2019 ASHS Annual Conference

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) and Turmeric (Curcuma longa) are grown as specialty crops in Virginia and are harvested before they reach to their full maturity. The immature “baby ginger and turmeric” tubers are perishable and prone to water loss and fungal diseases. Cold storage can decrease water loss and control fungal diseases. However, ginger and turmeric are tropical crops and we hypothesized that, immature tubers can suffer from chilling injury if stored at 4 ºC. Therefore, this experiment was designed to assess the effect of storage temperature on extending the shelf life of immature ginger and turmeric tubers in two consecutive years. Tubers were harvested from Virginia State University’s Randolph Farm between December and February. In the first year (Dec 2017- Feb18) tubers were stored either at 4 or 25 ⁰C and were packaged in plastic ziplock bags. In the second year (Dec 2018- Feb19), tubers were stored either at 4, 12 or 25 ⁰C and were packaged in grocery paper bags or clamshells. Tubers without visible defects were washed, gently dried, and then randomly divided between experimental treatments. Weight loss, total soluble solids (ºBrix) and titratable acidity were measured before storage and every 7 days for 28 days. The experiment was conducted in 3 replicates. In the first year, tubers stored at 4⁰C had less water loss and fungal growth. Differences in total soluble solids and titratable acidity were not significant between the two temperatures. In the second year, discoloration occurred due to the chilling injury to tubers. Cold storage reduced water loss significantly and paper bags and clamshells reduce fungal decay compared to the plastic ziplock bags. Also, the pathogens present on the surface of the tubers have been isolated to identify the dominant fungal pathogens attacking the tubers and how postharvest practices can control them.