Potatoes are going into store: is your sprout control strategy ready?
Potatoes are going into store: is your sprout control strategy ready?
As potato lifting continues, attention is turning from harvest to storage. This season's dry conditions and warm soils have increased the risk of bruising and tuber damage during lifting, with some crops also showing signs of in-ridge sprouting.
While harvest conditions are beyond our control, the decisions made in store can have a significant impact on crop quality, marketability and storage performance. With warm tubers entering store, now is the time to review your sprout control strategy and consider whether potato fogging may have a role to play in protecting crop quality over the months ahead.
What does this mean for stored crops?
Not all damage is immediately visible at harvest.
Bruising and handling damage often become more apparent during curing, as potatoes settle into storage and temperatures are reduced. While curing helps wounds heal and reduces the risk of rot, it can also reveal issues that were not obvious during lifting.
That's why it is important to assess crop condition early and continue monitoring throughout the storage period.
Pay particular attention to handling systems, grading equipment and potential drop points. Tools such as electronic potatoes and hot-box testing can help identify where damage is occurring before it becomes a bigger issue.
Don't wait for sprouts to appear
One of the biggest misconceptions around sprout control is that action only needs to be taken once sprouts are visible.
In reality, by the time sprouts appear, dormancy has already broken and the tuber has entered its reproductive cycle. At this stage, maintaining control becomes more challenging and can be more costly, while crop quality and marketability may begin to decline through weight loss and physiological change.
For crops destined for longer-term storage, sprout control starts much earlier. Varietal choice and in-field decisions such as the use of maleic hydrazide (MH) can influence how a crop performs months later in store.
A proactive approach helps growers maintain control over quality, cost and storage performance throughout the season.
Fogging is about more than an application
Effective potato fogging is about far more than applying a product when sprouts appear.
Successful programmes rely on crop assessment, store preparation, ongoing monitoring and well-managed applications throughout the storage period. Effective store preparation remains essential, with stores cleaned before loading and ventilation, airflow, temperature and humidity controls working as intended.
Every crop and store is different. Storage duration, end-market requirements, crop condition and store capability can all influence the most appropriate approach.
Product choice is equally important. Options such as DMN, mint oil and orange oil all have a role to play in different storage situations, and choosing the right product can have a significant influence on storage performance.
Successful programmes combine specialist storage advice, crop-specific recommendations, experienced application and ongoing monitoring to help maintain crop quality throughout storage. Frontier's professionally serviced fogging equipment and experienced operators help ensure applications are delivered accurately and reliably throughout the storage season.
Ultimately, effective sprout control comes down to four key principles:
Right crop. Right product. Right timing. Right store conditions.
Speak to your Frontier agronomist or farm trader about your storage strategy and whether potato fogging could play a role in maintaining your crop quality and marketability. Alternatively contact us here 0800 227445 or info@frontierag.co.uk
19/10/2026
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