Performance Analysis of Selected Taro Cultivars in Kerala State of India

Aiswarya Thekkayil^1*, Sumisha Chennappoyil¹, Swedha Madhavan Mavally¹and Chandramohanan Kotten Thazhath²

¹Department of Botany, Government Brennen College, Dharmadam, Thalassery, Kerala, India.

²Krishna Menon Memorial Government Women's College, Kerala, India

Corresponding Author Email: aiswaryabotany@gmail.com

Abstract:

Taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) is an important tuber crop that belongs to the plant family Araceae. Taro tubers are rich in starch, minerals and vitamins. Taro plays an important role in hunger management. Tubers and leaves of taro possess antimicrobial, anti-cancerous, antidiabetic and immunostimulatory properties, and thus it is a pharmacologically important crop species. Different cultivars of taro are cultivated in different parts of the world. Analysis of naturally occurring germplasm is the first step in plant breeding experiments. The present study involves the analysis of growth and yield attributes of five taro cultivars (CULT 1, CULT 2, CULT 3, CULT 4 and CULT 5) from Kerala state of India. Data on twenty-two characters, including eight growth characters and fourteen yield characters, were analysed. Identification and selection of potentially useful cultivars of a crop species is an important step to maintain food security. Based on the cumulative performance index, CULT 5 ranked first, followed by CULT 2 and CULT 3. We can adopt these elite cultivars for extensive cultivation. Future plant breeding initiatives can use these outstanding cultivars to develop potential taro varieties.

Keywords:

Colocasia; Cultivars; Performance analysis; Taro; Yield characters

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