Sprout suppression on potato: need to look beyond CIPC for more effective and safer alternatives

Abstract

World over, potatoes are being stored at [8][9][10][11][12]. This is the most common way of long-term (up to 6 to 9 months) storage of potatoes. The benefit of storing the potatoes within the temperature range of 8-12°C is minimum accumulation of sugars in stored potato tubers. In sub-temperate, sub-tropical and tropical countries of the world, short-term (3 to 4 months) storage of potatoes is being done by non-refrigerated traditional/on-farm methods. These short-and long-term storage methods keep the stored potatoes suitable not only for table purpose but also for processing. However, once the natural dormancy period of potato is over, the prevailing temperatures in these storage methods favour sprouting and sprout growth. Therefore, use of some sprout suppressant to check the sprout growth becomes essential under these methods of potato storage. CIPC [Isopropyl N-(3-chlorophenyl) carbamate] is the most wide spread and commonly used sprout suppressant on potatoes. CIPC has been in use for more than 50 years and research carried out over such a long period use of CIPC has not only enhanced our understanding of its properties and chemistry but also about the production and toxicological status of its metabolites/ degradation products. Today, various safety issues and concerns have surfaced primarily due to continuous and longterm use of CIPC. This review presents an appraisal on CIPC and explains the reasons for the long-time dependence on this chemical as a potato sprout suppressant. Issues like maximum residue limit and acceptable daily intake limit are being discussed for CIPC. This article brings an update on practical aspects of potato storage, residue levels of CIPC, efficacy of CIPC as sprout suppressant and health and environmental safety issues linked with CIPC and its metabolites. The aim of this article is to find possible solutions, way outs and future plans that can make the sprout suppression of potatoes safer and more risk free.

Effects of Wound-Healing Management on Potato Post-Harvest Storability

“…Burton [40] estimated that respiration of potatoes increases by 50% if sprouts reach 1% of tuber weight. It has been found that the sprout growth equivalent to 1% increase in the tuber surface area can lead to doubling of the moisture loss from the tubers [41]. In the second year of our study (2018), the start of sprouts growth (peeping) was observed from the sixth month of storage, which might be the reason for slight to medium increase of weight loss of all four varieties during the last stage of storage ( Figure 5).…”

A Simple Approach for Determining the Maximum Sorption Capacity of Chlorpropham from Aqueous Solution onto Granular Activated Charcoal

“…Therefore, storage is an essential post-harvest activity that must be undertaken by farmers in case the crop cannot be immediately availed to prospective markets. According to [3], storage of potatoes is associated with various challenges such as sprouting and accumulation of sugars. Consequently, there is a need to store the tubers under specific conditions to reduce loss.…”

“…Consequently, there is a need to store the tubers under specific conditions to reduce loss. While the produce is mostly stored at 8-12 • C (85%-90% RH) temperatures around the world, such conditions favor sprouting and sprout growth once the period of natural dormancy is over, hence the need for an effective sprout suppressant [3].…”

Persistence of Chlorpropham (CIPC) in the Concrete Flooring of Potato Stores

“…Assessment of CIPC in the fabric of a building previously used for storing potatoes is therefore now essential, prior to storage of other commodities, as the presence of CIPC may render it unfit for storage (Red Tractor Assurance b 2014). Also, the maintenance of accurate records pertaining to buildings with a history of CIPC use is crucial for preventing cross contamination of crops that have no clearance for CIPC (AHDB-Potatoes 2012), which is a recommendation that the Potato Industry CIPC Stewardship Group has supported since its establishment in 2008 (Paul et al 2016).…”