Freezing point of potatoes
Potatoes are one of the most popular agricultural products. Its main advantage is keeping quality, thanks to which tubers can be eaten in winter. The freezing point of potatoes is considered an integral factor in choosing a storage location.
Freezing point of potatoes
Most often, this vegetable crop is kept in cellars or basements. However, these places also require preliminary preparation, since the taste of the tubers depends on this.
Harvest storage methods
There are several methods for preserving tubers in winter. Regardless of which storage option is chosen, the preparation of fruits has general rules:
- do not wash potatoes before laying;
- store in wooden boxes with openings for air circulation;
- the room should be darkened.
Temperature
Since the minimum temperature that potatoes can withstand is zero, many places at hand can be used for wintering. Many farmers make a bookmark in the cellar or basement of the house. This choice is due to the good darkening and stable temperature, which rarely drops below 1 degree Celsius. Watch the amount of lighting in the room. With more light in the tubers, a harmful component for humans is produced - solanine. For the winter, the basement must be closed and insulated.
Humidity
high humidity can be a disadvantage, since the cellar is not always equipped with a good ventilation system. In the modern world, the method of storing crops in the garage is also popular. However, during frosts, the temperature mark in this place can drop below zero, which will significantly affect the quality of the tubers. For the same reason, it is not recommended to store crops in a barn. This room is also not protected from the minus mark.
How to prepare potatoes
Potatoes that are laid for the whole winter or early spring are recommended to be kept outdoors in a pit. In this case, a hole should be dug in dense soil 2.5 m deep. The depression is filled in half with the crop, after which a 10 cm layer of sand is placed and thrown with earth. The soil at such a depth rarely freezes, so the potatoes will withstand the winter.
Also, the harvest is stored on the balcony, without the presence of other options. However, in this case, you need to monitor the humidity level, since condensation often falls on the loggias.
Temperature features
Since this vegetable crop is not capable of producing a plentiful harvest in a climate with a long winter, the seed material of potatoes needs to artificially recreate the off-season dormancy stage. Temperature is the main factor affecting the activity of the tubers.
We plant at above-zero temperature
There are three main states of potatoes. These include:
- Interseasonal rest (1 to 3 degrees). The period when tubers do not show active vegetation.
- Planting in the soil at positive temperatures (from 10 to 12 degrees).The type is characterized by active vegetation of the plant.
- Emergence of leaves and active consumption of photosynthesis (20 to 22 degrees). This condition indicates a stable growth period for the bushes.
It is the temperature of the off-season dormancy that is optimal for keeping potatoes indoors. However, its limits may vary depending on the purpose of the tubers.
For products
That part of the crop that is consumed for food has a minimum storage level of 0 degrees. At this temperature, the potatoes freeze, but do not lose their taste. For this type of potato, the danger is high temperature. At 5 degrees Celsius, the tubers begin to consume a large amount of oxygen, which causes the starch to break down into sugar and oxidize. Subsequently, such a product acquires a characteristic sweetish taste.
For seed
If the potatoes are to be used as seed, the temperature mark should not fall below 3 degrees. Otherwise, useful components that are able to start the growing season freeze and die.
You should also pay attention to how much this or that variety of tubers freezes. Late species are distinguished by a long maturation, their tubers can last until spring, while they tolerate cold well. In turn, early and early ripening varieties lose their taste due to long-term storage - they can be kept in a cellar or basement if all temperature standards are observed for no more than four months.
Humidity level
It should be noted that temperature is not the only factor that can cause crops to freeze. While observing the temperature norm of off-season rest, you need to monitor what percentage of moisture is in the air.
The optimum humidity for storing potatoes is no more than 85%. It should also be noted that the lack of moisture also has negative consequences for the fruit - the tubers dry out and lose their shape.
To find out the level of moisture in a room, you should pay attention to living microorganisms. In humid places, there is a large amount of fungus, wood lice and mold. It is not recommended to store tubers in such a room, since the process of decay or early vegetation may begin.
Frozen harvest
Sometimes it happens that sudden temperature changes can lead to the fact that the potatoes freeze. There are two options for events - the crop is frozen in the ground, or in the storage room.
In the ground
Frosts in the fall can happen before you have time to dig out the potatoes. In this case, you need to pay attention to the duration and magnitude of the negative temperature mark. Usually, the first frost on the street lasts no more than 14 hours and reaches -5 degrees. Loose soil with a large amount of organic matter is able to store heat even in sub-zero temperatures, so the crop does not freeze.
In such a situation, the potatoes can be dug up. However, if the lower limit of the temperature range in the fall reaches -10, then you should wait out the frost.
In room
If the temperature drops to -30 degrees in winter, the crop may freeze in an improperly equipped basement or subfield. The consequence of this is the spoilage of the potatoes.
First of all, you should perform the following algorithm of actions:
- determine the duration of the temperature drop;
- set the temperature drop range;
- identify the cause of the cooling.
Also inspect the tubers and determine how much damage has been done to the fruit. Maybe the potatoes are still edible.
If the tuber is partially frozen, then it should be disposed of. Subsequently, such a fruit will begin to rot.
Long frosts will mean that the entire crop is frozen over. Such fruits cannot be put up for sale, but they can be eaten. It is important that the rotting process does not begin in the tubers - such potatoes cannot be used in cooking.
Conclusion
When organizing a storage site for tubers, you should know what temperature the potatoes can withstand. Otherwise, due to frost, you can be left without a crop.
The optimum temperature range for laying fruit is from 2 to 3 degrees Celsius. A decrease to 1 degree can lead to a loss of taste, and a drop below zero - to spoilage of the crop.