Harvest and storage

Test digs should include at least three plants per location, and be repeated across the paddock.

Harvest is where all the effort and expense that has gone into growing the crop finally comes to ‘tuberition’. It is where money can be made or lost, and where the grower finally, conclusively, finds out what has been happening under their feet.

In Issue 12 of PotatoLink magazine, key harvesting points in this article includes:

• How to grow a good crop

• Terminating the crop including chemical, electrical and mechanical means

• Skin set

• Factors that help reduce damage during harvest

Key storage points includes:

• Wound healing (curing)

• Respiration

  • Effects of temperature

  • Energy use in storage

  • Ventilation

• Temperature and cooling

  • Cooling methods

  • Effective storage

• Probe calibration

• Cooling potatoes