Abstract: This work examines the drying characteristics of potato cylinders subjected to air, microwave and combined air-microwave drying. Irrespective of the drying mode, no constant rate drying period was observed in the test samples. Microwave and combined microwave and air drying occurred during two distinct falling rate periods, indicating that diffusion of moisture from the interior of the material was the main controlling factor. Inlet air temperature greatly influenced the drying rate in the air mode, while microwave power was the controlling parameter in the combined microwave and air mode. Under the conditions considered in this study, inlet air temperature had a limited effect on the drying behaviour in the presence of microwaves. The effect of air velocity under the experimental conditions used in this study was negligible.