Commercial Yam Tuber (Dioscorea spp.) Handling during the Harvest and Post-Harvest Storage

Context: Yam losses at harvest and storage can be significant if proper management is not implemented.

Aim: This research aimed to reduce the losses of commercial yam tubers (Dioscorea spp.) through proper harvest and post-harvest storage handling.

Methods: The incidence of the main pests and diseases on commercial yam tubers (Dioscorea spp.) during the harvest, along with its response at post-harvest storage at room temperature under indirect sunlight, in a clean and aerated facility, in loophole bags. At 0, 30, and 60 days of storage, the morphological and agronomical parameters were determined. A survey was applied to analyze the organoleptic traits of commercial yam tubers at 0 and 60 days of storage.

Results: The main diseases observed in commercial yam tubers at harvest were Botryodiplodia theobromae, Penicillium spp., and Aspergillus flavus, Link. All the clones evaluated showed that when the storage time reached 60 days, the fresh mass percentage was reduced, whereas there was an increase in the dry mass percentage. The storage of commercial yam tubers D. alata, clones Criollo, Chino Blanco, Caballo, Caraqueño, and D. esculenta, clone Papa was made successfully in loophole bags for up to 60 days in an aerated, clean facility with indirect sunlight, at room temperature. The organoleptic tests showed that clone Chino Blanco was the most favored one by the panelists.

Conclusions: A plan was for Dioscorea spp. tuber handling during the harvest and post-harvest storage was designed.