Curing under tropical ambient conditions promotes wound healing in sweetpotato

What is it about?

Curing of storage roots is mainly done to heal harvest-inflicted wounds before storage; thus improving sweetpotato shelf life. Unlike developed countries, in low-income tropical countries the high initial and running costs of a suitable curing and storage structure serves as a disincentive for curing. However, the tropical ambient conditions are similar to the ideal curing conditions and could lead to incidental curing. Therefore, this paper investigated two curing methods; field-piled, an indigenous technique developed by farmers in the Bawku area of Ghana, and in-ground curing for their effect on the wound healing ability and dry matter content to two orange-fleshed sweetpotato cultivars. The results showed that storage roots are better able to heal wounds in the field-piled curing method than the in-ground curing. Wound healing ability is liked with good storability of storage roots in sweetpotato. Field-piled curing method resulted in higher dry matter content a desirable root quality for orange-fleshed sweetpotato cultivars. The field-piled curing method could be promoted to reduce the post-harvest losses in sweetpotato in sub Saharan African.

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Why is it important?

Farmers in low-income countries who cannot afford fancy and expensive curing and storage structures can resort to the field-piled curing to help extend the shelf-life of orange-fleshed sweetpotato for wealth and health.