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Effect of storage system and sprout removal on post-harvest yam (Dioscorea

spp.) fresh weight losses

Article  in  The Journal of Agricultural Science · May 1998

DOI: 10.1017/S0021859698005322

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Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge (1998), 130, 329–336. Printed in the United Kingdom 329
# 1998 Cambridge University Press

Effect of storage system and sprout removal on

post-harvest yam (Dioscorea spp.) fresh weight losses
O. G I R A R D IN", C. N I N D J I N", Z. F A R AH#*, F. E S C H E R#, P. S T A M P#    D. O T O K O R E; $
" Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, BP 1303, Abidjan 01, CoW te d’Ivoire
# Department of Agriculture and Food Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH),
8092 Zurich, Switzerland
$ DeU partement de Biochimie, UniversiteU Nationale de CoW te d’Ivoire, 22 BP V582, Abidjan 21, CoW te d’Ivoire
(Revised MS received 11 September 1997)

SUMMARY
Two aspects of yam storage practice were tested from 1994 to 1995 in central Co# te d’Ivoire. The first
experiment compared the storage environment in pits or sheds with that of the traditional yam open
barn method. The pits allowed the daily range of variation in temperature to be reduced while
maintaining a high relative humidity (RH), whereas the temperature and RH in the sheds were similar
to those of the yam barns. Differences in temperature and RH between the storage systems had little
effect on the fresh weight losses of the tubers. The more effective protection against solar radiation
and rain afforded by the sheds and pits reduced fresh weight losses in D. cayenensis rotundata by 12 %
over 6±5 months in comparison with the barns. The second experiment tested the regular removal of
the sprouts. Sprout removal reduced fresh weight losses equally over 5 and 6 months’ storage. The
reduction in fresh weight loss was 12 % for cv. Gnan (D. cayenensis rotundata) during 6 months’
storage. Monthly sprout removal gave an equal benefit in pits, in sheds and on yam barns. The
monthly cutting of sprouts at the base should be encouraged in places where this is not already done.
The total loss is mainly determined by the growth of the sprouts and the reduction in weight after
onset of sprouting, which are highly dependent on species and cultivar. Be' te' be' te' yams had better
keeping qualities than all the other cultivars tested.

external agents, such as insects, rodents and moulds.

INTRODUCTION
The high water content of the tubers, combined with
The yam (Dioscorea spp.) is an important food plant damage occurring during or after harvesting, makes
in many tropical countries in Asia, South America them vulnerable to micro-organisms. In the yam
and Africa, especially West Africa. It is the leading tuber, sprout initials are formed beneath the periderm
food crop in Co# te d’Ivoire in terms of tonnage just prior to breakage of dormancy (Onwueme 1973).
produced, which contributes c. 24 % of the human The sprouting process, which accelerates the losses
energy supply (Agbessi Dos-Santos & Damon 1987 ; and limits storage life, starts with the appearance of
MINAGRA 1992). This nutritional function can only the sprouting loci. The length of the dormant phase
be fulfilled if availability is guaranteed by suitable which precedes germination ranges from 4 to 18
storage systems. The vegetative cycle of the yam only weeks, depending on cultivar (Passam 1982 ; Wickham
allows one harvest per year, and the early cultivars et al. 1984 ; Wickham 1988).
can be eaten c. 4 months before the later cultivars. FAO surveys (1988) have shown that modern food
Therefore, to ensure year-round availability, a storage preservation techniques such as the use of radiation
period of 8 months is needed. The yam, like other root or storage at temperatures reduced to 15 °C can be
and tuber crops such as cassava and taro, suffers post- effective, but because of the high cost and de-
harvest losses ranging from 25 to 60 % (Coursey & centralized storage, mainly by growers, it is unlikely
Booth 1997 ; Lancaster & Coursey 1984 ; Asiedu that these techniques can be applied.
1986). These storage losses are caused partly by The aim of the present study was to suggest
improvements to traditional yam storage methods.
Modification of the traditional storage system and
* To whom all correspondence should be addressed. removal of sprouts were examined for this purpose.
Email : farah!ilw.agrl.ethz.ch This in situ study should allow methods adapted to
330 .         E T A L.

the growers’ real needs and resources to be recom- members attached to them with liana vines. The
mended. tubers, divided in four height groups – corresponding
to the shelves – were attached to sticks 2±20 m in
MATERIALS AND METHODS length before being covered with oil palm (Elaeis
guineensis) leaves.
Location of the trials
The trials were carried out at Bringakro, in the south Sprout removal
of the region called the ‘ V-Baoule! ’, which is a V- Storage in pits, sheds and yam barns was combined
shaped protrusion of the savanna into the forest zone with a sprout removal experiment including the
in central Co# te d’Ivoire, c. 180 km NW of Abidjan. cultivars Gnan (D. cayenensis rotundata) and Florido
The climate is of the transitional equatorial type, with (D. alata). Half of the tubers had their sprouts cut at
two wet seasons : the main wet season begins in the base monthly, while the sprouts of the other half
March and ends in July, and a shorter one occurs in were left intact.
September and October. In 1995 the following sprout removal techniques
were compared in a shed : monthly and weekly
Production and conditioning of the yams removal of sprouts, with – for each of the two
methods – cutting off at the base of the sprout and at
All yams were grown in the same plot which was 1 cm from the base in order to test the potential
located in a forest zone that had lain fallow for " 10 wounding effect on the tuber itself. The variant
years. Harvesting took place once the active growth involving monthly removal of sprouts at the base was
period had finished, between 20 December and 6 not applied to cv. Florido.
January. The harvest usually commences at the
beginning of December and finishes at the end of Measurements and statistical analyses
February before the main wet season. As soon as they
were harvested, the tubers were protected from the Temperature and relative humidity (RH) were re-
sun. Damaged or diseased tubers were discarded. corded every 2 h inside two pits and two sheds and on
Each yam was then weighed and given a code. two yam barns throughout the storage period, using
Two cultivars of the species C. cayenensis rotundata six programmable modules (Hamster Dual2, Erni
(Krengle' and Lokpa) and two of D. alata (Florido Compro AG-CH) which could record up to 8000 data
and Be' te' be' te' ) were used for the storage trials because values and which were placed amongst the tubers.
of their importance in Co# te d’Ivoire. The monthly averages for temperature and RH were
The yams intended for the storage trials were calculated from these figures.
soaked for 30 min in a dip containing 500 mg kg−" of The fresh weight of the tubers and sprouts was
thiabendazole (Tecto2 ; Calliope, Nogueres, France) recorded each month using a scale having an accuracy
and 25 mg kg−" of deltamethrin (Decis2 ; Agrevo, of ³0±1 g (Mettler-Toledo). Sprout length was
Paris, France). The purpose of this pest control measured each month with an accuracy of ³0±01 m.
protection was to reduce the losses caused by When the sprouts were very long, the tubers with
exogenous factors and thus allow better quantification intact sprouts could not be weighed until the end of
of the losses of physiological origin. storage. The dry matter (DM) content was determined
at harvest on 24 tubers randomly selected for each
cultivar and at the end of storage on all the tubers
Storage structures
used for the monthly weighing. The yams were peeled,
Three traditional storage structures were compared, cut lengthwise and a slice 1 cm thick was cut into
with four replications for each : the pit, the shed and cubes. Two samples, each of 10–15 g fresh weight
the yam barn. In each structure, tubers were stored at were kept in an oven at 105 °C until constant weight
four heights above ground level : a bamboo stand was achieved. The statistical analyses were performed
with shelves was built in each pit and shed and four with the 2 program (SAS 1991). The experimental
yams per cultivar were placed on each shelf. The design was a split-plot (Gomez & Gomez 1983) used
dimensions of the pits were as follows : height 2±00 m, for two successive years (1994 and 1995). The structure
including 1±00 m below ground, width 1±50 m and of the experimental design was three storage systems
length 3±00 m. Each pit was protected with a straw with four replicates as main plots, four shelves as the
roof. Ventilation was provided by a vent at the top of subplot and four cultivars and two sprout removal
the roof and two air inlets below the roof. The sheds treatments as the sub-subplot. There were 384
had the following dimensions : sides 3±30 m, height treatment units (3¬4¬4¬4¬2 ¯ 384) with two
2±90 m at the front and 1±80 m at the back with walls yams per treatment.
and roofs of straw. Yam barns, the unmodified After an initial analysis of the homogeneity between
traditional method, consisted of three pillars 2±85 m the shelves, the model was simplified because of the
in length, spaced 2±00 m apart, and three cross- non-normal distribution of residual errors (outliers).
Improvement of traditional yam storage 331

The average for the sets of shelves (eight tubers) was 100
calculated for each storage unit, and the shelf factor

max
was taken out of the model ; the experimental design
then corresponded to a spit-plot (3¬4¬4¬2 ¯ 96). 90
This simplification allowed the variance to be stabi-
lized and the residual errors to be normalized. 80
The experiments on the different sprout removal
techniques were examined by means of analysis of
70

mean
variance. The analyses were initially made taking one
tuber as a replicate ; subsequently, because of outliers,

Relative humidity (%)

which were responsible for the non-normal distri- 60
bution of the residual errors, groupings of 3–5 tubers
had to be made. 50
RESULTS
Temperature and relative humidity of the storage 40
systems
The average temperature in the pits (26 °C) was only 30
1 °C less than in the other systems (Fig. 1). The main

min
difference between the pits, sheds and yam barns was 20
in the range of temperature variation between days
and nights. The more stable temperature in the pits
10
than in the sheds and on the yam barns produced a
similar pattern in the relative humidity (RH) (Fig. 2).
The variation in average RH was mainly due to the 0
climate, as March was the end of the dry season. Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul
From April onwards the waterlogged ground kept the Fig. 2. Relative humidity (%) means of 1994 and 1995 in
pits (y), in sheds (+), in barns (E) ; with minimum and
40 maximum in pits (x), in sheds (*) and in barns (D).

average RH " 90 %. The same trend was observed in

the sheds and on the yam barns.
max

35
Effect of cultivar, sprout removal and storage system
on losses

30 Consideration of the tuber and sprout fresh weights

during the storage of the different species and cultivars
shows clearly that the two phases of dormancy and
Temperature (°C)

mean

sprouting must be separated for a better under-

25 standing of the storage behaviour (Fig. 3). The daily
losses during sprouting (% per day) were calculated
from monthly weighings of tubers from 2 months
(breaking of dormancy) until 6±5 months of storage
20 (Table 1). These were very strongly correlated (r " 0±9 ;
P ! 0±001) with the relative weight 6±5 months after
the harvest, which indicates that the main losses
min

occurred during the sprouting phase.

15 Within D. cayenensis rotundata cultivars, losses for
cv. Krengle' after 6±5 months of storage were sig-
nificantly (P " 0±05) higher than for cv. Lokpa in
1994 only (Table 1). For D. alata cultivars, the dry
matter contents at harvest and at the end of storage
0 were much lower than in D. cayenensis rotundata,
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul with correspondingly lower daily fresh weight losses
Fig. 1. Temperature (°C) means of 1994 and 1995 in pits during the sprouting phase. The lower degree of
(y), in sheds (+), in barns (E) ; with minimum and dehydration of cv. Be' te' be' te' compared with cv.
maximum in pits (x), in sheds (*) and in barns (D). Florido was significant in one year only.
332 .         E T A L.

100 100

90 90

80 80

70 70

Sprout relative fresh weight (%)

Tuber relative fresh weight (%)

60 60

50 50

8 8

6 6

4 4

2 2

0 0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Storage length (months)
Fig. 3. Changes in tuber and sprout fresh relative weights (%) during storage of yam cultivars Krengle' (+), Lokpa (E) of
D. cayenensis rotundata and Florido (_), Be' te' be' te' (y) of D. alata. Means of 1994}95, vertical bars represent ..
(.. ¯ 191).

As there were no interactions between cultivar and pits and sheds than on yam barns. The weight losses
sprout removal in either species, only the species of D. alata were generally small and not affected by
means are presented (Table 2). Sprout removal slowed the storage structure. The reduction in daily weight
down the fresh weight losses considerably during loss due to sprout removal occurred in both species in
sprouting, allowing the yams whose sprouts had been all storage systems (data not shown).
removed to retain a larger relative weight 6±5 months
after harvest (Table 2) ; the significant difference
Different sprout removal techniques
(P ! 0±01) between the yams with and without sprout
removal was c. 8 % for both species, in spite of their The yams of D. cayenensis rotundata cv. Gnan
very different dehydration status. without sprout removal had the largest fresh weight
During the sprouting phase, the D. cayenensis losses during sprouting, while those which had their
rotundata tubers had significantly smaller (P ! 0±01) sprouts removed every week at the base had the
losses in the pits and in the sheds than on yam barns smallest ; until the end of the storage phase, the
(Table 3). Consequently the relative weight after 6±5 removal of the sprouts at the base allowed fresh
months of storage was much larger (P ! 0±01) in the weight losses to be reduced by up to 12 % (P ! 0±001)
Improvement of traditional yam storage 333

Table 1. Effect of cultivar and year on daily fresh weight (FW) losses (%}day) of yams (Dioscorea spp.) during
a 4±5-month sprouting phase, on relative fresh weight (%) after 6±5 months and on dry matter (DM) content
(g}100 g) at harvest and at the end of storage

FW loss Relative FW DM harvest DM storage end

Year Cultivar (%}day) (%) (g}100 g) (g}100 g)

D. cayenensis rotundata*
1994 Krengle' 0±34 41 32 48
Lokpa 0±30 49 35 47
1995 Krengle' 0±31 47 33 45
Lokpa 0±33 45 38 48
.. 0±009 1±5 ‡ 0±2
.. for error 56 56 92 55
D. alata†
1994 Florido 0±22 63 25 39
Be' te' be' te' 0±22 64 25 36
1995 Florido 0±28 52 25 36
Be' te' be' te' 0±19 66 25 31
.. 0±005 0±8 ‡ 0±3
.. for error 56 56 92 56

* Stored 7 months.
† Stored 10 months in 1994 and 7 months in 1995.
‡ D. cayenensis rotundata : 1994 ¯ 0±6 ; 1995 ¯ 0±4. D. alata : 1994 ¯ 0±6 ; 1995 ¯ 0±4.

Table 2. Effect of monthly removal of sprouts of yam (Dioscorea spp.) on daily fresh weight (FW) losses (%}day)
during sprouting, on relative fresh weight (%) after 6±5 months and on dry matter (DM) content (g}100 g) at the
end of storage, for the years 1994 and 1995 ; average of cultivars within species, and of the years 1994 and 1995

FW loss Relative FW DM
Sprouts (%}day) (%) (g}100 g)

D. cayenensis rotundata*
Monthly removed 0±29 49 47
Not removed 0±34 42 48
.. 0±008 1±0 0±1
.. for error 56 56 55
D. alata†
Monthly removed 0±20 66 34
Not removed 0±26 57 36
.. 0±004 0±6 0±2
.. for error 56 56 56

* Stored 7 months (Krengle' and Lokpa).

† Stored 10 months in 1994 and 7 months in 1995 (Florido and Be' te' be' te' ).

with no differences between weekly and monthly whose sprouts were cut off every week at the base
treatments (Table 4). The tubers whose sprouts had (66 cm kg−"). For D. alata cv. Florido yams the
been left intact had the highest DM content (47 g} effects of the treatments were similar (data not shown).
100 g), and the tubers whose sprouts were cut off
every week at the base had the lowest (42 g}100 g).
DISCUSSION
The most striking difference, however, was in the
length of the sprouts relative to the weight of yams The changes in the fresh weight of the yam are highly
when harvested. The biggest ratio (4 : 1) was between dependent on species and cultivar. The length of
yams without sprout removal (268 cm kg−") and those dormancy, the growth of sprouts and the decrease in
334 .         E T A L.

Table 3. Effect of the storage system on daily fresh the pits reduced the maximum temperatures, they had
weight (FW) losses (%}day) of yams (Dioscorea spp.) only a slight effect on the average temperatures. The
during sprouting and on relative fresh weight (%) after higher RH of the pits also had no effect on losses.
6±5 months in relation to the initial values, means of Ezeike (1985) was able to reduce losses by storage in
1994 and 1995 a pit instead of a barn but in that study the barn was
much warmer and less humid than in the present
Relative study. This points to the importance of efficient
FW loss FW protection against the sun in every storage system.
Storage system (%}day) (%) Protection against the sun and rain was more effective
in sheds and pits than on the yam barns. Coursey &
D. cayenensis rotundata Nwankwo (1968) showed that shade allows losses to
(Krengle' and Lokpa) be greatly reduced (40 % over 4 months). Good
Pits 0±27 54 protection against rain also allowed Nwankiti et al.
Sheds 0±27 53
(1988) to reduce fungal rots and their spread. The
Barns 0±35 41
.. (.. 9) 0±007 1±2 different suitability of yam cultivars for long term
storage was clearly demonstrated : the poor suitability
D. alata (Florido and Be' te' be' te' )
of D. cayenensis rotundata can be aggravated because
Pits 0±20 67
Sheds 0±20 65 it is very susceptible to fungal rots.
Barns 0±19 65 The monthly removal of sprouts had a marked
.. (.. 9) 0±008 1±1 effect on the daily fresh weight losses of the tubers
during sprouting and thus on their relative fresh
weights at the end of storage no matter which storage
structure (pits, sheds or yam barns) was used. The
weight during sprouting are the factors which most strong correlation between daily losses at germination
affect the final losses (Girardin 1996). When dormancy and the relative weight of the tubers after 6±5 months
has finished and sprouting begins, the tubers become of storage shows that the fresh weight losses can be
senescent and can no longer be stored effectively explained mainly by the growth of the sprouts (Fig.
(Passam 1977). This last observation needs to be 3) ; this confirms that healthy tubers can be kept for as
qualified, however, as cultivars with small fresh weight long as they can be prevented from sprouting (Passam
losses such as Be' te' be' te' do exist and can provide & Noon 1977).
better food security. This strengthens earlier obser- Martin (1977) was able to reduce fresh weight
vations on variations between cultivars for storability losses during 4±5 months of storage by removing the
(Onwueme 1978). sprouts from a D. alata cultivar every week. The
The changes in the fresh weight of the tubers were present experiment confirmed this finding for even
virtually unaffected by the differences in temperature longer periods of storage. The reduction of fresh
and RH between the storage systems, and so the pits weight losses can be dependent on the number of
did not allow long term losses to be reduced compared times sprouts are removed, but removal even on a
with the sheds. Temperature is a determining factor, single occasion is sufficient to reduce losses (Nwankiti
however, allowing losses to be greatly reduced when it 1988). In the present study, no differences were
is lowered from 30 to 16 °C (Mozie 1988). Although observed between weekly and monthly removals.

Table 4. Effect of different sprout removal techniques on yam cultivar Gnan (D. cayenensis rotundata) on the
daily fresh weight (FW) losses (%}day) during sprouting, on relative fresh weight (%) and on dry matter (DM)
content (g}100 g) of tubers and on sprout relative fresh weight (%) and length (cm}kg) in relation to the initial
tuber weight, after 6 months of storage

Tubers Sprouts

FW loss Relative FW DM Relative FW Length

Sprout removal at (%}day) (%) (g}100 g) (%) (cm}kg)

Not removed 0±29 57 47 8±4 268

0 cm}weekly 0±20 69 42 4±6 66
1 cm}weekly 0±23 65 43 3±9 87
0 cm}monthly 0±20 70 43 7±2 132
1 cm}monthly 0±25 63 44 5±3 134
.. (.. 30) 0±016 2±1 0±5 0±51 19±7
Improvement of traditional yam storage 335

Thus the input of labour can be reduced. Contrary to As sprout removal was the most effective technique
the results of Knoth (1993), there were no stimulatory for reducing fresh weight losses during storage, the
effects due to too frequent removal of the sprouts. monthly cutting of sprouts at the base should be
The sprout cutting technique itself was more im- encouraged in places where it is little used or not used
portant than the frequency. The daily fresh weight at all, for instance in the region covered by the present
losses were smaller when the sprouts were cut off at study. A preliminary economic analysis shows that
the base than at 1 cm from the tuber. With removal at the financial return for the work of removing the
1 cm, one part of the sprout remains intact and the sprouts is three times as large as the return on work
suppression of new shoots is delayed, causing greater spent on yam production (Girardin 1996). Additional
dehydration of the tubers. research is being carried out to develop a strategy for
In a study on the origins and magnitude of storage transferring such a technique, which is realistic and
losses in Eastern Nigeria, Coursey (1961) found that profitable, to the local farmer. Furthermore, the
fungal rots caused considerable damage and that suitability of different cultivars for storage can and
germination was relatively unimportant. The ap- must be improved by selection.
plication of a fungicide and an insecticide prior to
storage was tested by Girardin (1996). Thiabendazole
did not significantly reduce the losses in D. cayenensis We thank the Swiss Federal Institute for funding
rotundata but deltamethrin limited the development this research, the Centre Suisse de Recherches
of scale insects (Aspidiella hartii Ckll., Coccidae) on Scientifiques in Abidjan for providing infrastructure
D. alata so that losses were reduced by 4±5 % over a 6±5 and administrative support and the inhabitants of
month storage period. In the present trial the damaged Bringakro for making this research possible. H.-R.
tubers (c. 1 : 4) were discarded before the treatment Roth is thanked for his assistance with the statistical
and losses from fungi and insects were negligible. analysis.

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