied.【Result】After 60 days of storage，the rot rates of ‘AN’ ‘G79’ and ‘P32’ reached 60.87%, 50.00% and 44.00%, showing serious rot; while the rot rates of ‘G87’ and ‘G72’ were only 12.50% and 8.70%. The soluble sugar content and flavor of six fresh sweet potato varieties increased with the extension of storage time, while the starch content decreased. The β-amylase was the main amylase in fresh sweet potato, and the β-amylase activity of ‘G42’ ‘G87’ ‘G79’ and ‘P32’ decreased by 30% to 50% during storage, while that of other varieties decreased by about 10%. In addition, compared with before storage, the carotenoid contents of ‘AN’ and ‘G42’ decreased by 17% to 23% after storage, while the carotenoid contents of the ‘G87’ and ‘G72’ increased by 22% to 36%. After storage for 60 days, there was no significant difference in carotenoids content between ‘G79’ and ‘P32’ compared with that before storage.【Conclusion】The six varieties of fresh sweet potato showed different storage characteristics during storage, among which ‘G87’ and ‘G72’ had a low rot rate during storage, and the storage period could be extended appropriately. ‘G42’ ‘G79’ and ‘P32’ began to rot after 30 days of storage and were not suitable for long-term storage. The flavor of ‘AN’ increased significantly after 15 days of storage, but extensive rot appeared after 45 days of storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Algeria, potatoes ranks second among the twenty main food crops. It's characterized by periods of overproduction corresponding to seasonal crops. Except these periods, supply tends to fall. In order for the availability of potatoes to be constant throughout the non-harvest periods, it is imperative to store the surplus production to ensure a constant supply during periods of unavailability of a new harvest. The storage of the potato must maintain a satisfactory quality and minimize losses and the postharvest development of bacteria and fungi. This work aims to identify and follow the evolution of pectinolytic Erwinia and Erwinia soft rot during storage at 4 and 10° C of two varieties of potato grown in Algeria, i.e. Spunta and Désirée. The results indicated the presence of three species of Erwinia: E. carotovora subsp. carotovora, E. carotovora subsp. atroseptica and E. chrysanthemi. Initially, for both varieties, E. carotovora subsp. carotovora predominates followed by E. carotovora subsp. atroseptica and finally E. chrysanthemi. During storage, the three species evolve almost in the same way and their multiplication is more important at 10° C than at 4° C, particularly on the Spunta. About the total bacteria, the highest levels are recorded on Spunta, especially at 10° C. In addition, the Erwinia spp. / total bacteria ratio showed that Erwinia spp. are very most abundant compared to the total bacteria. The assessment of soft rot losses has also shown that they are greater in the Spunta variety whether at 4 or 10° C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) The development of sweet potato storage roots is impacted by nitrogen (N) levels, with excessive nitrogen often impeding development. Starch synthesis enzymes such as sucrose synthase (SUS) and ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) are pivotal in this context. Although the effects of excessive nitrogen on the formation of sweet potato storage roots are well documented, the specific responses of IbSUSs and IbAGPases have not been extensively reported on. (2) Pot experiments were conducted using the sweet potato cultivar "Pushu 32" at moderate (MN, 120 kg N ha−1) and excessive nitrogen levels (EN, 240 kg N ha−1). (3) Nine IbSUS and nine IbAGPase genes were categorized into three and two distinct subgroups based on phylogenetic analysis. Excessive nitrogen significantly (p < 0.05) suppressed the expression of IbAGPL1, IbAGPL2, IbAGPL4, IbAGPL5, IbAGPL6, IbAGPS1, and IbAGPS2 in fibrous roots and IbSUS2, IbSUS6, IbSUS7, IbSUS8, IbSUS9, IbAGPL2, and IbAGPL4 in storage roots, and then significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the SUS and AGPase activities and starch content of fibrous root and storage root, ultimately reducing the storage root formation of sweet potato. Excessive nitrogen extremely significantly (p < 0.01) enhanced the expression of IbAGPL3, which was strongly negatively correlated with the number and weight of storage roots per plant. (4) IbAGPL3 may be a key gene in the response to excessive nitrogen stress and modifying starch synthesis in sweet potato. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poultry manure (PM) has demonstrated its potential to enhance crop nutritional quality. Nevertheless, there remains a dearth of knowledge regarding its synergistic effects when combined with wood biochar (B) on the nutrient concentrations in sweet potato leaves (Ipomoea batatas L.) and the mineral content stored in sweet potato storage roots. Hence, a two-year field trial was undertaken during the 2019 and 2020 cropping seasons in southwestern Nigeria, spanning two locations (Owo—site A and Obasooto—site B), to jointly apply poultry manure and wood biochar as soil amendments aimed at enhancing the nutritional quality of sweet potato crop. Each year, the experiment involved different combinations of poultry manure at rates of 0, 5.0, and 10.0 t ha−1 and biochar at rates of 0, 10.0, 20.0, and 30.0 t ha−1, organized in a 3 × 4 factorial layout. The results of the present study demonstrated that the individual application of poultry manure (PM), biochar (B), or their combination had a significant positive impact on the nutrient composition of sweet potato leaves and minerals stored in the sweet potato storage roots, with notable synergistic effects between poultry manure and biochar (PM × B) in enhancing these parameters. This highlights the potential of biochar to enhance the efficiency of poultry manure utilization and improve nutrient utilization from poultry manure. The highest application rate of poultry manure at 10.0 t ha−1 and biochar at 30.0 t ha−1 (PM10 + B30), resulted in the highest leaf nutrient concentrations and mineral composition compared to other treatments at both sites. Averaged over two years, the highest application rate of poultry manure at 10.0 t ha−1 and biochar at 30.0 t ha−1 (PM10 + B30) significantly increased sweet potato leaf nutrient concentrations: nitrogen by 88.2%, phosphorus by 416.7%, potassium by 123.8%, calcium by 927.3%, and magnesium by 333.3%, compared to those in the control (PM0 + B0). The same treatment increased the concentration of sweet potato root storage minerals: phosphorus by 152.5%, potassium by 77.4%, calcium by 205.5%, magnesium by 294.6%, iron by 268.4%, zinc by 228.6%, and sodium by 433.3%, compared to the control. The highest application rate of poultry manure at 10.0 t ha−1 and biochar at 30.0 t ha−1 yielded the highest economic profitability in terms of gross margin (44,034 US$ ha−1), net return (30,038 US$ ha−1) and return rate or value-to-cost ratio (VCR) (263). The results suggested that the application of poultry manure at 10 t ha−1 and biochar at 30 t ha−1 is economically profitable in the study areas and under similar agroecological zones and soil conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Blackheart is one of the most common physiological diseases in potatoes during storage. In the initial stage, black spots only occur in tissues near the potato core and cannot be detected from an outward appearance. If not identified and removed in time, the disease will seriously undermine the quality and sale of the-entire batch of potatoes. There is an urgent need to develop a method for early detection of blackheart in potatoes. Methods: This paper used visible-near infrared (Vis/NIR) spectroscopy to conduct online discriminant analysis on potatoes with varying degrees of blackheart and healthy potatoes to achieve real-time detection. An efficient and lightweight detection model was developed for detecting different degrees of blackheart in potatoes by introducing the depth-wise convolution, pointwise convolution, and efficient channel attention modules into the ResNet model. Two discriminative models, the support vector machine (SVM) and the ResNet model were compared with the modified ResNet model. Results and discussion: The prediction accuracy for blackheart and healthy potatoes test sets reached 0.971 using the original spectrum combined with a modified ResNet model. Moreover, the modified ResNet model significantly reduced the number of parameters to 1434052, achieving a substantial 62.71% reduction in model complexity. Meanwhile, its performance was evidenced by a 4.18% improvement in accuracy. The Grad-CAM++ visualizations provided a qualitative assessment of the model’s focus across different severity grades of blackheart condition, highlighting the importance of different wavelengths in the analysis. In these visualizations, the most significant features were predominantly found in the 650–750 nm range, with a notable peak near 700 nm. This peak was speculated to be associated with the vibrational activities of the C-H bond, specifically the fourth overtone of the C-H functional group, within the molecular structure of the potato components. This research demonstrated that the modified ResNet model combined with Vis/NIR could assist in the detection of different degrees of black in potatoes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a staple food widely consumed in Tunisia and represents a source of various secondary metabolites with human health benefits. However, cold storage of potato tuber affects their bioactive properties and functional quality. Despite the importance of this fact, few studies have examined the effects of extended cold storage on potato tubers quality. Therefore, the objective of the present work was to evaluate the effect of cold storage on the main quality traits of different potato genotypes grown in Tunisia. This investigation focused on four cultivated potato varieties including three commercial (Selena, Elbeidha, and Naima) and a selected clone CL27 grown under late cropping season conditions with planting at the beginning of autumn and a winter tuberization. The tubers from this trial were stored for 90 days at 8°C. The results obtained showed that quality traits of potato tubers were strongly influenced by storage at 8°C throughout 90 days. Additionally, disregarding the genotype, total carotenoids, phenolics, and flavonoids contents increased significantly following 90 days storage at 8°C. However, genotypic differences underlying the antioxidant activity in both hydrophilic and lipophilic fractions were detected suggesting their sensibility to cold storage. This study might be useful for breeders working on potato genotypes suitable for extended storage duration and for growers storing their material for extended period under low temperature. Core Ideas: The effect of storage varies according to the considered genotype.Stored tubers at 8°C for 90 days exhibited higher nutritional quality with respect to fresh samples.Appropriate storage can contribute to maintain high‐quality potato tubers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The roles of carbohydrate enzymes in cold-induced sweetening (CIS) and long-term tuber storage are not fully understood. This study analyzed enzyme activities in 'Lady Rosetta' (CIS-resistant and storable), 'Kufri FryoM' (CIS-resistant with regular storage), and 'MS/8 1148' (CIS-susceptible with regular storage) potatoes stored at 4°C for 0, 20, 120, and 150 days. CIS increased until 20 days, particularly in the basal ends of 'MS/8 1148.' Enzymes like sucrose synthase (breakdown), starch phosphorylase, and UDP-glucose pyro phosphorylase were positively correlated with CIS in 'MS/8 1148.' Starch levels were lower in 'MS/8 1148' at 20 days but increased in other genotypes. During extended storage, bound starch synthase and starch phosphorylase increased steadily up to 150 days, while soluble starch synthase peaked at 120 days. Sucrose phosphate synthase emerged as a critical marker for CIS resistance. Bound starch synthase and starch phosphorylase were identified as essential markers for long-term storage in potatoes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we present a comprehensive literature review of the potential impacts of climate change on potato storage. Potato preservation can help reduce food loss and waste while increasing long-term food security, as potatoes are one of the most important crops worldwide. The review's results suggest climate change can negatively affect potato storage, especially tuber sprouting and diseases in storage chambers. Lower Sielianinov coefficient values (indicating dry and hot conditions) during the vegetative season of potato growing can lead to earlier sprouting. For instance, a decrease of 0.05 in the Sielianinov coefficient during the growing season results in tubers stored at 3 °C sprouting 25 days earlier and tubers stored at 5 °C experiencing a 15-day reduction in dormancy. This is due to the fact that the dry and hot climate conditions during the vegetation period of potato planting tend to shorten potato tubers' natural dormancy, which further leads to earlier sprouting during storage. Furthermore, high Sielianinov coefficient values may lead to worse disease situations. The results also suggest that research about the impacts of climate change on potato storage is very limited at the current stage, and further studies are needed to address the key knowledge gaps identified in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The province of Ain Defla (Algeria) is known for its high potato production potential. However, many challenges need to be overcome, among them the deterioration of biochemical and organoleptic quality after harvest and during storage of potato tubers. Methods: A study was carried out in this context over two successive years 2019 and 2020, with the aim of determining the degree of physiological evolution of tubers of four potato varieties (Kondor, Bartina, Spunta and Atlas) through biochemical indicators, such as pH, acidity, dry matter, reducing sugars and starch, during cold storage at a temperature of 6-C±2 and for 60 days and 90 days. A qualitative analysis of acrylamide formation under the effect of temperature and frying time was carried out. Result: Kondor revealed the highest pH value before and during storage. A progressive decrease in dry matter and starch as a function of storage time was detected for all varieties studied, notably Spunta and Atlas. The Spunta variety showed significant amounts of reducing sugars during 60 days of storage. Acrylamide formation was intense at 160-C for 4 minutes of frying in both Spunta and Kondor varieties. However, Kondor showed greater resistance to enzymatic browning (acrylamide) than Spunta under the same empirical conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the anti-browning effectiveness of short-term high oxygen pre-stimulation (SHOP), supercooled (SC) storage, or combined (SHOP + SC) treatment for fresh-cut potatoes was explored by evaluations on surface color, texture, phenolic anabolism, membrane integrity, antioxidant capacity, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) balancing. Furthermore, enzyme activity ratios (EA ratios) were further proposed to assess the effect of SHOP on enzymatic browning, which were defined as ratios between defense enzymes, including peroxidase (POD), phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) or catalase (CAT), and attacked enzymes including polyphenol oxidase (PPO) or lipoxygenase (LOX). As a result, SHOP + SC treatment retarded the browning and delayed the softening of fresh-cut potatoes by inhibiting the activities of related enzymes, restraining the accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA), and promoting the synthesis of phenolic substances against their oxidation in potatoes. Besides, higher POD activities and lower BI were observed in SHOP + SC compared with SC, but PPO activities were non-statistically significant in both. At the early storage stage, the antioxidant capacities of fresh-cut potatoes treated with SHOP and SHOP + SC were enhanced, and the ROS accumulation was inhibited. Moreover, EA ratios and their changing amplitude of the SC group ranked top, followed by the control, SHOP, and SHOP + SC. Results suggested that the antioxidant capacity was reinforced by SHOP in fresh-cut potatoes due to enhanced resistance against membrane lipid damage resulting from mechanical cutting and persistent SC stimulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potato silver scurf, caused by the fungus Helminthosporium solani, is an important storage disease of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), reducing the market value of tubers. Using in vitro and in vivo assays, the presented experiments aimed to determine the effect of selected essential oils (EOs: α-pinene, carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde, D-carvone, eucalyptol, L-linalool, L-menthol, L-menthone, (R)-(+)-limonene, and thymol) on H. solani growth. All EOs inhibited pathogen growth, but their antifungal activities differed significantly. Thymol, carvacrol, and cinnamaldehyde had the strongest inhibitory effects on mycelial growth under in vitro conditions. (R)-(+)-limonene displayed the weakest inhibition. The effectiveness of those EOs with the greatest antifungal activity was confirmed by in vivo experiments. EOs were applied through dressing and fumigation, with EOs bound to a biopolymer for dressing. Dressing and fumigation brought a highly statistically significant reduction in H. solani infection intensity and sporulation intensity on tubers. Although EOs had an insignificant effect on potato cooking quality, the taste of EO-dressed tubers was degraded by an off-odor and off-taste. EOs could provide an ecological alternative for reducing H. solani tuber infection during storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potato is the fourth most consumed crop in the world. More than half of the crop is stored for three to nine months at cold temperatures (3–10 °C) for the fresh and seed market. One of the main causes of fresh potato waste in the retail supply chain is the processing of fungal and bacterial rots during storage. Dry rot is a fungal disease that mainly affects the potato crop during storage and is responsible for 1% of tuber losses in the UK. It is produced by Fusarium spp., such as Fusarium sambucinum and F. oxysporum, which can lead to the accumulation of mycotoxins in the potato tuber. Little is known about the impact of environmental factors on the accumulation of mycotoxins in potato tubers. Understanding the ecophysiology of these fungi is key to mitigating their occurrence under commercial storage conditions. Therefore, this work aimed to elucidate the effect of three different temperatures (5, 10, and 15 °C) and two different water activities (aw; 0.97, 0.99) on the ecophysiology and mycotoxin accumulation of F. sambucinum and F. oxysporum in a potato-based semi-synthetic medium. The mycotoxin accumulation was then studied in vivo, in potato tubers cultivated under organic farming conditions, stored for 40 days at 8.5 °C. Results showed that higher temperatures and aw enhanced fungal growth, lag time, and mycotoxin accumulation in vitro. Growth rate was 2 and 3.6 times higher when the temperature increased from 5 to 10 and 15 °C, respectively. Six different mycotoxins (T-2, HT-2, diacetoxyscirpenol, 15-acetoxyscirpenol, neosolaniol, and beauvericin) were detected in vitro and in vivo. T-2 was the most abundant mycotoxin detected in vitro, observing 106 ng of T-2/g media after 21 days of incubation at 10 °C and 0.99 aw. Due to the long period of time that potato tubers spend in storage, the fluctuations of environmental factors, such as temperature and relative humidity, could promote the development of fungal rot, as well as mycotoxin accumulation. This could result in important food and economic losses for the potato market and a threat to food safety.

Over the last decade, poor diets and limited access to nutritious foods have been critical drivers of micronutrient deficiency in human health. However, food fortification at an industrialized scale in developed countries has helped eliminate deficiency-related diseases. In developing countries, fortified foods and biofortified materials have been delivered to nutrient-deficient communities. While these strategies have produced significant and acclaimed results, reports from the Food and Agricultural Organization suggest that over a quarter of the world's population suffers from micronutrient deficiency. This implies that there are still declines in micronutrients in food products at different nodes along the food value chain (FVC). Hence, this study sets out to track micronutrient leakages at specific nodes of the FVC using potato household storage, processing, and consumption in the United States as a case study. The experiment was laid out in a full factorial design with three storage conditions (cupboard at (17.5–22.4 °C, 32.7–48% RH), refrigerator at (–1.8 – 0.89 °C, 37.5–66.1% RH) and ideal condition at (7.2–11.1 °C, 85.0–92.4% RH)), two storage times (2 weeks (±3 days) and 5 weeks (±3 days)) and three household processing pathways (boiling in water, baking at 204 °C, and frying in vegetable oil at 149–204 °C). Additionally, we explored the dynamics of optimal household storage and processing pathways by placing a high, low, or equal priority on environmental sustainability or nutrient retention. The results show that storing potatoes for 5 weeks (±3 days) and processing through boiling (in water at 100 °C), baking (at 204 °C), and frying (in vegetable oil at 149–204 °C) are associated with 33.5%, 40.3% and 15.0% greater nutrient loss than a similar processing scenario after 2 weeks (±3 days) of storage. Additionally, storing and processing potatoes after 5 weeks (±3 days) results in approximately 2.2 ± 0.7 times more damage to human health, ecosystem safety, and resource availability than storing and processing potatoes after 2 weeks (±3 days), averaged between the different storage conditions. Storing and processing after 5 weeks (±3 days) results in approximately 53.6 ± 10.3 times more damage to human health, species disappearing per year, and USD loss than freshly purchased and processed potatoes. Perhaps the most significant finding from the study is that storing potatoes in cupboards and boiling (BL-CP pathway) is optimal for achieving a sustainable healthy diet, as it yields the optimal combination of nutrient retention and low environmental damage. Insights from the study could be translated to support consumer decision-making as they weigh the value of environmental sustainability against nutrition in the context of household potato storage and processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potato is a major staple food around the world; some of this production requires storage. The need for storage is largely driven by climatic conditions which dictate when the crop should be planted and harvested. The objective of potato storage is always to keep the crop in its best possible condition throughout, limiting inputs and interventions to those that achieve this aim, whilst minimizing losses and wastage. Increasingly, the storage techniques used to provide a consistent supply of potatoes to meet demand have to be sustainable. This focus on efficiency is important as cost pressures increase. Strategically, for those who are now without CIPC in Europe, the loss of chemistry has re-focused their approach to storage. It is now necessary to consider the wider impact of multiple factors on storage.'Genotype x environment' interactions need to be better understood now that a major non-specific control (CIPC sprout suppressant) is not available. This genetic base is crucial to provide a good starting point with new varieties. Better natural dormancy and improved low temperature tolerance will reduce the need for chemical solutions and lower the risk from acrylamide. Risk must be understood better to forecast potato performance in store so crops can be identified in advance as having better prospects of delivering markets' needs. Having a 'one-size-fits-all' tool like CIPC allowed industry to lose sight of the holistic challenges of sustainability. The pace of development of storage solutions slowed, and it was easier to take a simple — but flawed — approach that relied on a single solution. Now that CIPC is no longer there, the European storage industry has some re-focusing and catching up to do. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a crop susceptible to infection by microorganisms such as Fusarium spp., which are usually controlled with chemical fungicides. However, these fungicides can cause adverse effects on human and ecosystem health. Thus, the search for non-toxic alternatives is essential to reduce the negative impact of fungicides. This study aimed to identify fungal isolates from potato minitubers that were showing dry rot symptoms and evaluate whether the combination of chitosan (CH) and sodium octanoate (SO) exhibits higher antifungal effects in vitro and in vivo than the application of individual compounds. Five pathogens of the Fusarium genus were isolated. The most aggressive isolate (AUC-TZ-1) showed 98.67% identity with F. sambucinum, which was previously reported as a potato pathogen. The antifungal index (AI) of CH, SO and the CH + SO biocomposite showed that individual compounds and the biocomposite led to significant inhibition (p ≤ 0.05) of the mycelial growth of the pathogen by 100%, 62.1% and 100%, respectively, at the highest concentrations tested (7.5, 0.49 and 7.5 + 0.49 mg/mL, respectively). However, only CH and CH + SO caused a significant reduction in the dry rot severity index of potato minitubers inoculated with F. sambucinum (AUC-TZ-1). The results suggest that these compounds could be used in postharvest potato dry rot control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide, potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the most essential agro-economically food crops. To ensure its presence throughout the year for food processors and to extend its shelf life, it should be stored in cold temperatures. Despite the benefits of storage at low temperatures, it causes undesirable phenomena; one of them is cold-induced sweetening, which reduces the quality and the commercial value of the potato tubers. In this study, the CRISPR technology ″Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats″ has been used in potato cultivar Desiree via Agrobacterium-mediatied transformation to edit starch phosphorylase gene that is responsible for starch degradation in cold temperature storage, after regeneration steps. The regenerated plants were used in the screening of genome editing by Sanger sequencing and the ICE program. Screening results showed that Desiree 2 (DE2), Desiree 7 (DE7) and Desiree 27 (DE27) lines have mutations in sgRNA sequence that indicated a significant reduction in reduced sugar contents of tubers after cold storage for 90 and 120 days. The reduction mean values were 29.224, 35.078 and 35.862 in DE2, DE7 and DE27 respectively after 90 days and 83.212, 56.674 and 34.109 after 120 days without visible differences in plant morphology and tubers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Potato, Solanum tuberosum, is one of the most important food crops in the world, playing a significant role in global food security. However, many potato industries and farms may suffer losses of tuber yield and quality in storage due to lepidopteran pests. Here, we evaluated the effectiveness of an ectoparasitic idiobiont mite Pyemotes zhonghuajia in the biological control of the potato tuber moth (PTM) Phthorimaea operculella by determining the lethal, sublethal (nonconsumptive) and transgenerational effects of P. zhonghuajia of various population densities and exposure durations on PTM survival, development and reproduction. RESULTS: Pyemotes zhonghuajia females were capable of killing all instar stages of PTM, while resistance to mite parasitism increased with the development of PTM life stage. The mortality of mature larvae (i.e., fourth instar) and pupae increased with increasing mite density and exposure duration. P. zhonghuajia imposed significant negative sublethal impacts on PTM pupation rate, female fecundity and adult longevity but not on immature development. The sublethal stress was transgenerational, resulting in lower reproduction in the offspring generation. CONCLUSION: P. zhonghuajia induces lethal, sublethal and transgenerational effects and significantly decreases PTM survival and reproductive out, demonstrating its high efficiency in the biological control of PTM. Our study provides insight into the mechanisms underlying the nonconsumptive effects of parasitism in an ectoparasite–host system and delivers critical information for the design and implementation of augmentative releases of P. zhonghuajia in the biological control of PTM in potato storage. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, bacterial endophytes were obtained from weeds of potato fields. Their antagonistic activity was screened against potato storage pathogen, Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum (Pcc) (JX029052), in the maceration assay. An endophytic strain, PC-2B was isolated from Convolvulus arvensis L. as a dominant weed of potato fields. In vivo application of this strain led to 58.8% reduction in tuber decay. This motile strain that can produce amylase was identified as Pantoea sp. using phenotypic features and 16S rRNA sequencing. Following PC-2B treatment, 56.7% Reduction in Disease Incidence (RDI) was obtained in preventative and 52% in curative challenges under semi-practical storage trails. Anti-Pcc bioactive compounds of Pantoea sp. was extracted and identified based on H NMR and FT-IR techniques. Two peptide antibiotics including Pantocin A and B with inhibitory effect against Pcc were characterized. These results might indicate that the tested Pantoea strain could be a promising candidate to protect potato tubers against soft rot disease caused by Pcc. However, large-scale complementary trials have to be conducted to validate these results before any recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary use of the potato is direct consumption. The classification of potatoes into consumption type is made on the basis of the consumption evaluation of hydrothermally treated tubers. Nutrient deficiency in the soil, including Mg, contributes to the inhibition of potato growth and development and negatively affects the cooking characteristics of the tubers. Magnesium and biostimulants are responsible for plant nitrogen management. Thus, it is necessary to control the content of harmful nitrates and toxic nitrites in tubers. In potato production, it is also important to maintain appropriate conditions during storage. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of mineral fertilization with magnesium and a biostimulant preparation during the cultivation of edible potato and long-term storage on the traits determining utility-consumption type and the content of harmful nitrogen compounds in tubers. The study was conducted using the early potato variety Satina. In a three-year (2015–2017) three-factor experiment: evaluation date (immediately after harvest and after six months of storage), soil fertilization with mineral magnesium (0, 30, 60, 90 kg MgO ha−1), the application of an amino acid biostimulant (0, 1.5, 3.0 L ha−1). Five consumption traits of tubers after cooking, determining the utility-consumption type of potato, were determined. In addition, the consumer safety of the potato was determined based on the nitrate and nitrite content of the tubers. The tendency to overcook tubers significantly depended on all the factors used during potato cultivation. In contrast, the texture and structure of tuber flesh after cooking depended only on mineral fertilization with magnesium. The flesh of the tubers after cooking was most tender (1.0 pt) and firm (1.4 pt) after the application of 60 and 90 kg MgO ha−1, respectively. The moisture level of the flesh after cooking was significantly influenced by the interaction of magnesium fertilization with the biostimulant preparation. The factors of the experiment did not modify the utility-consumption type (B/A), while there was a change in the type in relation to that specified by the grower—general utility (B). The applied cultivation technology and long-term storage did not deteriorate the consumer safety of tubers (<200 mg kg−1) in terms of NO3− (max. 112.1 mg kg−1) and NO2− (max. 1.08 mg kg−1) contents. Organoleptic traits: mealiness, moisture, and flesh structure were significantly positively related to the nitrate and nitrite content of tubers immediately after harvesting and to nitrite concentration after long-term storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This experiment was conducted to appraise the role of the curing phytohormone treatment and storage method in the postharvest microbial decay of ware potatoes during storage. The study was designed as a Split-Split-Plot Design (SSPD) in which the curing period was placed in the main plot, and the storage method and the phytohormone were put in subplot and sub-sub-plot respectively. Each treatment was replicated three times to form a 4 × 3 × 3 factorial experiment. Each treatment consisted of 20 potato tubers out of which decayed samples were counted for the calculation of percentage rot loss and identification of the causal agent, which was done fortnightly until the end of the storage period of 12 weeks. Temperature, relative humidity, and wind velocity were monitored weekly. All data collected were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using the GenStat Discovery Edition statistical software package. Means that exhibited significant difference were separated using Duncan's Multiple Range Test (DMTR) at p = 0.05 level of significance. The results of the analysis showed that the phytohormone levels had highly significant influence (p ≤ 0.01) on percentage rot loss. Although there was a significant interaction between the curing periods and phytohormone concentration, storage conditions (p ≤ 0.05) were observed throughout the storage period of 2–8 weeks. Fusarium solani, Rhizopus oryzae, and Aspergillus niger were implicated in the rotting of potato tubers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detection of potato surface defects is the key to ensuring potato storage quality. This research explores a method for detecting surface flaws in potatoes, which can promptly identify storage defects such as dry rot and the shriveling of potatoes. In order to assure the quality and safety of potatoes in storage, we used a closed keying method to obtain the pixel area of the mask image for a potato's surface. The improved U-Net realizes the segmentation and pixel area measurement of potato surface defects and enhances the feature extraction capability of the network model by adding a convolutional block attention module (CBAM) to the baseline network. Compared with the baseline network, the improved U-Net showed a much better performance with respect to MIoU (mean intersection over union), precision, and F β , which were improved by 1.99%, 8.27%, and 7.35%, respectively. The effect and efficiency of the segmentation algorithm were also superior compared to other networks. Calculating the fraction of potato surface faults in potato mask images allows for the quantitative detection of potato surface problems. The experimental results show that the absolute accuracy of the quantitative potato evaluation method proposed in this study was greater than 97.55%, allowing it to quantitatively evaluate potato surface defects, provide methodological references for potato detection in the field of deep processing of potatoes, and provide a theoretical basis and technical references for the evaluation of potato surface defects under complex lighting conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we present a comprehensive literature review of the potential impacts of climate change on potato storage. Potato preservation can help reduce food loss and waste while increasing long-term food security, as potatoes are one of the most important crops worldwide. The review’s results suggest climate change can negatively affect potato storage, especially tuber sprouting and diseases in storage chambers. Lower Sielianinov coefficient values (indicating dry and hot conditions) during the vegetative season of potato growing can lead to earlier sprouting. For instance, a decrease of 0.05 in the Sielianinov coefficient during the growing season results in tubers stored at 3 °C sprouting 25 days earlier and tubers stored at 5 °C experiencing a 15-day reduction in dormancy. This is due to the fact that the dry and hot climate conditions during the vegetation period of potato planting tend to shorten potato tubers’ natural dormancy, which further leads to earlier sprouting during storage. Furthermore, high Sielianinov coefficient values may lead to worse disease situations. The results also suggest that research about the impacts of climate change on potato storage is very limited at the current stage, and further studies are needed to address the key knowledge gaps identified in this study.

The metabolic processes of potato tubers continue after harvest and therefore interact with their storage environment. Consequently, the quality of tubers and their shelf life can be reduced by the surrounding environment in storage. Markets continue to demand competitively priced and an uninterrupted supply of tubers with an increasing expectation of high quality, using minimum economic input. So, quality storage at a low cost is needed to fulfil this market demand. Many studies on storage design and operation have been conducted to optimise the suitable conditions for potatoes. Half of the potatoes harvested in Turkey are stored in volcanic tuff storage facilities. However, there is limited information available on tuff storage design and operation. Thus, this study aimed to provide detailed information about tuff storage facilities, such as temperature and relative humidity values, used for potato tubers in Central Anatolia in Turkey. Also, the economic aspects of tuff storage facilities were covered in this study. Data collection revealed that naturally refrigerated tuff storage has the ability to store marketable potatoes properly from one harvest to the next without sprout suppressants and technical equipment for moistening and cooling. It has also been recorded that over two thousand volcanic tuff storage facilities in Central Anatolia provide cost advantages on an industrial scale to commercial companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complete mechanism behind starch regulation has not been fully characterized. However, significant progress can be achieved through proteomic approaches. In this work, we aimed to characterize the starch-interacting proteins in potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Desiree) tubers under variable circumstances. Starch-interacting proteins were extracted from developing tubers of wild type and transgenic lines containing antisense inhibition of glucan phosphorylases. Further, proteins were separated by SDS-PAGE and characterized through mass spectrometry. Additionally, starch-interacting proteins were analyzed in potato tubers stored at different temperatures. Most of the proteins strongly interacting with the potato starch granules corresponded to proteins involved in starch metabolism. GWD and PWD, two dikinases associated with starch degradation, were consistently found bound to the starch granules. This indicates that their activity is not only restricted to degradation but is also essential during storage starch synthesis. We confirmed the presence of protease inhibitors interacting with the potato starch surface as previously revealed by other authors. Starch interacting protein profiles of transgenic tubers appeared differently from wild type when tubers were stored under different temperatures, indicating a differential expression in response to changing environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carotenoids are secondary metabolites that are synthesized and stored in all types of plant plastids. These pigments play a significant role in protection against oxidative stress, as well as in the coloration of flowers and sink organs. The tubers of potato Solanum tuberosum L. synthesize carotenoids, including during post-harvest storage. In this study, we analyze the expression of carotenoid biogenesis pathway genes (PSY1, PSY2, PSY3, PDS, ZDS, Z-ISO, CRTISO, LCYB1, LCYB2, LCYE, VDE, ZEP, NSY, NCED1, NCED2, and NCED6), as well as genes putatively involved in the initiation of chromoplast differentiation (OR1 and OR2) in the dynamics of the long-term cold storage (September, February, April) of tubers of potato cultivars Barin, Utro, Krasavchik, Severnoe siyanie, and Nadezhda. It is shown that OR1 and OR2 mRNAs are present in tubers of all cultivars at all stages of storage. The expression profile of all analyzed carotenoid biosynthesis genes during tuber storage is characterized by a significant decrease in transcript levels in February compared to September, with some exceptions. During the period from February to April, the level of gene transcripts changes insignificantly. Biochemical analysis of the carotenoid content in the dynamics of cold storage shows that at the time of harvesting, the highest carotenoid content is in tubers of the cv. Utro; tubers of other cultivars are characterized by a similar amount of carotenoids. During storage from September to April, the total carotenoids changed in a genotype-dependent manner without any trend common to all cultivars. In general, the activity of most genes of the carotenoid metabolism pathway during the long-term cold storage of tubers is characterized for the first time, which significantly complements the known data on the expression response of these genes to abiotic stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Storage of potato tubers is an essential stage of the supply chain, from farm to consumer, to efficiently match supply and demand. However, the quality and yield of potatoes are influenced by physiological changes during storage. Methods. This study tested the physiological and biochemical indices in three potato varieties (YunSu 108, YunSu 304 and YunSu 306) during their dormancy periods. Results. Three potato varieties with different dormancy periods were used to follow changes in starch, protein and several enzymes during storage. The starch and sugar content of the long-dormant variety (YunSu 108, LDV) were stable, whereas those of the short-dormant variety (YunSu 306, SDV) were variable. Starch synthase activity in the three varieties was initially high, then decreased; the starch content of LDV was relatively stable, that of the medium-dormant variety (YunSu 304, MDV) increased with storage time and peaked at sprouting, and that of SDV was low but variable. The sucrose synthase activity of LDV was significantly higher (p < 0:05) than MDV and SDV in the middle storage period. Two spikes were observed in the invertase activity of SDV, whereas those of MDV and LDV were stable. The reducing sugar content of LDV increased significantly before sprouting, that of MDV slowly decreased and that of SDV dropped sharply. During the whole storage period, pectinase activity in LDV did not change significantly, whereas pectinase in MDV and SDV decreased. The cellulase and protein contents initially increased and then decreased in LDV, and steadily decreased in MDV and SDV. Conclusion. The metabolic indices related to starch and sugar in theLDVwere relatively stable during storage, whereas those of the SDV varied greatly. SDV showed increased sucrose, reducing sugars and cellulose;LDVPCAplots clustered in the positive quadrant of PC1 and the negative quadrant of PC2, with increased protein, sucrose synthase and starch; MDV had increased soluble starch synthase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potato propagation through tubers and seed is an inefficient way of propagation thus we propose an alternative method in this study which is in vitro propagation. Plantlets were raised from True Potato Seeds (TPS) in test tubes containing 10 mL of Murashige Skoog (MS) medium. Subculturing was done after every 21 days and after four subsequent subculturing, when there was an adequate quantity of stock material, uninodal cuttings of about 3–4 mm in length were prepared from in vitro proliferated potato plants by excising leaves of 1–2 mm on each side of the node. Prepared uninodal cuttings were cultured on ½ strength MS medium for root primordia development. The selected uninodal cuttings with root primordia were encapsulated with sodium alginate solution (3.5% (w/v), mixed with 1.25% charcoal and different concentration of fungicide (thiophanate methyl, sigma) to enhance the viability percentage of synthetic seed. Furthermore, these encapsulated uninodal cuttings were subjected to different storage intervals to check maximum storage. Results showed that optimum dose for fungicide is 150 mg/L as it resulted in good viability percentage, shoot number, shoot length, rooting percentage, root number, root length and ideal for bead formation with sodium alginate. Similarly, results revealed that encapsulated uninodal cuttings can be stored at a temperature of 4°C up to 45 days with a survival rate of 63.33%. Encapsulated uninodal cutting stored for 60 days showed a poor viability percentage of about 43.03%. It can be concluded that optimum dose of 150 mg/L with storage time of 45 days should be used to get a better outcome for synthetic potato seed production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genotype and abscisic acid (ABA) interaction on tuber dormancy and sprouting were studied in the tubers of eleven potato genotypes during ambient storage. Tubers were harvested and hardened for ten days in the fields. Tuber weights were measured. Tubers were then stored after three treatments: 1) untreated tubers as such; 2) tubers treated with ABA solution, 3) tubers treated with water. During storage, dormancy length was measured. The longest sprout length and sprout numbers were measured at 30, 37, 42, 45, 50 and 60 d after storage. Tuber rottage was measured at 72 d after storage. Results found tubers of Lady Rosetta and Kufri Sindhuri having low tuber weights and longer dormancy duration while lesser sprouting and rottage compared to other genotypes. ABA treatment increased dormancy duration in Lady Rosetta, Kufri Neelkanth, Kufri Frysona, and Kufri Sindhuri. ABA treatment reduced sprouting in Kufri Neelkanth, Kufri Frysona, Kufri Chipsona 1, Kufri Ganga, Lady Rosetta, MP/06 39 and MS/8 1148. ABA treatment decreased rottage in Kufri Pukhraj, Kufri FryoM, Kufri Frysona, MS/8 1148, Kufri Neelkanth, Kufri Chipsona 1 and Kufri Sindhuri. Results indicated that tubers of Lady Rosetta and Kufri Sindhuri could be storable at ambient temperature compared to other genotypes. ABA treatment of tubers may improve tuber storage under ambient conditions in potato. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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For the preparation of potato powder, potatoes of three varieties (Kufri Chipsona-2, Kufri Chipsona-1 and Kufri Bahar) were washed with fresh water to remove the adhering soil particles and peeled manually with the help of stainless steel peeler. Peeled potatoes were cut into 2 mm thick slices using hand-operated stainless steel slicer. The slices were pre-treated with 2 ppm solution of potassium metabisulphite (KMS) by dipping for 15 minutes. These were also pre-treated with hot water blanching at 80-85°C temperature for 3 minutes. Slices were dried in a tray drier at 50, 60, 70 and 80°C. After drying, samples were cooled at room temperature and ground to make potato powder for further study. The moisture content of flour prepared from KMS-treated slices was found to be little higher as compared to the flour of hot water-blanched slices. The moisture content of flour increased significantly during storage, irrespective of pre-treatment and potato cultivars. The total plate count (TPC) of the flour prepared from KMS-treated slices was found to be lower than those of the hot water-blanched and control slices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigations were conducted to study the drying characteristics of potato slices prepared from three varieties of potato viz Kufri Chipsona-2, Kufri Chipsona-1 and Kufri Bahar. Potato slices samples of 500 g each were dried at 50, 60, 70 and 80oC in tray dryer. The initial moisture content of potato slices was determined as 309.83 per cent (Kufri Chipsona-2), 346.42 per cent (Kufri Chipsona-1) and 468.18 per cent (Kufri Bahar) on dry weight basis. The slices took 160 to 350 min drying time depending upon drying temperature, pre-treatments and potato varieties. The samples dried at lower temperature (50°C) took higher drying time to achieve the final moisture content as compared to those dried at higher temperature (80#176;C) irrespective of potato varieties and pre-treatments. The total drying time required to achieve the final moisture content was dependent upon potato varieties, pre-treatments and the drying temperature. The potato varieties having higher initial moisture content took higher drying time as compared to those with lower initial moisture content. The potato slices having lowest dry matter content exhibited little higher final moisture content at a particular temperature. The final moisture content of hot water-blanched potato slices was found to be little higher as compared to KMS-treated potato slices and control samples at the same drying temperature and drying time irrespective of potato cultivars. Total moisture loss increased with increase in drying temperature. The total moisture loss was highest in case of potato slices of Kufri Bahar, while the lowest in case of Kufri Chipsona-2, irrespective of the drying temperature and pre-treatments. The maximum moisture loss of 99.91 per cent was recorded in case of KMS-treated slices (KufriBahar) dried at 80#176;CC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a staple crop, potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) play an important role in meeting daily caloric needs. To ensure adequate supplies for year-round consumption, potato quality must be maintained throughout lengthy storage periods. Towards this end, potato sprouting during storage must be minimized. Due to changing regulations regarding chemical means of potato sprout suppression, increased focus has turned to alternative products including essential oils (EO) as sprout suppressants in recent years. The complex composition of various EOs promises numerous options for sprout suppression. Furthermore, blends of several EOs may achieve enhanced sprout suppressant properties if synergistic interactions are present. We evaluated Syzygium aromaticum, Artemisia herba-alba, and Laurus nobilis EOs and blends thereof as sprout suppressants in potato cultivar Ranger Russet stored at room temperature and also tested for their antifungal activity against Colletotrichum fragariae, a causal organism of anthracnose disease in strawberries including other vegetables and fruits. A. herba-alba EO was an effective sprout suppressant when used alone and suppressed sprouting over the 90-day storage period. Interactions between A. herba-alba and S. aromaticum affected sprout length whereas interactions between A. herba-alba and L. nobilis EOs affected sprout number. An optimum blend of 50% - 82.31% A. herba-alba, 17.69% - 50% L. nobilis, and 0% - 1.01% S. aromaticum EOs could more effectively minimize tuber sprout length and number than any of the three whole EOs used alone. Among these three EOs, only S. aromaticum EO showed antifungal activity against C. fragariae in bioautography assay. These results exhibit the potential of EOs blends as a novel tactic in potato sprout suppression as well as potential natural product-based fungicides in managing C. fragariae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stress factors occurring during the growing season and potato storage, can negatively affect the quality of tubers, including an increased tendency to enzymatic darkening. Abiotic stress due to water shortage is a major factor limiting agricultural production. The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of cultivation technology based on the use of biostimulant, hydrogel and irrigation as well as storage on the propensity to darkening and the content of sugars and organic acids. The results show that genotypic and technological variability in interaction with growing season conditions had a significant (p < 0.05) effect on the oxidative potential (OP) of potato tubers. The Denar cultivar, compared to the 'Gardena', was characterized by a lower tendency to enzymatic darkening. Application of biostimulant and hydrogel generally contributed to lowering the oxidative potential of the tested cultivars. The application of anti-stress agents had no effect on organic acid content. The long-term storage caused an increase in the content of total sugars (TS) (22%), reducing sugars (RS) (49%), chlorogenic acid (ACH) (11%), and loss of ascorbic acid (AA) (6%) in the tubers which contributed to an increase in the oxidative potential of potato tubers (16%). The correlation coefficients obtained (p < 0.05) confirm the dependence of OP on the concentration of organic acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The freshly harvested potato tubers (Solanum tuberosum L.) of variety 'Kufri Chipsona-4' were cured for 18 days at 22 °C and 90% relative humidity. The cured potatoes were subjected to anti-sprouting treatments viz., hot water treatment [HWT] and Isopropyl N-(3-chlorophenyl) carbamate [CIPC] spray treatment. The treated potatoes were packed in nylon mesh bags and stored at 12 ± 1 °C temperature for a period of 120 days. The tuber samples were taken at a regular interval of 15 days for starch extraction and extracted starch was analyzed for physico-chemical and functional properties. It was observed that with the increase in storage period of potato tubers, there was a progressive decrease in the starch yield, purity, whiteness, amylose, syneresis, swelling power and solubility; while an increase was observed in the amylopectin, phosphorus content, water absorption capacity, light transmittance and peak viscosity of the extracted starch. On the 120th day of storage, the HWT (33.03%) and CIPC (28.09%) treatments had the lowest decrease in starch yield when compared to the control (44.23%). Throughout the storage period, the anti-sprouting treatments resulted in higher starch yield, phosphorus content, swelling power, solubility, water absorption capacity, light transmittance and peak viscosity of the extracted starch. The CIPC treatment was shown to be more effective than HWT and control at the end of the experiment due to higher starch yield (10.78%), swelling power (31.88%), solubility (27.23%), water absorption capacity (301.56%), light transmittance (39.33%), and low syneresis (27.40%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is an economically important food crop that is grown primarily for its edible storage roots. Several researchers have consequently been conducting studies to increase sweet potato yield, and an important aspect of this research involves understanding how storage root initiation occurs. Although significant progress has been made, several challenges associated with studying this crop have resulted in lagging progress compared to other crops and thus sweet potato storage root initiation is not clearly understood. This article highlights the most important aspects of the hormone signalling processes during storage root initiation that needs to be investigated further and suggests candidate genes that should be prioritized for further study, based on their importance in storage organ formation in other crops. Lastly, ways of overcoming the challenges associated with studying this crop are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potatoes inoculated with Pectobacterium carotovorum spp., Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger, along with healthy (control) samples, were stored at different storage temperatures (4 ± 1 °C, 8 ± 1 °C, 25 ± 1 °C) for three weeks. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were mapped using the headspace gas analysis through solid phase micro extraction–gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy every week. The VOC data were arranged into different groups and classified using principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) models. Based on a variable importance in projection (VIP) score > 2 and the heat map, prominent VOCs were identified as 1-butanol and 1-hexanol, which can act as biomarkers for Pectobacter related bacterial spoilage during storage of potatoes in different conditions. Meanwhile, hexadecanoic acid and acetic acid were signature VOCs for A. flavus, and hexadecane, undecane, tetracosane, octadecanoic acid, tridecene and undecene were associated with A. niger. The PLS-DA model performed better at classifying the VOCs of the three different species of infection and the control sample compared to PCA, with high values of R2 (96–99%) and Q2 (0.18–0.65). The model was also found to be reliable for predictability during random permutation test-based validation. This approach can be adopted for fast and accurate diagnosis of pathogenic invasion of potatoes during storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An appropriate planting density could realize the maximum yield potential of crops, but the mechanism of sweet potato storage root formation in response to planting density is still rarely investigated. Four planting densities, namely D15, D20, D25, and D30, were set for 2-year and two-site field experiments to investigate the carbohydrate and lignin metabolism in potential storage roots and its relationship with the storage root number, yield, and commercial characteristics at the harvest period. The results showed that an appropriate planting density (D20 treatment) stimulated cambium cell differentiation, which increased carbohydrate accumulation and inhibited lignin biosynthesis in potential storage roots. At canopy closure, the D20 treatment produced more storage roots, particularly developing ones. It increased the yield by 10.18–19.73% compared with the control D25 treatment and improved the commercial features by decreasing the storage root length/diameter ratio and increasing the storage root weight uniformity. This study provides a theoretical basis for the high-value production of sweet potato. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transcription factor IbbHLH2 has been identified as involved in the biosynthesis of anthocyanins in purple-flesh sweet potatoes. However, little is known about the upstream transcription regulators of the promoter of IbbHLH2 in terms of their involvement in anthocyanin biosynthesis. For this study, the transcription regulators of the promoter of IbbHLH2 were screened via yeast one-hybrid assays in purple-fleshed sweet potato storage roots. Seven proteins, namely IbERF1, IbERF10, IbEBF2, IbPDC, IbPGP19, IbUR5GT, and IbDRM, were screened as upstream binding proteins of the promoter of IbbHLH2. The interactions between the promoter and these upstream binding proteins were verified using dual-luciferase reporter and yeast two-hybrid assays. Furthermore, the gene expression levels of transcription regulators, transcription factors, and structural genes involved in the anthocyanin biosynthesis of different root stages of purple and white-fleshed sweet potatoes were analyzed via real-time PCR. The obtained results indicate that IbERF1 and IbERF10 are key transcription regulators of the promoter of IbbHLH2 and are involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis in purple-fleshed sweet potatoes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]