Role of bioactive polymer coating on potato microtuber storage and field performance

Potato microtubers produced from tissue culture were subjected to coating with three bio-polymers (chitosan, gelatin and chitin) in four doses. Gelatin at 0.75 and 1.00% is effective in reducing the storage loss considerably up to 125 days after harvest without affecting the germination. The storage losses were drastically reduced in gelatin and chitosan treated microtubers due to improvement in sprout thickness to the tune of 47 and 25 per cent when compared with control. The stand establishment of gelatin treated microtubers in the field was higher by 23 per cent over control which significantly resulted in higher yield by nearly 47 per cent than the untreated tubers.