Internal sprouting

Internal sprouting is a physiological condition where a tuber has a sprout growing either inside it or passing through an adjacent tuber. Sometimes the sprout may furrow the tuber surface. Usually a combination of factors is necessary for the problem to arise.

The greatest risk occurs where short dormant cultivars with vigorous growth are stored in warm conditions and insufficient sprout suppressant has reached the target sites. The problem is more frequent in seasons where growing conditions promote early dormancy break.

The defect is usually not possible to spot from the outside but if the sprout is near the surface there may be a tell-tale bulge or split in the outer flesh resulting in tightly wrinkled skin.

A single cut through a tuber may miss the defect and consequently several cuts are required for a full assessment.