Evaluating Ecologically Acceptable Sprout Suppressants for Enhancing Dormancy and Potato Storability: A Review

Postharvest losses are a key stumbling block to long-term postharvest storage of potato tubers. Due to the high costs and lack of infrastructure associated with cold storage, this storage method is often not the most viable option. Hence, sprout suppressants are an appealing option. In most developing countries, potato tubers in postharvest storage are accompanied by a rapid decline in the potato tuber quality due to the physiological process of sprouting. It results in weight changes, increased respiration, and decreased nutritional quality. Therefore, proper management of sprouting is critical in potato storage. To avoid tuber sprouting, increased storage and transportation of potatoes demands either the retention of their dormant state or the application of sprout growth suppressants. This review evaluates the current understanding of the efficacy of different sprout suppressants on potato storability and the extension of potato shelf-life. We also consider the implications of varied study parameters, i.e., cultivar, temperature, and method of application, on the outcomes of sprout suppressant efficacies and how these limit the integration of efficient sprout suppression protocols.

Effect of Storage Temperature and Postharvest Tuber Treatment with Chemical and Biorational Inhibitors on Suppression of Sprouts During Potato Storage

Consumption of ware potatoes in the tropics may be enhanced by storage under conditions that inhibit sprouting, most important of which is the temperature. The effects of storage temperatures (10 °C and 23 °C) and two alternatives to the chlorpropham (CIPC): 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene (DMN) and peppermint oil (PMO), a biorational inhibitor, were evaluated for tuber sprout suppression at postharvest. Tubers of three cultivars – ‘Asante’, ‘Kenya Mpya’, and ‘Shangi’ – with different dormancy lengths were assessed. Storage temperatures and suppressant effects on tuber sprouting, sprout length and sprout numbers per tuber were investigated in replicated storage experiments. Significant differences in sprout inhibition were observed between the two temperatures with suppressive effects higher at 10 °C than in 23 °C. CIPC had the greatest suppressive effect on tuber sprout inhibition at both temperatures. After 24 weeks of storage, the suppressive effects of CIPC at 10 °C was 100% on the three cultivars, whereas all the nontreated tubers sprouted after six (‘Shangi’), twelve (‘Asante’), fourteen (‘Kenya Mpya’) weeks of storage. At 23 °C, the effectiveness of CIPC followed the dormancy period of the cultivars, with ‘Shangi’ recording significantly more sprouted tubers followed by ‘Asante’ and ‘Kenya Mpya’. The inhibition of sprouting by DMN and PMO varied with storage temperatures and cultivars, but were significantly greater than the nontreated tubers. At 10 °C, the effectiveness of DMN treatment was equal to that of CIPC for ‘Kenya Mpya’ resulting in 100% inhibition. In the PMO treatments, complete inhibition of sprouting was observed for 18 weeks on cultivars ‘Asante’, ‘Kenya Mpya’ and 14 weeks on ‘Shangi’. At 23 °C, PMO suppressed sprouts for 14 weeks on ‘Asante’ and ‘Kenya Mpya’ and on ‘Shangi’ for 8 weeks. Storage temperature effects on sprout length and numbers varied with inhibitor type and cultivar. These findings showed that in potato tuber storage, inhibitors can replace low temperature but to an extent depending on the cultivar dormancy character and storage length, thus enabling greater consumption of potatoes in tropical regions.

The Effect of Essential Oil Formulations for Potato Sprout Suppression

The concerns over safety and environmental impact of synthetic pesticides such as chlorpropham (CIPC) has stimulated interest in finding environmentally benign, natural sprout suppressants, including essential oils. The effects of Chenopodium ambrosioides and Lippia multiflora essential oils on sprout growth and decay of stored potatoes has been investigated. Formulations of essential oils with alumina, bentonite, or kaolin, both with and without Triton X-100 additive, were tested. These formulations have been compared to the pulverized plant materials themselves as well as wick-volatilized essential oils. The results showed that the tested oils possess compositions that make them suitable for application as sprout suppressants. Additionally, the formulation seems to be able to reduce the volatility of the essential oil and artificially extend dormancy of stored potatoes.