No abstract

This chapter defines optimum conditions to minimize potato tuber dehydration and prevent sprouting over the period in a store and suggests various strategies to achieve these conditions. Topics covered include: how tubers create their own, largely beneficial, microclimate; crop temperature differences caused by tuber respiration; how sealed, insulated buildings provide optimum storage conditions; the need for within-store air recirculation; the use of ventilation with ambient air to cool potatoes; how potatoes cool; causes of condensation on the crop and the building structure; storage systems for different climatic zones; stores open to ambient air; assessment of different storage systems; dormancy duration at different storage temperatures; and specific requirements for pre-pack, processing and seed storage.