Contributions of Integrated Systems to Efficient and High-Quality Storage of Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L. Hermes)

Abstract

Irrigation and fertilization, particularly with nutrients such as potassium, phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium, have significant effects on potato tubers. In this study, the effects of different irrigation levels and fertilization practices on the yield and quality parameters of stored potatoes were investigated. The research was conducted as part of a 2-year trial (2019–2020) at the Application Field of the Yenişehir İbrahim Orhan Vocational School, Uludağ University, Bursa. Potato storage was carried out in a storage facility located at the Vocational School Research Field. Four different irrigation levels (I100, I75, I50, and I25) and three different fertilization levels (F1, F2, and F3) were examined for their effects on yield and quality parameters of stored potato tubers. During the 2-, 4-, and 6-month storage periods at temperatures of 8–10 °C and relative humidity of 95%, while some quality characteristics of the potatoes (tuber weight) decreased, others (dry matter content, starch content, protein content, oil extraction rate, chip yield, bioethanol content, fiber content) increased. It was observed that, in addition to macronutrients, micronutrients also influenced potato yield and quality.