Underground Storage of Tacca involucrate Tubers

Taccainvolucrata tubers are not currently stored but processed in-situ and this has limited the commercial production and processing of this wild crop. The increasing research into the potential qualities of its starch for use in the food and pharmaceutical industries informed this investigation to determine the storability of the tubers in underground pits. Three identical pits were dug and provided with one, two and no vent. Two hundred clean T. involucrate tubers weighing 22 kg were stored in each pit and monitored for six months. The temperature and relative humidity were monitored three times daily at 6 h intervals from 6 am to 6 pm using a digital thermo-hygrometer while weight loss, sprout index and rot incidence were examined monthly. Air temperatures varied from 28.4-32.9°C, 28.2-32.9°C and 28.2-32.5°C in zero-vent, one-vent and two-vent pits respectively as against 30.1-33.7°C in the surrounding. Weight losses of 12.9, 9.2 and 9.0% were recorded at 4 months while sprout indexes of 7.1, 3.0 and 12.0% were, respectively obtained for zero-vent, one-vent and two-vent pits at 3months of storage. Thereafter, sprout index ˃80% was observed in all the pits. Rot incidences of 4, 3 and 0% for zero-vent, one-vent and two-vent pits respectively were observed after the 6 months storage period. The study revealed a three-month storability of T. involucrate tubers in pits. This is a promising approach, economical and will make T. involucrate available for a longer period after its season for the small scale processors in the locality while awaiting full commercialization.