Potato freezing point

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 temperature of potatoes is considered an integral factor in choosing a storage location.

The freezing temperature of potatoes

Most often, this vegetable crop is kept in cellars or cellars. however, these places also require preliminary preparation, since the taste of the tubers depends on it.

Methods for storing the crop

There are several methods for preserving tubers in winter. the storage location option has been selected, fruit preparation has general rules:

• do not wash the potatoes before laying;
• store in wooden boxes with openings for air circulation;
• the room should be darkened.

Temperature

Since the minimum temperature that can withstand If the potato grows, it is zero, then for wintering you can use a lot of improvised places. Many farmers bookmark the cellar or basement of the house.This choice is due to a good darkening and stable temperature, which rarely drops below 1 degree of heat. Keep track of 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 should be closed and insulated.

Humidity

increased humidity may be a drawback, as the cellar is not always equipped with a good ventilation system. In the modern world, a way to store crops in a 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 the crop in the barn. This room is also not protected from a negative mark.

How to prepare potatoes

Potatoes that are put off for the whole winter or the beginning of spring are recommended to be kept outside in a pit. In this case, you should dig a hole in dense soil with a depth of 2.5 m. The deepening is half filled with the crop, after which a 10 cm layer of sand is laid and thrown over the ground. The soil at such a depth rarely freezes, so the potatoes will withstand the winter period.

Also, the crop is stored on the balcony, without any other options. However, in this case, you need to monitor the level of humidity, since condensation often falls on the loggias.

Temperature features

Since this vegetable crop is not able to produce a plentiful harvest in a climate with a long winter, the seed material of the potato needs an artificial recreation of the off-season dormant stage. Temperature is the main factor affecting the activity of tubers.

We plant at positive temperature

There are three main states of the potato. These include:

1. Off-season rest (from 1 to 3 degrees). The period when the tubers do not show active vegetation.
2. Planting in the soil at a plus temperature (from 10 to 12 degrees). The type is characterized by active vegetation of the plant.
3. The appearance of leaves and the active consumption of photosynthesis (from 20 to 22 degrees). This state indicates a stable period of growth of bushes.

It is the off-season resting temperature that is optimal for keeping potatoes indoors. However, its limits may vary depending on the purpose of the tubers.

For produce

That portion of the crop that is used for food has a minimum storage mark of 0 degrees. At this temperature, the potatoes freeze, but do not lose their taste. The danger is high temperature for this type of potato.At 5 degrees Celsius, tubers begin to consume a large amount of oxygen, due to which starch breaks down into sugar and oxidizes. Subsequently, such a product acquires a characteristic sweet taste.

For seed material

If potatoes are used as seed material, then the temperature mark should not fall below 3 degrees. Otherwise, useful components that are able to start the growing process freeze and die.

You should also pay attention to how much this or that variety of tubers freezes. Later species are distinguished by a long lying time, 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 the cellar or basement, subject to all temperature standards, for no more than four months.

Humidity level

It should be noted that temperature is not the only factor that can lead to freezing of the crop. At observance of the temperature norm of the off-season rest, it is necessary to monitor what percentage of moisture is in the air.

The optimum humidity for storing potatoes is not more than 85%. It should also be noted that a lack of moisture also has negative consequences for the fruit – the tubers dry out and lose their shape.

To find out the moisture level 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, as the process of decay or early vegetation may begin.

Frozen crops

Sometimes it happens that sudden temperature changes can lead to that the potatoes will freeze. There are two types of events – the crop was frozen while in the ground, or in a storage room.

In the ground

Frost in the autumn can happen before you can dig potatoes. In this case, you need to pay attention to the duration and magnitude of the negative temperature. Usually the first frosts on the street last no more than 14 hours and reach a mark of -5 degrees. Loose earth with a large amount of organic matter is able to store heat even at sub-zero temperatures, so the crop does not freeze.

In this situation, you can dig up potatoes. However, if the lower limit of the temperature range in autumn reaches -10, then you should wait for freezing.

Indoors

If the temperature drops in winter to -30 degrees, the crop may freeze in an improperly equipped basement or subfloor. The consequences of this is potato spoilage.

First of all, you should perform the following algorithm of actions:

• determine the duration of the temperature decrease;
• 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 partially freezes, it should be disposed of. Subsequently, such a fruit will begin to rot.

Long frosts will mean that the whole crop is frozen. Such fruits cannot be put up for sale, but they can be eaten. It is important that the rotting process does not start in the tubers – such potatoes cannot be used in cooking.

Conclusion

When organizing the storage location of tubers, you should know what temperature the potatoes can withstand. Otherwise, due to freezing roses can be left without a crop.

The optimal 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 can damage the crop.