Monitoring potato physiology during storage using the P-Pod
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The Produce Quality Centre (PQC) is working with industry partners to develop advanced storage monitoring technology that improves understanding of how crops respond to storage conditions.
The PQC is collaborating with Storage Control Systems on the development of the P-Pod, an evolution of SafePod technology originally designed to improve long-term low-oxygen storage of apples.
The P-Pod enables detailed monitoring of storage atmospheres and tuber respiration, providing a valuable tool for both controlled research trials and real-world commercial storage environments. This allows researchers and industry to better understand how tubers respond to different storage conditions and optimise storage performance.
Previous research was carried out in collaboration with Sutton Bridge Crop Storage Research (SBCSR). Following its closure, this work is now continuing at PQC’s facilities in Kent.
The image shows a P-Pod system in use within a bulk potato store in the United States.
For more information on this work, please contact Debbie Rees at d.rees@gre.ac.uk.