Understanding potato endodormancy to develop strategies for reducing waste during postharvest storage

In the UK, potato tubers are stored for up to 9 months for year-round availability in the processing industry. Premature sprouting causes wastage due to metabolic, physiological, and structural changes, affecting tuber quality and marketability. As sprouted tubers are not marketable, economic losses and environmental consequences arise. Therefore, controlling and managing potato dormancy is crucial for the industry.

The aim of this research is to understand the underlying mechanisms that control endodormancy in potato tubers.

To achieve this, the project comprises three objectives. Firstly, to evaluate endodormancy of two potato (Solanum tuberosum) cultivars under varying nitrogen applications across three harvest seasons. In Activity 2, genetic variation in endodormancy will be assessed in 30 potato varieties, followed by the development of a mapping population for endodormancy. Data from both experiments will be used in activity three to develop predictive models for tuber endodormancy.