To achieve a suitable environment for the conservation of potato tubers, different storage systems with Potato cold storage technology have been designed, ranging from the simplest and most rustic to the most complex and sophisticated with a controlled environment or atmosphere. The factors that must be considered and that allow choosing the most appropriate storage system are many and varied.
The main factors include climatic conditions of the place, the number of tubers to be stored and the duration of the storage period, the objective of use of the tubers, and the financial resources available
Among the most common Potato Cold Storage Technology systems are:
1.OUTDOOR SYSTEMS:
They are the cheapest and consist of leaving the potatoes stored in the same plantation ridges, to storing them in heaps with special conditioning to protect them from rainwater and/or snow, cold, light, diseases, and pests.
The conditioning of these structures must also allow the expeditious exchange of gases and the breathing and transpiration water of the stored tubers. Outdoor Potato cold storage technology is recommended only for a short period (1-2 months).
2.UNDER ROOF BULK STORAGE:
The tubers of the same variety are scattered on a surface at a height no greater than 2 meters. A key aspect to keep the tubers in good condition is the implementation of a warehouse ventilation system to ensure the exchange of breathing gases.
Thus, for example, good ventilation can be achieved by placing a slatted deck on the ground that allows lateral air entry, or horizontal perforated round or triangular ducts can also be used that serve a similar purpose to that of the deck.
When vertical ducts perforated at a certain distance are also added, ventilation by convection (caused by temperature differences) can be improved, which is the most used system in warehouses for small and medium volumes of potatoes.
However, bulk storage can also be used for large volumes of tubers when you have a forced-air system that facilitates ventilation using pressurized air that moves through perforated ducts distributed among the stored potatoes.
3.STORAGE IN WINERY:
It consists of storing potatoes in special compartments or sections of the winery, which are located on one side or both sides of the interior of the winery, leaving a central circulation corridor for loading and unloading the tubers.
This Potato cold storage technology is a highly recommended system when working with more than one variety, with tubers of different sizes and/or categories, or when producing for different uses.
There is a great variety of warehouse designs and sizes, from small ones for property storage to large ones (30-50 ton.) In both storage and storage warehouses. The ventilation of the Potato cold storage technology can be achieved with implementation or equipment similar to that indicated for bulk storage.
4.STORAGE IN PALLETIZED DRAWERS:
It is a system in which the tubers are stored in large grooved wooden or plastic boxes, which in turn serve as storage structures and also for transporting the potatoes.
5. STORAGE IN TRAYS OR SHELVES:
This system is mainly used in the “pre-sprouting of seed tubers with diffuse light” before planting to shorten the development cycle, either to produce healthier seed tubers or in potato production. early or cute.
The pre-sprouting of the tubers with diffuse light allows faster emergence and also an acceleration of the development cycle of the crop, shortening it by around 2 weeks compared to the traditional crop.
The shoots emitted by tubers kept in the dark are long and etiolated. On the contrary, the shoots formed by tubers exposed to indirect light are short, thick, and vigorous, which allows a quick emergence after planting. In addition, pre-sprouted tubers produce more vigorous disease-resistant stems and roots, and the crop achieves higher yields and production quality.
