Use of gibberellic acid to prolong dormancy and reduce losses during traditional storage of yams

• Published in: Journal of the science of food and agriculture Vol. 77; no. 2; pp. 172 - 178
• Main Authors: Girardin, Olivier, Nindjin, Charlemagne, Farah, Zakaria, Escher, Felix, Stamp, Peter, Otokoré, Dama
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.06.1998; Wiley; Published for the Society of Chemical Industry by Elsevier Applied Science
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Biological and medical sciences; Dioscorea spp; dormancy; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; GA3; General agronomy. Plant production; germination; gibberellic acid; Harvesting. Postharvest. Storage; Ivory Coast; traditional storage; Vegetative propagation. Sowing and planting. Harvesting; yam; West Africa; Africa; Ivory Coast; Agricultural chemical product; Monocotyledones; Technical progress; Yam; Conservation; Postharvest; Dry matter; Growth regulator treatment; Dioscorea alata; Dormancy; Angiospermae; Tuber; Plant growth substance; Apex; Phytopharmacology; TRADITIONAL TECHNOLOGY; Rural environment; Landrace(plant); Treatment efficiency; Germination; Tropical crop; Gibberellin; Experimental study; African; Dioscoreaceae; Food crop; Dioscorea cayenensis; Storage; STORAGE LOSSES; Spermatophyta; Application method; Tuber plant; Gibberellic acid; Aqueous solution
• ISSN: 0022-5142; 1097-0010
• DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0010(199806)77:2<172::AID-JSFA21>3.0.CO;2-R

The annual vegetative cycle of the yam (Dioscorea spp) necessitates a long period of storage. Losses during this period are high and are mainly due to germination. Trials on the effectiveness of gibberellic acid (GA3) for controlling storage losses were carried out on the two main species of yam (D cayenensis rotundata and D alata) grown in the Ivory Coast. Methods of application at the apex adapted to the rural environment were tested. Treatment with GA3 prolonged the dormancy period and thus reduced losses. This substance was effective at low concentration with a long soaking duration (75 mg litre−1 for 2 h) and during a soaking of short duration with a higher concentration (0·5 h at 150 mg litre−1). Because of its stability at ambient temperature, the solution was still active 3 days after being prepared and after reuse of the same dip six times. © 1998 SCI.