STORAGE BEHAVIOUR AND PROCESSING QUALITY OF POTATOES STORED IN HEAPS AND PITS IN THE MALWA REGION (MP)*

Abstract

Heap and pit!the two traditional methodS of potato storage in the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh were studied under on-farm conditions!The variation in the ambient temperature during the course of the day was 7°C, while the day-time, variation in the temperature inside heap, katcha pit and pucca pit was 0.5oC, 1.3°C and 0.8°C, respectively, indicating that these were relatively stable storage systems. The variation in RH was 2.2 to 6.7% inside the storage systems while it was 17% outside. The temperature inside lieap, katcha pit and pucca pit was lower than the ambient by 10.3°C, 10.SOC and 1l.6°C, respectively, and the RH was higher by 39, 36.4 and 42.9%, respectively. Sprout weight at the end of the storage period (3-4 months) varied from 0.4 to·0.8%. There 'was no significant difference in the weight loss which varied from 3.1 to 4.8%. While the weight loss was within the acceptaple limit, rottage was unacceptably high (10.4-21.4%) indicating that there is scope for reducing losses due to rottage and to increase the efficiency of these storage systems.