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Potatoes are a traditional vegetable for Russians. It is grown in almost every vegetable garden, and with the arrival of autumn, it is removed to the bins for long-term winter storage. But unfortunately, often potato tubers turn black during storage. And even seemingly healthy cut vegetables can have black spots. Why potatoes turn black during storage for many farmers remains a mystery that must be solved. Otherwise, the problem will arise from year to year, destroying the kilograms and tons of the harvested crop.
Why are there dark spots on potatoes (gray rot)
In the section of some tubers, you can see the blackening of the pulp. An example of such a change is shown above in the photo. This defect is a sign of gray rot of tubers. It can arise for a variety of reasons. As a rule, they are associated with a violation of the storage of vegetables or transportation. Experts identify 6 main reasons why potatoes turn black inside during storage:
Unbalanced soil composition
Many gardeners, in an effort to get a good harvest of vegetables, add a large amount of organic matter to the soil. It can be manure, herbal infusion or green manure. Such fertilizers contain a large amount of nitrogen, which accelerates plant growth and allows you to build up a large mass of tubers. However, it is the large amount of nitrogen that is the main reason that potato tubers turn black during storage.
This cause can be eliminated by proper fertilization:
- Fresh organic matter cannot be used for potatoes. It should be well rotted. This applies not only to manure, but also siderates.
- The introduction of manure into the soil for growing potatoes is allowed no more than 1 time in 2 years.
Focusing on the use of nitrogen, many gardeners forget about such an important trace element as potassium. But it is potassium that allows the tubers to ripen in a timely manner and be safely stored in the winter. So, to prevent blackening of tubers in the soil, it is necessary to regularly apply potash fertilizers.
Weather features
Potatoes prefer to grow in a moderate temperature and humidity environment. Fluctuations in these indicators negatively affect the quality of tubers:
- high temperature leads to overheating of the tubers;
- low temperature slows down the process of consuming nutrients from the soil, as a result of which small vegetables are formed;
- lack of moisture dries out tubers;
- excess moisture does not allow potatoes to breathe oxygen to the required extent, as a result of which various fungal and bacterial diseases and rot develop.
Each of these unfavorable conditions and their complex can lead to the fact that during storage the potatoes begin to turn black inside and lose their consumer qualities.
Untimely cleaning
You need to harvest potatoes from the field on time. Every experienced farmer knows this rule. Harvesting unripe crops and harvesting potatoes with the onset of frost can lead to sad consequences during storage:
- harvesting must be carried out in accordance with the characteristics of the variety. Harvesting unripe tubers too early will likely lead to blackening of the potatoes during storage;
- the potatoes need to be harvested from the fields before the onset of the first frost. Temperature even -10C can lead to freezing of the crop, as a result of which it will rot during storage;
- in warm sunny weather, potatoes cannot be stored in the soil for a long time after mowing the tops. Without access to moisture, it can overheat;
- bags of potatoes should not be stored in conditions with high air temperatures. Optimal mode for packed vegetables + 2- + 40FROM.
Timely harvesting of potatoes will reduce the likelihood of black spots appearing inside the fruit during storage by 25%.
Mechanical damage
During harvesting and transportation, potato tubers are often hit, which leads to mechanical damage, bruises. The pulp in the deformed areas of the fruit can change color during storage. It is also important to remember that damaged areas of the skin are "gates" for various viruses, fungi, bacteria, which can provoke, among other things, putrefactive diseases of the root crop.
A lot of pressure on the lower layers of the potato can cause black spots to appear inside the fruit.
Storage violation
You can store potatoes in a cellar or basement with a temperature of + 1- + 40C. Long-term storage of tubers at a temperature of 0 ... -10C leads to the appearance of sweetness in the taste and the formation of dark spots inside the pulp. Too high storage temperature (more than +50) leads to rapid germination of tubers and the appearance of gray rot.
It is necessary to control the temperature in the storage regularly, however, special attention should be paid to this indicator in autumn and spring, when there is a change of seasons. You can regulate the temperature by opening (closing) the shower enclosures, ventilation, placing bottles with cold (hot) water around the perimeter of the room.
You can find out in more detail about all the features of storing potatoes from the video:
Infectious diseases
A disease such as black leg can affect not only the tops, but also the potato tubers. Moreover, the first symptoms of infection can appear only during storage of the crop. A symptom of the disease is rot, which quickly spreads from the stolon to the center of the tuber, covering the entire fruit. At the same time, rotting fruits exude an unpleasant characteristic odor. This black rot inside the potato is different from the normal gray spot. Its peculiarity is the rapid spread inside one tuber and infection near the located vegetables.
It should be noted that most often potatoes turn black if they contain a large amount of starch. So, slightly blackened flesh is the norm for some varieties of potatoes.
Conclusion
To prevent the potatoes from turning black during storage, it is necessary to strictly follow the rules for growing crops and ensure an optimal microclimate in the cellar. For preventive purposes, it is necessary to apply potash fertilizers to the soil at a late stage of the growing season of plants. It is possible to smooth out the negative impact of weather conditions during cultivation if you do timely loosening of the soil, weeding, and hilling of plants. With the utmost effort and attention, it will probably be possible not only to grow a good harvest of potatoes, but also to preserve it without loss of quality until late spring.
