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Abstract

The potato is firmly established in many parts of the world as a major staple food. Yet despite many years of research it still provides major challenges for the engineer. It is vulnerable to damage at harvest and has to be separated from much soil, stone and clod. In the post-harvest handling chain the cumulative damage takes a further toll. Its irregular shape makes it difficult to size-grade, and inspection for greening, surface damage and defects, and particularly for disease in the case of seed crops, presents further problems. Advances in technology applied to planters and post-harvest handling, and the combination of electronics and powerful computing systems, point to a future when the farmer can substantially increase saleable yield and the consumer can enjoy a much more consistent product.

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Improving the Quality of the Potato Crop

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