Each year on May 30th, we celebrate World Potato Day — and in 2025, we’re marking the occasion by helping you protect your spuds. Discover how to reduce bruising and get more value from every harvest with our free guide.

May 30th marks World Potato Day — a global recognition of one of the most important and versatile crops in the world. Potatoes play a crucial role in global food security, nutrition, and agricultural economies, and at Wyma, we’re proud to support the growers and processors who bring them to market.

But while potatoes may be tough on the outside, they’re surprisingly vulnerable to one of the industry’s most persistent challenges: bruising.

The True Cost of Bruising

Potato bruising is more than a visual blemish — it’s a major cause of waste, lower returns, and consumer complaints. Whether it’s shatter bruising from impacts, pressure bruising from stacking, or skinning and feathering during handling, damage often goes unseen until days after it occurs. By then, it's too late.

Across the industry, bruising results in hundreds of millions of dollars in lost value every year. While some bruising is unavoidable, there are practical steps that can make a significant difference — and most start well before harvest.

A Practical Guide for Every Stage

To help growers and processors reduce bruising and protect crop value, we’ve created a practical guide:
“Avoid Potato Bruising and Increase Profit.”

This free eBook offers clear, actionable recommendations for each stage of the potato lifecycle:

1. Before and During Planting

• Select rock-free soil to reduce impact damage

• Avoid clod-forming cultivation practices

• Apply calcium and potassium to support plant health

2. During Growing Season

• Maintain loose, well-drained soil

• Use balanced fertilisation to promote resilient plants

• Water consistently to prevent stress-related defects

3. Pre-Harvest and Harvesting

• Reduce irrigation in the weeks before harvest to toughen skins

• Harvest when tuber temperatures are above 10°C

• Use padded equipment and avoid large drop heights

4. Handling and Storage

• Use soft-tip tippers, wet hoppers, and flumes to minimise damage

• Keep storage humidity at 95% and temperatures between 3–5°C

• Limit pile height and avoid overfilling bins

Why Gentle Handling Matters

Post-harvest equipment plays a crucial role in bruise prevention. At Wyma, we design complete line solutions around gentle handling — from receiving and destoning through to polishing, cooling, and packing. Every piece of equipment is engineered to reduce damage points and preserve quality.

A well-designed line layout, combined with the right storage and operational practices, helps reduce waste, increase packout, and maintain product integrity from field to fork.

📘 Download the Full Guide

If you’re looking to reduce bruising and improve profitability across your potato operation, our guide is a great place to start.

👉 Download “Avoid Potato Bruising and Increase Profit”