In this paper, a comprehensive overview was conducted on machine vision in potato cultivation, harvesting, and storage. Common weeds and diseases encountered during potato cultivation were summarized, and the advantages and disadvantages of various detection methods were compared. Additionally, methods for soil clod separation and tuber damage detection during harvesting were reviewed, along with a comparative analysis of their strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, the defect grading and sprouting detection methods during storage were discussed. While machine vision technology shows good detection ability in potato cultivation, harvesting, and storage, further research is still needed to enhance the accuracy and adaptability of these methods, ultimately promoting the development of the potato industry.

To address the inefficiency and high cost of manual potato pickup in segmented harvesting, a dual-disc potato pickup and harvesting device was designed. The device utilizes counter-rotating dual discs to gather and preliminarily lift the potato-soil mixture, and combines it with an elevator chain to achieve potato-soil separation and transportation. Based on Hertz's collision theory, the impact of disc rotational speed on potato damage was analyzed, establishing a maximum speed limit (<= 62.56 r/min). Through kinematic analysis, the disc inclination angle (12-24 degrees) and operational parameters were optimized. Through coupled EDEM-RecurDyn simulations and Box-Behnken experimental design, the optimal parameter combination was determined with the potato loss rate and potato damage rate as evaluation indices: disc rotational speed of 50 r/min, disc inclination angle of 16 degrees, and machine forward speed of 0.6 m/s. Field validation tests revealed that the potato loss rate and potato damage rate were 1.53% and 2.45%, respectively, meeting the requirements of the DB64/T 1795-2021 standard. The research findings demonstrate that this device can efficiently replace manual potato picking, providing a reliable solution for the mechanized harvesting of potatoes.

PurposeThe study focused on developing a rapid PCR-based detection method and employing gamma irradiation techniques to manage Ralstonia solanacearum, aiming to produce brown rot-free export-quality potatoes. This initiative seeks to enhance potato exports from Bangladesh.Materials and MethodsSamples of potato tubers and soil were collected from various commercially significant potato-growing areas, resulting in a total of 168 Ralstonia solanacearum isolates from potato tubers and soil across 12 regions. The detection of R. solanacearum in the enriched tuber extract and soil were conducted using the primer pairs (PS-1, PS-2) and (759, 760). For the gamma irradiation experiment, petri dishes containing R. solanacearum cultures were subjected to different doses of gamma rays at the Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture using a 60Co source. The irradiation doses applied to the samples were 0-6.0KGy.ResultsMorphological identification based on pink/light red colonies on TTC medium was confirmed R. solanacearum in 148 isolates. PCR using species-specific primers (PS-1/PS-2) and (759, 760) verified 26 isolates (14 tubers, 12 soil), producing 553 bp and 281 bp fragments in latently infected tubers and soil samples respectively. Gamma irradiation at 2.5 kGy damaged R. solanacearum's DNA and cells, preventing brown rot, while higher doses eliminated it entirely. This offers a promising strategy to enhance safety of stored potatoes, potentially mitigating economic losses from this quarantine pathogen.ConclusionThe study developed a PCR detection method and gamma irradiation techniques to manage R. solanacearum, enhancing the export quality of potatoes.

To address problems encountered in current potato harvesting machines in hilly and mountainous areas, such as potato damage, poor adaptability, low operational efficiency, and the inability of traditional harvesters to meet the requirements in these areas, a new potato harvester equipped with excavation and a multi-stage separation conveyor was developed by using design and simulation programs as an innovative way to identify the best operating factors. SolidWorks Software was used to design an excavation and a multi-stage separation conveyor. ANSYS Workbench machine static structure analyzed stress, strain, and deformation. The working process of soil and tuber separation was tested and kinematically analyzed by EDEM-RecurDyn and a 5F01M camera. A field experiment was also conducted on the machine under several factors: working speed (W), excavation depth (D), vibration intensity level (V), and conveyor inclination angle (N). The quadratic regression orthogonal rotating combination experiment tested four factors with five levels. The results of the non-load experiment showed that the lowest ratio of impurities was at the linear speed level (Q3, S5, O3) for the first and second separation conveyor and the side conveyor, respectively. The results of the field experiment showed that the optimal parameters were the working speed of 1.05 m/s, the digging depth of 180 mm, and the vibration force II inclination angle on the screen surface of 22 degrees, which gave the highest potato lifting rate of 98.8%, and the bruising rate was 1.37%. The damage rate was 1.43%, superior to national industry standards. With its exceptional performance, the machine can effectively meet and solve the challenges of harvesting requirements, making it a valuable tool for the industry.

Recently, there has been an increasing interest in biodegradable films for extending food's shelf life. This study developed pectin-potato starch-based films incorporating varying pyrogallol concentrations and evaluated shelf life their physical, antioxidant, mechanical, optical, antibacterial, structural, biodegradation, and shelf-life properties. Among the tested films (F1, pectin; F2, pectin + potato starch; F3, pectin + potato starch + 0.5%pyrogallol; and F4, pectin + potato starch + 1%pyrogallol), F4 exhibited superior antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (42 mm), Klebsiella pneumoniae (20.5 mm), and Escherichia coli (25.5 mm), antioxidant activity (AA) (95% (diphenylpicrylhydrazyl), 76% (metal chelating activity), and 87% (hydroxyl radical scavenging assay)), mechanical, and soil biodegradation. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy confirmed biocompatibility, whereas differential scanning calorimetry studies showed thermal stability. Shelf-life studies on tomatoes at 30 degrees C demonstrated that F4 film coating extended shelf life to 21 days by reducing weight loss (14.5%), total phenolic content (25 mg/100 g), AA (53.5%), firmness (46 N), and titratable acidity (0.38%) while maintaining the total soluble solids, pH, lycopene content, color, and microbial inhibition. This study introduces a novel active biodegradable film with enhanced antimicrobial, mechanical, and antioxidant properties for sustainable food packaging applications.

Soil salinity induces osmotic stress and ion toxicity in plants, detrimentally affecting their growth. Potato (So- lanum tuberosum) suffers yield reductions under salt stress. To understand salt-stress resilience mechanisms in potatoes, we studied three cultivars with contrasting salt sensitivity: Innovator, Desiree, and Mozart. Innovator emerged as the most resilient under salt stress, displaying minimal reductions in growth and plant tolerance index with no tuber yield loss, despite notable water loss. Conversely, Desiree experienced a significant tuber yield reduction but maintained better water retention. Mozart showed a low plant tolerance index and high water loss. Interestingly, ions measurement across different tissues revealed that, unlike chloride, sodium does not accumulate in tubers under salt stress in these cultivars, suggesting existence of an active sodium exclusion mechanism. A whole root transcriptomic analysis of these cultivars revealed a conserved salt stress response between potato and Arabidopsis. This response includes activation of various abiotic stress pathways and involves sequential activation of various transcription factor families. Root analyses showed that Innovator has lower suberin and lignin deposition, along with stronger K+ leakage in control conditions, resulting in a higher early stress response and increased ABA accumulation shortly after salt stress induction. This could explain Innovator has a more divergent transcriptomic response to salt stress compared to Desiree and Mozart. Nevertheless, Innovator displayed high suberin and lignin levels and ceased K+ leakage after salt stress, suggesting a high acclimation ability. Altogether, our results indicate that acclimation ability, rather than initial root protection against salt prevails in long-term salt-stress resilience of potato.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivation faces significant challenges: highland cultivation leads to soil erosion and fertility degradation, while medium-land cultivation is constrained by suboptimal temperature and humidity conditions. Processing potatoes into starch improves shelf life and economic value, however, native potato starch has limited food applications due to heat sensitivity, high viscosity, and its propensity for retrogradation and syneresis. This study investigated the effects of cultivation altitude and modification methods on the physicochemical and functional properties of potato starch from 'Medians' cultivar, comparing samples from medium-land (765 m above sea level) and highland (1312 m above sea level) locations. Starch modifications included Heat Moisture Treatment (HMT), crosslinking with Monosodium Phosphate (MSP), and a combined treatment (CLM-HMT). A factorial randomized complete block design was employed to analyze physicochemical characteristics, functional properties, and pasting behavior, with statistical significance determined using two-way ANOVA and Duncan's Multiple Range Test (p < 0.05). Results revealed significant effects of cultivation altitude, modification method, and their interaction on starch properties. Highland-grown modified starch exhibited superior characteristics in color properties and thermal stability. Modification methods improved starch thermal stability and minimized retrogradation, with the combined CLM-HMT treatment yielding optimal results. This study provides valuable insights into optimizing potato starch production and modification techniques, contributing to sustainable agriculture and broadening its applications in the food industry.

The root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne spp.) is an obligate plant parasite and is one of the largest threats to the Australian sweetpotato industry, causing crop losses of up to 57% of marketable yield. In this study, two potential fungal biocontrol agents were encapsulated in alginate granules and their nematophagous activity was assessed in a laboratory-based microcosm experiment. Both species of fungi significantly reduced numbers of root-knot nematodes in red ferrosol soil. A greater reduction was observed in untreated field soil prior to introduction of root-knot nematodes and fungal biocontrol agents compared to soil that had been heat-sterilised. In a ten-week glasshouse experiment, no significant difference in the root-knot nematode populations in sweetpotato roots and soil was found between fungal biocontrol agent and control treatments. There was a trend towards an increase in the sweetpotato storage root weight and reduction in storage root damage in fungal biocontrol agent compared to control treatments, and both yield and damage levels were similar to those achieved from the use of chemical nematicide treatments. These results demonstrate the need for greater understanding of the interactions between soil biological populations and introduced nematophagous fungi if effective biocontrol is to be consistently achieved with these bioagents under field conditions.

In the arid and semi-arid zones of Northwest China, soil drought and alkaline salt stress often occur simultaneously and affect plant growth at multiple levels. Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a food crop sensitive to drought and alkaline salt stresses and is susceptible to yield loss due to environmental impacts. In recent years, most of the research on abiotic stress response in potato has focused on drought and saline single stresses, and the mechanism of potato response to combined drought-alkaline salt stress and its interactions are still unclear. Therefore, a pot experiment was designed in this study and the potato variety 'Atlantic' was selected as the test material. The effects of drought (25 % PEG-6000), alkaline salt (200 mmol & sdot;L-1 NaHCO3) and combined drought- alkaline salt (25 % PEG-6000 + 200 mmol & sdot;L-1 NaHCO3) stresses on growth traits, micro- and ultrastructure, reactive oxygen species, osmoregulatory substances, and antioxidant defenses of potato were investigated using no stress (CK) as a control, leaf photosynthesis and endogenous plant hormones, and also analyzed the changes in the expression patterns of genes related to plant hormone signal transduction under different stresses. The results showed that drought, alkaline salt, and combined stress affected growth, leaf anatomy, and photosynthesis, and increased the accumulation of osmoregulatory substances in potato. The scavenging activities of antioxidant compounds and antioxidant enzymes were enhanced in potato, and combined stress treatments significantly damaged potato more than single stresses. In 2022, combined stress caused a marked increase in H2O2 (208.7 %) and O2- (455.6 %) content, while in 2023, they increased by 87.5 % and 215.7 %, respectively. SOD, POD, CAT, TPX, APX, GR, GPX and DHAR enzyme activities were increased by 209.13 %, 55.19 %, 152.59 %, 47.13 %, 104.02 %, 347.37 %, 68.45 % and 130.69 % in 2022 compared to CK in the combined stress treatment. In 2023, they increased by 229.81 %, 49.95 %, 160.62 %, 102.16 %, 94.06 %, 505.15 %, 47.00 %, and 121.19 %, respectively. After the stress treatments, the contents of gibberellic acid (GA3) and auxins (IAA) were significantly lower than those in CK, whereas the contents of abscisic acid (ABA), salicylic acid (SA), and brassinosteroids (BRs) increased. Expression of IAA-related genes (AUX1, Aux/IAA, GH3, and SAUR) was up-regulated after stress. ABA-related genes (PYR/PYL, SnRK2, and ABF) were up-regulated after stress, whereas protein phosphatase 2C (PP2C) genes were down-regulated in expression after stress. The GA3 receptor GID1 and the Fbox protein GID2 were up-regulated after stress. Xyloglucosyl transferase TCH4 gene was up-regulated by stress and positively correlated with changes in BRs content. The TGA transcription factor, PR-1 gene, was induced to up-regulate its expression by stress and positively correlated with changes in SA content. Drought, alkaline salt, and combined stress reduced potato tuber yield and quality, which were 54.13 % and 60.14 % lower than CK in combined stress treatments in 2022 and 2023, respectively, which were significantly correlated with changes in physiological and biochemical characteristics and hormone contents of potato plants.

The Discrete Element Method (DEM) is an innovative numerical computational approach. This method is employed to study and resolve the motion patterns of particles within discrete systems, contact mechanics properties, mechanisms of separation processes, and the relationships between contact forces and energy. Agricultural machinery involves the interactions between machinery and soil, crops, and other systems. Designing agricultural machinery can be equivalent to solving problems in discrete systems. The DEM has been widely applied in research on agricultural machinery design and mechanized harvesting of crops. It has also provided an important theoretical research approach for the design and selection of operating parameters, as well as the structural optimization of potato harvesting machinery. This review first analyzes and summarizes the current global potato industry situation, planting scale, and yield. Subsequently, it analyzes the challenges facing the development of the potato industry. The results show that breeding is the key to improving potato varieties, harvesting is the main stage where potato damage occurs, and reprocessing is the main process associated with potato waste. Second, an overview of the basic principles of DEM, contact models, and mechanical parameters is provided, along with an introduction to the simulation process using the EDEM software. Third, the application of the DEM to mechanized digging, transportation, collection, and separation of potatoes from the soil is reviewed. The accuracy of constructing potato and soil particle models and the rationality of the contact model selection are found to be the main factors affecting the results of discrete element simulations. Finally, the challenges of using the DEM for research on potato harvesting machinery are presented, and a summary and outlook for the future development of the DEM are provided.