PSI Bulletin: June 2025
- Adrian Cunnington
- Jun 25
- 8 min read
No. 06/25 SUBSCRIBER EDITION
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Dear Subscriber,
Welcome to your June edition of the Synopsis bulletin from Potato Storage Insight. We're still running a little late this month but hope to be back to our normal publication date around 20th of the month from July.
At this time of year, we are usually seeing stores clearing quite fast but demand has been unusually slow due to the very hot weather and with new crops bulking quickly. See our best practice section below for guidance on keeping crops in store for a while longer... And there's some tips on store cleaning and maintenance...
PSI activity
There has been a good deal of interest in our next Potato Storage Insight training course coming up in September.
It will be a one day course on Tuesday 2nd September to be held at the Greetham Valley Hotel & Leisure Complex in Rutland, LE15 7SN, a couple of miles off the A1. The course is limited to 16 delegates and over half the places have already gone. Lunch is included and BASIS CPD points will be available.
The cost is £375 + VAT per person. At present, there is an early bird discount of £30 available to those submitting a completed booking before close of play on Tuesday 1st July.
Please get in touch if you need further details and a booking form or click here. You can call Adrian on 07970 072260 or email admin@potatostorageinsight.com. Otherwise, our focus will be on getting out and about to some summer events; it's still not too late to book some on-site stores assessments for the summer but time is running out...
Best practice
CROPS STILL IN STORE
We reminded you last month to keep a regular check on quality of crops still in storage and to try to maintain marketing flexibility through judicious selection of late sprout suppressant treatments, for example. Fundamentally, keep abreast of the quality of the crop as this is key to being able to move it quickly in response to any market need.
In the past few weeks there has been a surge in demand for late applications of spearmint oil and orange oil to keep sprouting in check as temperature control gets stretched in the hot weather, especially in part-filled stores. Reports have indicated that crops are very keen to grow given the time of year and the weather conditions.
To make sure suppressant applications are effective, do as much as possible to ensure the crop is fully dry before application and to concentrate the fan-assisted circulation of the product on to the potatoes. Do not block the airflow fully as this may cause fall-out, but do close off short circuits that might allow the chemical to by-pass the potatoes.
Some recent uses of products has highlighted that not all speed-controlled fans will actually slow down sufficiently to facilitate active recirculation of chemicals. Work with your BASIS-qualified applicator and check manufacturers' guidance to ensure fan speeds can be reduced to around 10-20 Hertz (ie 20-40% of full fan speed). If fans run too quickly, they can result in chemical being impacted onto tubers (risking scorch) or boxes (where it is not effective).
Last month we highlighted the issue of senescence and how this can affect long-term stored crops. Recently, we have received some reports of blackheart also becoming apparent in later-stored material.
Blackheart is a condition where the internal tissues of the tuber begin to breakdown due to necrosis resulting from a lack of oxygen.
Blackheart can have a catastrophic effect on a stock so it is definitely worth cutting a few tubers to check for any signs of its development, especially if your crop or storage situation fits one or more of these higher risk categories:
Crop lifted/loaded in high ambient temperatures
Held at temperatures of 3C or below
Risk of condensation within boxes
Use of ethylene
Stored for over 30 weeks
Susceptible crops/varieties, eg salads
STORE HYGIENE & MAINTENANCE
At this time of year, many store owners will be looking to address any shortcomings in their stores ahead of next season...
A major task will be to clean out stores ahead of next year's crop. An industrial vacuum has been scientifically proven to be much more effective than any form of brush as it removes the dirt, debris and spores from the building. Areas that have been subjected to wet rot should be steam-cleaned where possible. If washing, avoid overwetting open-textured insulation materials as the water will reduce the insulation's effectiveness.
The other key factor is that, by taking away the organic matter, you give any subsequent disinfection treatment a much better chance of being successful. If it is not removed, the organic matter neutralises the effect of a product such as peracetic acid (eg Jet 5).
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