Articles
FACTORS AFFECTING THE PRODUCTION AND QUALITY OF JAPANESE TARO CORMELS
Article number
670_19
Pages
167 – 172
Language
English
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.
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.
Authors
J.J.C. Scheffer, J.A. Douglas, C.M. Triggs
Keywords
Japanese taro, Colocasia esculenta, irrigation, plant population
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