OPTIMIZING WARE POTATO LONGEVITY AND SPROUT SUPPRESSION VIA NUTRITION MANAGEMENT DURING NON-REFRIGERATED STORAGE

In regions with subtropical climates, where farmers often cultivate small and marginalquantities of ware potatoes, storage at ambient temperatures is common, necessitating the use ofvarious storage techniques to prolong shelf life. Employing external substances that stimulate growthis one such method utilized to positively influence the quality of potato tubers during storage. Atwo-year field experiment conducted in Punjab, India, assessed the effects of farmyard manure (FYM),biofertilizer (Biof), and phosphorus levels on stored ware potato tubers. Results revealed that FYM(50 t/ha) application led to substantially lower weight loss (24.0-26.6%), rotting loss, and sproutingpercentages (ranging from 86.0% to 91.1% in Ludhiana and 87.5% to 93.4% in Jalandhar) compared tobiofertilizer (10 kg/ha), and the control. Additionally, although not statistically significant, phosphoruslevels displayed a consistent trend, with P200 (125 kg/ha P2O5) demonstrating the lowest weightloss and rotting loss values. These findings underscore the efficacy of FYM (50 t/ha) in enhancingtuber storage quality and market viability, highlighting the importance of organic amendments andphosphorus management in optimizing storage protocols for potato farming practices.