Internal sprouting of potatoes

Summary

• 1. Internal sprouting had been a problem in commercial storages with chipping potatoes prior to the use of CIPC.

• 2. Marginal dosages of CIPC did not increase the susceptibility of potatoes to internal sprouting. As the dosage of CIPC was increased, internal sprouting decreased. Check treatments always had the highest level of internal sprouting. Contaminated checks had less internal sprouting than non-contaminated checks indicating that even contamination levels of treatment tended to decrease the susceptibility.

• 3. The most important factor involved in internal sprouting was storage temperature. The same storage environment which leads to fast external sprouting and the need for an inhibitor is the same environment which gives most susceptibility to internal sprouting.

• 4. The phenomenon appears to be mechanically triggered. Whenever the pressure of a rosette eye or wall or adjoining tuber makes the line of least resistance for sprout growth through a tuber, there will be internal sprouting. Storage environmental factors which lead to one tuber indenting another accentuates internal sprouting problems.