As the storage season stretches into its final months, the stakes get higher.
By now, even the best-maintained potatoes have been through months of dormancy, and natural processes are working against you. Sprouting pressure increases, weight loss accelerates, and disease risks rise. Late-season storage isn’t just about maintaining conditions—it’s about actively managing your crop to preserve quality and maximize returns. If you want to finish the season strong, these five strategies will help keep your potatoes in top condition until they hit the market.
1) Tighten Temperature Control to Reduce Sprouting Pressure
By late season, even slight temperature fluctuations can spell trouble. Warmer conditions accelerate sprouting, while overcooling can spike sugar levels, compromising fry color and processing quality. Precision temperature control matters.
- Dial in temperature stability: Even small shifts can trigger dormancy break.
- Monitor more frequently: Where possible, sensors should track temperature variations across the entire pile, not just in a few locations.
2) Fine-Tune Humidity to Combat Moisture Loss
Late in storage, moisture loss accelerates, costing marketable weight and impacting overall pack-out. But maintaining high humidity isn’t just about preserving weight—it’s also about managing disease risk.
- Target 95% relative humidity: This minimizes shrink while preventing excessive condensation.
- Keep ventilation in check: Too little airflow leads to moisture buildup and rot; too much dries out tubers.
- Monitor weight loss trends: A drop of even 0.5% in marketable weight can translate into thousands of lost dollars per storage unit.
3) Optimize Airflow to Prevent Late-Season Hot Spots
After months in storage, airflow patterns shift. Respiring tubers create warm pockets, while tightly packed piles restrict circulation—a perfect storm for disease and dormancy loss.
- Map out airflow distribution: Uneven ventilation leads to problem areas where sprouting and rot thrive.
- Reassess ducting and fans: Storage conditions in month five aren’t the same as month one—adjust as needed.
- Watch for high-risk zones: Corners, edges, and tightly packed areas often experience the most temperature variation.
4) Upgrade Your Storage Strategies
By late season, a traditional sprout inhibitor (ie: CIPC) may be wearing off. Sprout regrowth can start, reducing tuber quality and increasing handling losses.
- Think beyond suppression: The modern dormancy enhancer 1,4SIGHT doesn’t just inhibit sprouting—it also reduce respiration, slowing weight loss and supporting field-fresh quality.
- Time applications wisely: Not all products can be applied in late season. 1,4SIGHT volatilizes entirely away, so can be applied much later than CIPC. Late-season treatments should be precise and well-timed to maximize efficacy.
- Zap sprouts: if sprouting does occur, turn to 1,4ZAP. 1,4ZAP is a sustainable bio-chemical option that offers more than 95 per cent burn-back, even on sizable sprouts, alongside excellent safety and versatility. 1,4Zap can be used as a standalone or together with 1,4SIGHT to manage peeping and extend dormancy.
5) Ramp Up Monitoring
The final months of storage are when storage problems can escalate most quickly. Shrink, disease, and breakdown all accelerate in the spring if left unchecked.
- Increase inspection frequency: Late-season storage isn’t a “set-it-and-forget-it” situation.
- Use all senses: Off-odors, condensation, soft spots, or subtle texture changes can signal emerging problems.
- Act fast: If an issue arises—whether it’s temperature spikes, unexpected sprouting, or soft rot—immediate intervention can mean salvaging profit instead of taking a loss.
At this stage, reactive management is risky—staying ahead of problems is what separates profit from loss.
