ISHS Acta Horticulturae 670: I International Symposium on Root and Tuber Crops: Food Down Under
FACTORS AFFECTING THE PRODUCTION AND QUALITY OF JAPANESE TARO CORMELS |
| Authors: | J.J.C. Scheffer, J.A. Douglas, C.M. Triggs |
| Keywords: | Japanese taro, Colocasia esculenta, irrigation, plant population |
| Abstract:
Japanese taro (Colocasia esculenta) was introduced into New Zealand in 1992 as a potential new crop. Crop evaluation studies have been carried out at Pukekohe Research Centre in the Auckland region where frost-free conditions for 7-8 months and warm summer temperatures provide a suitable environment for production. Cormel production under three irrigation regimes was compared to production under rainfed conditions. Supplementary irrigation from February to April 1999 to keep the soil at >90% of field capacity (FC) gave a total cormel yield of 62 t/ha compared to a yield of 26 t/ha under rainfed conditions. Taro plants in the high water regime produced cormels of better quality with a relatively low incidence of cracking than in the non-irrigated treatment. Allowing the soil moisture to drop to 66% of FC before resuming watering to >90% FC reduced cormel yields by 27%. Where the soil moisture was allowed to drop to 66% of FC, watered to FC and allowed to drop again to 66% FC the cormel yield was reduced by 48%. A comparison of four intra-row spacings of 200, 300, 400 and 500 mm with an inter-row spacing of 750 mm revealed that total cormel yield increased from 47 to 60 t/ha as plant density increased. The average cormel size of 47 g remained similar at all spacing treatments. These trials show that Japanese taro can be successfully grown in northern New Zealand. | |
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