By Lukie Pieterse, Editor/Publisher Potato News Today
Potato storage has never been simple. It requires discipline, technical knowledge and constant attention to a living crop that continues to respire, age and respond to its environment after harvest. But today, storage is becoming more difficult for a reason that starts long before the doors of the store are closed.
Climate change is reshaping the condition of the crop entering storage.
Hotter growing seasons, irregular rainfall, drought stress, waterlogging, heat waves, delayed harvests and shifting disease pressure are all affecting tuber physiology. Storage managers are increasingly being asked to preserve crops that may already carry stress before they arrive.
This changes the storage conversation. It is no longer enough to ask how potatoes are managed in the building. The industry must ask what the crop experienced in the field, how that experience affects dormancy and disease risk, and whether traditional storage practices are still adequate for the conditions now emerging.
The potato store is becoming a frontline climate-risk management system.
Dormancy is not fixed
Dormancy is often discussed as if it is a stable variety trait. It is not. Variety matters greatly, but dormancy is also influenced by growing conditions, maturity, temperature, stress, harvest timing and storage environment.
A crop produced under heat or drought stress may not behave like a crop grown under more moderate conditions. Tubers may enter storage physiologically older. Dormancy may be shorter. Sprouting may begin earlier than expected. Processing quality may become harder to hold. Seed potatoes may age faster than desired.
This matters because storage programmes are built around assumptions. Managers plan ventilation, cooling, sprout control, shipment timing and processing schedules based on expected dormancy and quality behaviour. If the crop breaks dormancy earlier, the entire plan can shift.
The industry should expect more surprises.
Sprouting pressure will require sharper management
Sprouting is one of the clearest ways storage value is lost. It causes weight loss, reduces appearance, affects processing quality, complicates grading and may force earlier movement of a crop. In seed potatoes, sprouting and physiological age can influence planting performance and crop vigour.
The post-CIPC era has already forced many storage systems to become more active and more precise. In Europe and Great Britain, the loss of CIPC changed sprout suppression from a relatively familiar chemical programme into a more complex management challenge. Alternatives can work, but they require careful use, good store conditions and a clear understanding of market destination.
Climate stress adds another layer. If tubers enter storage with shortened dormancy, sprout control tools must work harder. The store cannot be managed by habit. It must be managed according to crop condition.
That means better lot assessment before storage, closer monitoring during curing and holding, and more willingness to move risky lots earlier. Some crops should not be treated as if they can safely sit until late season.
Disease risk is also changing
Storage diseases are not new, but their behaviour may become more challenging under climate pressure. A wet harvest, high soil moisture, heat stress, damaged skins, bruising, immature tubers or poor field conditions can all raise the risk of breakdown in storage.
Disease management begins before storage. Seed quality, field history, rotation, disease scouting, harvest conditions, skin set and handling all influence what enters the building. Once disease is in the pile, the storage manager’s job becomes much harder.
Good ventilation, temperature control, humidity management and sanitation remain essential. But these tools are not magic. A weak crop can overwhelm even a well-managed store.
One of the most important future practices may be more aggressive risk sorting. Not all potatoes should enter long-term storage. Risky fields, damaged lots or crops harvested under poor conditions may need separate handling, shorter storage plans or earlier market movement.
The worst storage losses often begin with a false assumption: that all lots are equal.
Temperature, humidity and air movement are still the foundation
Despite all the talk about sensors and digital systems, the basic pillars of potato storage remain unchanged: temperature, humidity, air movement and sanitation.
Temperature management influences respiration, sprouting, disease development and processing quality. Humidity management affects shrink, wound healing and disease conditions. Air movement helps maintain uniformity, remove heat and manage gases. Sanitation reduces the pressure from pathogens and residues.
What is changing is the precision required.
A crop under climate stress may have less tolerance for poor uniformity. Hot spots, condensation, insufficient airflow, excessive cooling, poor humidity control or unmanaged CO₂ can all cause damage that is not immediately visible. The store may look calm from the outside while quality is quietly being lost inside.
The future store will need to be more visible. That means better measurement, better interpretation and faster response.
Data must serve judgement
Sensors, dashboards and automated controls are becoming more common in potato storage. Temperature probes, humidity sensors, CO₂ monitoring, airflow measurement and advanced control systems can provide valuable insight. But data alone does not manage potatoes. People do.
The goal should not be to replace experienced storage managers. It should be to support them.
A good manager can smell trouble, read a crop and understand the practical limits of a building. Digital tools can strengthen that judgement by showing patterns that are hard to see manually. Together, human experience and reliable data can reduce risk.
But there is a warning here. A storage system that produces data without practical guidance can create confusion. Growers and managers need systems that help answer real questions: Is this lot curing properly? Is temperature uniform? Is humidity helping or hurting? Is CO₂ accumulating? Is sprouting beginning earlier than expected? Should this crop be moved sooner?
Useful technology must lead to better decisions, not just more numbers.
Storage infrastructure deserves more respect
The potato store is sometimes treated as background infrastructure. That is a mistake.
Storage protects months of field investment. It supports year-round fresh supply. It gives processors raw material continuity. It allows seed growers to protect physiological quality. It helps reduce food loss. It gives growers marketing flexibility.
In a more unstable climate, storage becomes even more strategic. But many stores were designed for conditions that may no longer be typical. Energy costs, warmer harvests, higher cooling demand, sprout suppression changes and disease pressure may expose weaknesses in older buildings.
Insulation, ventilation design, refrigeration capacity, airflow distribution, control systems and cleaning protocols may all need reassessment. This does not mean every grower needs a brand-new store. But it does mean the industry should stop assuming that old systems can automatically handle new risks.
The cost of upgrading storage can be high. The cost of unmanaged losses can be higher.
The human burden is real
Storage pressure falls heavily on growers, storage managers and technical advisors. They are expected to make difficult decisions with large financial consequences. A single wrong call can affect thousands of tonnes of potatoes.
Climate stress makes those decisions harder. Should a stressed lot be held or moved? Should cooling be delayed or accelerated? Should sprout control begin earlier? Should a risky pile be opened? Should processing lots be prioritized? These are not theoretical decisions. They affect contracts, cash flow and relationships.
The industry should recognize the people who carry this responsibility. Storage management is skilled work. It deserves training, technical support and open discussion of what is changing.
Organizations focused on storage education and best practice have an important role to play. The industry needs more shared learning, more case studies and more honest discussion of storage failures as well as successes.
A new storage mindset
The future of potato storage will require a new mindset.
Storage can no longer be treated as a holding period between harvest and sale. It is an active biological management phase shaped by everything that happened before harvest and everything expected after storage.
Climate stress will make dormancy less predictable. Disease risk may rise in certain seasons. Sprout suppression will require more discipline. Energy use will need closer attention. Data will become more useful, but only when connected to human judgement.
The potato store of the future will be more intelligent, more transparent and more closely connected to field history. It will not simply ask, “What temperature should we hold?” It will ask, “What kind of crop do we have, what has it been through, and what is the safest plan for protecting its value?”
That is the direction the industry must take.
The store is no longer just a place where potatoes wait.
It is where the industry’s climate resilience will increasingly be tested.
Cover image: Credit Potato News Today
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