Traditional Storage Methods of Roots and Tubers in Agriculture

Normal storage refers to keeping foodstuffs open to the atmosphere, subject to room temperature and humidity. In reality, storage of foodstuffs begins immediately after the crop is harvested from the parent plant.

Decomposition caused by fungi, bacteria, and nematodes starts in the field and continues during storage. Food self-sufficiency in Nigeria depends on increased production, reduced postharvest losses, improved processing methods, and better product distribution.

However, increased production, improved processing, and better distribution cannot be effective without addressing postharvest losses through proper study and intervention.

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Traditional Storage Methods of Yam and Their Agricultural Significance

Food storage in rural developing areas is often challenging, making any means to increase agricultural production and limit losses crucial. Traditional yam storage methods are designed within a self-sufficient economic framework and have sustained populations for generations.

These methods rely on the capacity of different yam varieties to resist rot, with D. alata and D. dumetorum being the best species for storage.

Surveys in Benin show that almost 85% of the rural population consumes yams they produce themselves. Efforts to reduce postharvest losses remain essential.

Yam storage practices vary across tribes but generally focus on keeping yams dry, away from soil, and protected from sunlight. After harvesting, soil clinging to yams is removed as it encourages sprouting and disease.

Yams are then placed in sheds raised above the ground, made of palm-leaf rachis, and covered with grass or thatch to allow air circulation.

The main disadvantage of this system is the tendency for yams to rot due to fungal infections spreading through contact.

Unequal drying conditions, especially for yams at the bottom of piles, increase heat and moisture, accelerating rot and sprouting. Early sprouting is undesirable when yams are stored for food.

In the Calabar district, yams are hung to dry for three months after harvesting. Seed yams are stored in sheltered areas covered with plantain leaves, with sprouts appearing by January, preparing them for planting.

Some of the best yam storage practices are followed by the Fantes, Northern Ashantis, and Ibo tribes. This method involves erecting a framework of poles closely spaced to support yams tied individually, allowing even air circulation and temperature control.

Yams are stored in double rows, spaced for easy inspection, with different varieties grouped separately. The living poles produce shoots and leaves, providing shade that prevents tuber cracking and termite attacks while allowing air movement to reduce moisture.

These yam stores are often near farms or villages, sometimes fenced and entered through a special door. Yams can be easily removed one by one for consumption. Sprouts are regularly removed to prevent spoilage.

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Traditional Storage Methods of Cassava and Their Agricultural Challenges

Cassava tubers are highly perishable, remaining in the ground up to two years but deteriorating within 40 to 48 hours after harvest due to physiological changes and rot.

Mechanical damage during harvesting worsens storage potential. Proper storage is necessary to reduce postharvest losses, using both traditional and modern methods.

In subsistence farming areas, cassava storage is often achieved by leaving mature tubers in the ground until needed.

This method has disadvantages: it occupies large land areas, reducing land available for new crops, increases vulnerability to rodents, insects, and nematodes, and causes tubers to become fibrous, lowering starch content and food quality.

Other traditional methods include storing tubers in pits lined with straw, piling them in heaps watered daily, coating them with mud paste, or storing under water. These methods only extend shelf life by a few days and are not widely used.

Traditional Storage Methods of Cocoyam in Agriculture

Cocoyam is usually harvested 8–12 months after planting when leaves begin to senesce. If rains do not follow maturity, corms can remain in the soil and harvested as needed. Otherwise, the crop is fully harvested and excess stored.

Cocoyams for storage are carefully harvested to avoid injury. They are exposed to sunlight for 2–3 days to encourage suberization.

Storage involves placing tubers in a dry, cool place covered with dry leaves or stored in a hole lined with dry banana or plantain leaves.

Wood ash is sometimes sprinkled on tubers, probably serving as a fumigant or pesticide. The heap is covered with dry soil to form a mound about 50 cm above ground, allowing storage up to four months. The main problems during storage are rotting and sprouting.

In Nigeria’s middle-belt, fresh cocoyam is stored inside baskets for short periods before rotting.

Fresh cocoyams are not attractive to insects or rodents, so animal damage is minimal. Cocoyam has less value as a staple food than yam or cassava, resulting in less emphasis on storage.

Traditional Storage Methods of Sweet Potato in Agricultural Practice

Among the four major root crops in Nigeria, sweet potato has traditionally been undervalued due to cultural beliefs labeling it as "dog food." However, increased awareness of its nutritional value has expanded its cultivation for human consumption.

The major obstacles to sweet potato storage include pests and sprouting. Traditionally, only sound tubers are stored. Tubers are exposed to sunlight for 2–3 days to suberize, then stored in dry places or baskets covered with banana leaves or grass.

Storage may also involve holes lined with dry leaves. Wood ash is sprinkled over tubers, which are then covered with dry leaves or grass, sometimes with a mound of dry earth on top. Under these conditions, tubers can be stored up to three months.

Sprouted tubers are removed for consumption, and rotten ones discarded. During transportation, tubers are stored in sacks with their mouths covered by leaves or grass to maintain freshness. Sometimes soil clinging to tubers is left on, as removing it hastens spoilage.

Traditional Storage of Irish Potato and Its Agricultural Limitations

Irish potato is the least produced tuber in Nigeria due to its specific environmental requirements, thriving best in cool, dry climates such as Jos, Plateau State. The tuber has a delicate peel prone to damage during transportation.

Storage is challenging; farmers dry tubers in open air to reduce moisture before packing them in jute bags for transport.

Ash is sometimes poured over tubers, allowing free air movement to generate heat and prevent spoilage.

Frequent inspection removes bad tubers. Storage in baskets covered with dry leaves reduces temperature and respiration rates, improving storage duration.

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