EFFECT OF CIPC TREATMENT ON POST-HARVEST LOSSES AND PROCESSING ATTRIBUTES OF POTATO CULTIVARS

Abstract

Considerable quantities of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) are transported to different consumer centers through out the country to avoid distress sale at harvest and also exported by sea to neighboring countries. Sprouting of potatoes during transportation and marketing is the major post-harvest limiting factor. Sprout inhibition treatment with a commercial formulation (Oorja, CIPC 50 % a.i., UPL, Mumbai, India) of isopropyl 3-chlorophenyl carbamate (CIPC) was evaluated for effect on post harvest losses and processing quality under ambient conditions in five commercial potato varieties immediately after harvest and after storage in conventional cold store (2-4^oC). CIPC treatment (15 and 20 mg a.i./kg tuber weight) significantly reduced sprouting, sprout growth and total losses in freshly harvested potatoes of all the five varieties up to 60 days after treatment. Whereas in case of cold stored potatoes, CIPC treatment was effective at higher concentrations (25 and 30 mg a.i./kg tuber weight) in only two varieties  up to 45 days. Nevertheless, the treatments could usefully extend the shelf life of potatoes under ambient conditions by 30 to 45 days depending upon the cultivar.

CIPC treatment significantly reduced the reducing sugar and sucrose contents and improved the chip colour as compared to control in both the sets of experiment. Freshly harvested potatoes of Kufri Chipsona-1 after CIPC treatment  can be marketed/exported  for use as table as well as processing potatoes, while other four cultivars were suitable for table purpose only. Whereas, the cold stored potatoes can be marketed only as table potatoes. The treated potatoes were safe for human consumption as the CIPC residues in all the varieties/samples, were well below the permissible limits.