CU LTIVATION AND TECHNOLOGY ng protocol for potato storage facilities that removes particles during the process. If a grower wants to clean these ducts himself, it is necessary to clean them on both sides with a high- pressure cleaner and then place them outside. Where wooden above-ground ducts, panels, planks, retaining walls and ventilation flaps are used, the most ideal situation would be to replace them all with new wood. The installation of new wooden parts should only be done after careful cleaning of the rest of the storage area, to prevent possible contamination of the new parts with CIPC. If replacement is not possible, thorough cleaning should be carried out after which the wooden material should be placed outside for as long as possible. The organisations also recommend brushing off all loose material from the wooden boxes. Only if absolutely necessary, if the boxes are very dirty, should an additional, wet cleaning be considered, while remembering to collect the waste water. The boxes are then placed outside for the period that they are not used. Another important point in storage is the mechanical cooling that may be present. If this unit and the circulating fans have been used for fogging and/or for the air distribution of CIPC, it is necessary to pay extra attention to the cleaning of these parts. Brushing floors and walls To clean concrete floors and walls, a brush with firm bristles made of steel or hard plastic is needed to loosen the soil particles from the floor and other hard surfaces. For fragile surfaces, such as insulation material, a softer brush with longer bristles should be used to prevent damage. According to the organisations, wet cleaning of floors and walls is not necessary. Growers who have a potato storehouse with an earthen floor may consider removing 10 inches of soil and replacing it with 10 inches of new soil or a concrete floor. The start of the storage season Before the start of the season, a grower must ensure that all storage equipment and conveyor belts have been thoroughly cleaned and possibly wet cleaned. This also applies to the lorries that come to load the potatoes. During harvesting, it is important that, when filling the potato storehouse to an appropriate height, the potatoes are evenly distributed. This is necessary because it’s important that the air is well distributed over the bulk Growers should fill the potato storehouse to an appropriate height, with the potatoes distributed evenly. storage. All the potatoes should get the same amount of air, because irregular distribution can cause a CIPC accumulation on those potatoes. It is also recommended to ensure the potato pile is at a constant height by using retaining walls, boxes or bales of straw at the front of the pile. If this isn’t possible, the airflow in the part of the pile where the least air resistance is expected should be limited to avoid uneven airflows. For box storage, the same consideration is needed to ensure equal air distribution in the boxes. The organisations recommend growers to keep documents and photos of what has been cleaned. ‘Also describe how the cleaning process was done and when cleaning took place. The buyer of the potatoes may ask for this information’, it says in the manual. ● Jaap Delleman Before the start of the season, a grower must ensure that all storage equipment and conveyor belts have been thoroughly cleaned and possibly wet cleaned. Potato World 2020 • number 2 21 Pagina 20
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