There are two treatments for stored potatoes from which fresh growers are seeing year-after-year effectiveness. Well-timed applications of 1,4SIGHT® or 1,4ZAP® demonstrate results that help growers get the most out of their stored spuds, like reduced load rejection. The two different applications can be implemented in the spring and early summer, and are timed strategically in close proximity to the spuds leaving storage. While the timing is similar, the purpose is distinctively different for each.
With 1,4SIGHT®/DMN, the treatment’s purpose with this particular timing is to address the appearance of bruising. With 1,4ZAP®, the battle is against emerging peeps and sprouts. Working in tandem with an IVI service team member, growers are working for the best preparation of their potatoes to impress at the critical load evaluation stage.
Both 1,4SIGHT® and 1,4ZAP® are products of the 1,4GROUP, Inc., which has a 25-year history of providing protection for stored potatoes. Industrial Ventilation, Inc. (IVI) is a licensed applicator, working in tandem with 1,4GROUP, to the benefit of growers.
An early application of 1,4SIGHT® helps prevent the adverse effects of bruising. It lowers respiration, which prevents water loss in the spud. This keeps the potato turgid or firm, and it reaches dormancy faster. This biocontrol utilizes a natural process that already exists within the potato. By helping achieve dormancy at a faster rate, spuds are effectively in an ideal state for storage. This provides an excellent opportunity for a grower’s crop to not succumb to forces that challenge their protected state in storage. It’s an effective preservative that offers peace of mind to growers as they look to maximize their options for storage duration. But with bruising, causes can vary and can surface later in the storage duration.
Some bruising is evident at the surface, like shatter bruising. As the name implies, the potato appears shattered at the surface where the bruising has occurred, making for a sub-par appearance. With pressure bruising, surfaces on the spud are affected, and cause a flattening or sunken appearance. This is often caused by the weight of the pile, particularly if the spud has not yet reached a dormancy state and is perspiring a lot of moisture. Cut black is most evident below the surface. It is also referred to as black spot or shoulder bruise.
Fresh growers need bruise-free results for the best grading they can achieve when their spuds come out of storage. In working with an IVI rep, timing of application helps prevent discoloration, diminishing the effects of bruising. IVI’s service team members, like southern Idaho’s Ragen Darrington and Russ Mitchell, work with growers and shippers in creating the ideal schedule for application for optimal results. Shippers like Brian Jones of Sun Valley Potatoes is pleased with the results he’s been seeing from Darrington’s guidance. He’s sold on the use of the biocontrol and the peace of mind it offers: “If I take a chance on sub-par spuds, I am gambling with my profit margin in the short term, and my product’s reputation in the long one.”
IVI’s service team members have worked with a variety of growers and shippers. They are familiar with year-after-year data that factors in varying conditions of growing regions, as well as varietals, and unique circumstances for particular growing seasons. They regularly leverage this information to the benefit of growers. This expertise allows for reliable recommendations on application timing. The goal is eliminating discoloration, helping to gain load acceptance when it’s time to make the grade.
IVI’s Darrington works with a variety of southern Idaho growers and knows communication is key to learning what is unique to each grower’s situation, while at the same time, calling upon his collective experience of solutions that he and other IVI rep’s have verified over the years. For Darrington, working in tandem with growers and shippers is a partnership. “My customers lean on me for expertise. Market demands shift. Regulations shift. Being a valuable resource means doing my homework. That information comes from international resources; it comes from our supplier, the 1,4Group; and, it also comes from the grower who lives just 20 miles away,” says Darrington. “We’re always paying attention. We want our customers to be successful when their potatoes go to market.”
Exact timing for application of 1,4SIGHT®, or DMN, is best calculated between growers and their IVI rep. Once applied, the time-frame is quite short for when the spuds are ready to leave storage. 1,4SIGHT® is a proven biocontrol, utilizing the natural preservative qualities of the spud. It reduces the biosynthesis of phenylalanine, a key component in bruising, causing the color formations to be less visible. It effectively masks discoloration. It improves the appearance of spuds affected by pressure bruising and cut black.
In addition to bruising, emerging peeps and sprouting is another concern as growers look at approaching loads out of storage. Another product from the 1,4GROUP, Inc. is 1,4ZAP®, and growers are seeing excellent reversal on spud issues following application. With 1,4ZAP®, emerging peeps are burned to the surface. All that’s left is a dark, brownish area. This dry-down is safe and effective. 1,4ZAP® is applied with thermo-fogging equipment. After application, just a brief number of days are needed before the potatoes can be packed and shipped. Your IVI rep. can provide details with an ideal scheduling plan.
With thermo-fogging, 1,4ZAP® achieves superior penetration, giving growers their best shot at reaching every potato in the pile. Every potato counts in maximizing the best return on investment. IVI’s Russ Mitchell explains the benefit of utilizing IVI’s services: “We provide the equipment for thermal fogging, and are using it frequently, along with maintaining it, when application schedules peak. Our familiarity with equipment operation, as well as proper product use, is a reliable service growers can confidently count on. There are variables that prompt us to make necessary adjustments. That awareness comes from our working with many different growers.”
The 1,4ZAP® label allows for flexibility in the range of application rates. This allows for the successful treatment of sprouts that have grown to three to four inches. “It’s a rescue operation at this point,“ explains IVI’s Mitchell. “We are thrilled to help save a pile. The spud’s surface is restored with this treatment.”
With 1,4SIGHT®, the application just prior to unloading potatoes out of storage has demonstrated the benefits of its use. Some growers have become convinced to put the application to use early. Dormancy enhancement goes to work at minimizing moisture loss, and the firm results keep the potato better-suited for storage duration. One convinced shipper is Bob Conger of High Country Potato in Rexburg, Idaho. He opted to apply DMN early in storage this year, and is seeing the benefit: “With each load coming out of storage, I’m seeing a reduction in pressure bruise. The overall quality of the spuds is well maintained.”
Contact the IVI service rep. in your region to learn more. Open up the doors for proven storage treatment.
1,4SIGHT® and 1,4ZAP are registered trademarks of 1,4GROUP, Inc.
– April 26, 2021
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