BLACK HEART OF POTATO

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Black heart of Potato

It is an important storage , transit and market disease of potato tubers as a result of poor oxygen relations. The disease occurs in poorly ventilated room in closely packed condition.

Cross section of infected tubers

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Black heart of Potato

It also occurs in the field when temperature of soil goes above 320C during growth and maturation of tubers.

The disease occurs in transit when the temperature inside the carrying vans rises for sometimes above 320C

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Symptoms:

Dark grey to purplish or blue black discolouration in irregular pattern in the central portion of tubers.

Large tubers are more susceptible to black heart.

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Discoloured tissues are firm but on exposure to room temperature it become soft and inky

In advance stages the affected tissues dry out and shrinks with formation of cavity in the centre of the tuber. End Previous Next

Cause It is a non pathogenic disease .

Black heart develops when oxygen is excluded or unable to reach internal tuber tissues.

It develops more rapidly between 00C and 2.50 C than at 50C

At temperature of 360C -400 C or of 00C or slightly below black heart may also develops because of less gas diffusion through the tissues of tubers.

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Post harvest – Poor Ventilation, Temps below 0 0C or above 33 0C in storage or transit

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Management

Store the tubers in well ventilated rooms and the bags of tubers should not be piled very high upon each other.

Provide sufficient aeration during storage.

Do not expose tubers to high temperature nor to prolonged storage near 00C.

In the field if the soil temperature goes very high( above 320C) during maturation of tubers should be irrigated.

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