Desiccation and post harvest in potatoes
Syngenta offers Australian potato growers a range of solutions to aid in the desiccation of potato vines and provide protection against pests and diseases post-harvest.
The need for crop protection doesn’t end at harvest time. A 2011 UN Food & Agriculture Organisation report estimated that in most regions of the world about 40 percent of the root and tuber crop harvest is lost between field and consumer.
Potatoes are a relatively robust crop, but their journey from ground to market involves lots of mechanical handling, often over many months: transport, storage, washing and bagging. Every time a potato is moved, there’s a risk of bruising or skinning that could create an entry point for fungi or bacteria. These can then start a rot that spreads rapidly from one potato to another.
Desiccation of potato vines prevents late blight fungus on the vines from infecting the tubers, thus removing a potent cause of rot and waste in storage.
