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What causes blackheart in potatoes?
Potato tubers need oxygen for respiration. Blackheart develops when their oxygen demand exceeds the supply available to them. In the field, saturated or poorly drained soil can restrict oxygen reaching the tubers. After harvest, poor air exchange in a transport container or storage area can create similar conditions. High temperatures can increase respiration demand and make the imbalance worse.
AHDB describes the disorder in terms of oxygen demand exceeding supply, with restricted gas exchange and conditions that increase respiration among the relevant risks: AHDB: Blackheart. Blackheart is physiological injury, not an infection caused by a pathogen; it is not contagious between tubers.
What does blackheart look like?
The most recognizable sign is a dark gray, purple, or black area inside the tuber, often near its center. The affected area usually has a distinct boundary against healthy tissue and is typically firm. It may not show on the outside, so cutting the potato may be necessary to see it. In some cases, damaged tissue shrinks and a cavity forms.
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Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada describes blackheart among potato crop disorders, while Cornell Cooperative Extension’s guide explains its appearance and how it differs from other tuber defects: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada: Crop profile for potato in Canada, 2023; Cornell Cooperative Extension: Detection of Potato Tuber Diseases and Defects.
How is blackheart different from rot or hollow heart?
Internal discoloration alone is not enough to identify a potato problem with certainty. Consider the location, texture, margin, and any external damage together:
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- Blackheart: usually a central dark area with a clear margin; affected tissue is generally firm.
- Some rots: may be softer or wet, and may be accompanied by surface lesions or visible breakdown.
- Hollow heart: a distinct disorder characterized by a cavity inside the tuber, rather than blackheart’s defining dark discoloration.
A potato that is substantially soft, wet, foul-smelling, or otherwise abnormal cannot be reliably diagnosed from these clues alone. Cornell’s identification guide can help compare visible characteristics, but these signs do not replace a definitive diagnosis.
How can blackheart be prevented?
Reduce oxygen restrictions in the field
- Choose well-drained soil where possible.
- Avoid excessive irrigation that leaves soil saturated.
- Where practicable, avoid harvesting in extreme heat or cold.
Maintain airflow after harvest
- Keep air moving through transport containers and storage areas; avoid tightly closed storage that restricts exchange.
- Dry tubers promptly to limit condensation.
- Maintain moderate storage conditions appropriate to the crop and its intended use rather than relying on one temperature as a universal prevention target.
INRAE’s potato blackheart guidance and AHDB’s disorder overview discuss restricted gas exchange and management considerations: INRAE ephytia: Potato: Black heart; AHDB: Blackheart.
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Interpret temperature guidance in context
UC Davis notes that early-crop potatoes held above 15°C (59°F) under restricted airflow and high respiration can develop internal brown discoloration that becomes black, with development more rapid above 20°C (68°F). These figures describe the conditions covered by its early-crop fact sheet; they are not universal storage targets for every potato or intended use. See UC Davis Postharvest Research and Extension Center: Potato (Early Crop).
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should you do with a potato that has blackheart?
Blackheart is described in the cited sources as a physiological quality defect, but those sources do not establish whether an affected potato is safe to eat. Removing visibly affected tissue may address appearance or quality, but it should not be treated as a food-safety determination. If a potato is notably soft, wet, foul-smelling, or otherwise abnormal, do not rely on appearance alone to identify the cause or decide its safety.
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