Post-harvest application of phosphorous acid aids in disease control in storage

摘要

Disease management in storage consists of using three major tools: temperature, humidity and airflow. Warmer temperatures promote faster breakdown from water rots, so curing and holding temperatures may need to be adjusted. Continuous fan operation and high airflow will dry out wet or problem potatoes, thus reducing the likelihood for further disease development. Simply exposing the soft rot pathogen on the surface of a potato to air for one hour will reduce the pathogen's viability by 90 percent.