Abstract
Taro [Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott], a member of the family Araceae, is a vegetatively propagated crop with edible tubers (corms and cormels), petioles and leaf blades. Available evidence suggests that taro originated in South Central Asia, probably in the tropical region from India to Indonesia. The crop is considered to have reached Japan by the 10th century B. C.. In Japan, taro was a regional staple crop before the beginning of rice cultivation, but it is nowadays grown as a root vegetable. The corms and cormels of taro are an excellent source of carbohydrates and rich in essential minerals, vitamins and dietary fiber. Additionally, Japanese people have formed socio-cultural connections to the crop since olden times; taro has been served in traditional feasting and seasonal events. Despite having so much value, taro cultivation has shown declining trends in the past several decades. It should also be noted that little attention has been devoted to the genetic improvement of taro. In this review, an attempt is made to collect information about the commercial production and uses of Japanese taros as well as agronomic characteristics of leading cultivars, with the expectation that the synthesized information will aid in understanding the problems and prospects of taro cultivation in Japan.
Highlights
Taro [Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott] is an ancient monocotyledonous crop belonging to the Araceae family
Taro has been an important food to share with family and/or community people in gathering on special occasions. This is well illustrated by a popular dish called ‘Chikuzen-ni’ which is made of simmered chickin, taro cormels, lotus roots and some vegetables
The four characters were recorded at harvest (October 15). * Only cormels are edible in the two cultivars examined
Summary
Taro [Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott] is an ancient monocotyledonous crop belonging to the Araceae family. It is widely grown, with current worldwide production at nearly 10.2 million metric tonnes on nearly 1.7 million hectares (FAO, 2019). According to Bown (2000), about 400 million people include taro in their diets, and in Japan it is primarily grown as a root vegetable. While corms and cormels are economically the most important parts of the taro crop, petioles are consumed by Japanese people (Matthews, 2004). Esculenta (referred to as the “dasheen” type of taro) (Deo et al, 2009; Manner & Taylor, 2011; Devi, 2012). The paper describes the agronomic characteristics of representative taro cultivars and focuses on the early maturing genotypes that are tolerant to cold northern climate and considered as useful genetic resources for commercial taro cultivation under normally unfavorable growth conditions
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