Afek, U., Dept. Postharvest Sci. Fresh Produce, Gilat-Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Organisation, Mobile Post Negev 2 85-280, Israel
Orenstein, J., Dept. Postharvest Sci. Fresh Produce, Gilat-Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Organisation, Mobile Post Negev 2 85-280, Israel

'Georgia Jet' is the predominant sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam] cultivar grown in Israel. This cuhivar is susceptible to diseases during storage and it is difficult to store it for more than 1 month without pre-treatment with fungicides. In laboratory experiments, treatments with steam or with the fungicide iprodione reduced root decay during storage. After 5 months of storage, the percentages of decay in cured sweetpotatoes following these treatments were 3% and 5%, respectively, compared to 32% in the nontreated control. The percentages of decay in noncured sweetpotatoes following treatments with steam or with iprodione were 14% and 17%, respectively, compared to 86% in the nontreated control. Similar results were obtained in a commercial packing house in Israel. These results demonstrate that treatment of sweetpotatoes with steam can be an efficient method against pathogens which cause decay during storage. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.