Potato minitubers conservation using grounded zeolite

Abstract

The application of natural products in seed conservation plays an important role in countries with tropical climates. With the objective of to determine the effect of the powdered zeolite in the conservation of potato minitubers, it was carried out this work. Variables related with the quality of conservation of the minitubers were determined in the cold storage camera and in an area with natural ventilation. The results showed that the minitubers obtained in the culture house with application of zeolite after crop presented smaller losses, in the conservation in frigorific, than the rest of the treatments. Equally, the minitubers obtained in field and to which were applied zeolite after crop had significantly smaller losses than the non treaties. It was demonstrated that the conservation in an area with natural ventilation is an alternative. The application of powdered zeolite to the minitubers allowed the storage and conservation with the appropriate quality for a satisfactory response in field. Key words: biotechnology seed of potato, inorganic substrate, Solanum tuberosum L.