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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fargo, North Dakota » Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center » Sugarbeet and Potato Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #304158
Title: Potato tuber dormancy and postharvest sprout control

Author
item Suttle, Jeffrey
item CAMPBELL, MICHAEL - Pennsylvania State University
item OLSEN, NORA - University Of Idaho

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/26/2014
Publication Date: 3/1/2016
Citation: Suttle, J.C., Campbell, M.A., Olsen, N.L. 2016. Potato tuber dormancy and postharvest sprout control. In Pareek, S. Postharvest Ripening Physiology of Crops. CRC Press. 449-476.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: For an indeterminate period of time following harvest, potatoes will not sprout and are physiologically dormant. Dormancy is gradually lost during postharvest storage and the resultant sprouting is detrimental to the nutritional and processing qualities of potatoes. Because of this, sprouting results in severe financial loss to producers. Currently sprouting is controlled through the use of synthetic sprout inhibitors. The research being conducted in this project is directed towards: 1.) identifying key physiological processes that naturally regulate tuber dormancy and, ultimately, 2.) modifying these processes genetically thereby eliminating the need for artificial sprout suppression. In this invited review, the nature and internal regulation of potato tuber dormancy is described at the general, physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels. In addition, current technologies to control tuber sprouting in storage are described.