Potato

ORIGIN OF POTATO

The potato, from the perennial Solanum tuberosum, is the world’s fourth largest food crop,
following rice, wheat, and maize. The Inca Indians in Peru were the first to cultivate potatoes around
8,000 BC to 5,000 B.C.

TIME HARVEST

First early potatoes should be ready to lift in June and July, second earlies in July and August,
maincrops from late August through October.With earlies wait until the flowers open or the buds
drop; the tubers are ready to harvest when they are the size of hens' eggs.With maincrops for storage
wait, until the foliage turns yellow, then cut it and remove it. Leave for 10 days before harvesting the
tubers, leaving them to dry for a few hours before storing.

PLACE THE PRODUCTS

Clean potatoes before storing them. You need only brush off the soil on potatoes grown in coarse,
sandy soil. But if the soil is fine, sticky clay, your potatoes may need washing. If so, be sure they are
completely dry before placing them in storage. Minimize tuber exposure to light while cleaning.

MATURITY INDEX

Potatoes are harvested when they attain sufficient size. Early varieties 57 to 100 days, late varieties
120- 160 days. Skin slipping from the tuber, starch content and leaf senescence or top drying are the
harvest indices.

FORMS OF PACKAGING

Commonly used packaging materials for potato are fibre mesh sacks, plastic film sacks, burlap
bagsTinted plastic bags are used to reduce light transmission to the tubersTubers in the transparent
film bags should be protected from direct sunlight to avoid greening of the tubersPotatoes are taken
in plastic crates for local market

MANNERS OF PUTTING TRANSPORT

Container transport Actively ventilated containers, open-sided containers, flatracks (for loading below
deck) Cargo handling In damp weather (rain, snow), the cargo must be protected from moisture, as
there is otherwise a risk of premature spoilage.Their high water content also makes them particularly
sensitive to bruising and they must therefore be handled with care.The required refrigeration
temperature should be maintained, even during cargo handling.

HOW TO DISPLAY THE PRODUCTS

Potato stocks should be placed on display in the order in which they were received. This should
prevent an accumulation of older potatoes which are more likely to lose quality through sprouting or
shrivelling (which can occur despite correct storage).