REVIEW ON TROPICAL ROOT AND TUBER CROPS .1. STORAGE METHODS AND QUALITY CHANGES

The root and tuber crops, including cassava, sweet potato, yams, and a roids, enjoy considerable importance as a vegetable, staple food, or r aw material for small-scale industries at a global level, particularly in the less developed tropical countries. The perishability and posth arvest losses of root and tuber crops are the major constraints in the utilization of these crops. Several simple, low-cost traditional meth ods are being followed by farmers in different parts of the world to s tore different root and tuber crops in the fresh state. An account of different storage practices and constraints is reviewed in this articl e. Some of these methods have been studied and evaluated by different research workers. Several modem techniques, including refrigerated col d storage, freezing, chemical treatments, wax coating, and irradiation , for storing fresh tropical tubers are also reviewed. The pre- and po stharvest factors to be considered for postharvest storage of differen t root and tuber crops are incorporated into the review.