A case for systematic study and development of Taro varieties in India.

Author(s): Arindam Sikdar, Payel Dey, Sambhasan Banerjee, Urmita Garai, Shashank Kumar Kumar, Naveen Tripathi*

Abstract

In Eastern and Southern parts of India locals consume several species of taros, crops that can be a big source of starch. In contrast to wheat, rice, maize, and potato etc. the major sources of edible carbohydrates, development of taro as a crop, despite similar potential has been neglected. Even in contrast to yam, which has been touted as super-crop, research on taro is very scanty in India. Not just the corms of taro plants but various other parts are consumed in eastern and southern India. Some species can be found growing extensively in the wild and near road side and this crop provides subsistence especially to the poorer sections of society. We conducted a qualitative survey of varieties of taro in Nadia District, West Bengal to assess the need of development of taro varieties in India.

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