How to grow taro to achieve high yield?

Taro is a common vegetable whose rhizome is the main edible part. Taro is an annual crop. The popular cultivars on the market include red-sprout taro, white-sprout taro, nine-headed taro and betel nut taro. Let’s learn together how to grow taro to achieve high yields.

1. Seed selection and germination

Select disease-free taro with large heads, medium-length stalks, full terminal buds and no disease spots as seed taro. Each taro weighs about 50 grams, and the seed rate per mu is about 150 kilograms. Start germination 20 to 30 days before sowing, sun-dry the seeds for 1 to 2 days, soak the seed potatoes in 500 times 50% carbendazim wettable powder solution for 20 to 30 minutes and then dry them. Choose sandy loam that is sheltered from the wind, facing the sun and has good drainage as the seedbed. Arrange the taro seeds, cover with 3 cm of fine sand, water them and cover with a film to keep them moist and warm. When the buds are 3 to 5 cm long, they can be transplanted.

2. Land selection and land preparation

Taro should not be planted continuously. You should choose fertile, deep soil that has not been planted with taro for more than 3 years and has good drainage and irrigation conditions. Before land preparation, apply 1,500 kg of decomposed pig and cattle manure, 50 kg of phosphate fertilizer, 50 kg of quicklime powder, and 75 kg of compound fertilizer (in the ratio of 15:15:15) per mu. After fertilization, deep plow the soil and raise the ridges. The ridge width is 2 meters (including the ditch) and the ditch depth is 35 to 40 centimeters.

3. Planting time

The planting period is from late March to early April every year. The germinated taro seeds are planted in double rows in holes with a planting depth of 3 to 5 cm and a row spacing of 50 cm × 100 cm. After sowing, evenly spray the bed surface with 100 ml of 60% sethoxydim emulsifiable concentrate or 50 to 80 ml of Kindrol mixed with 60 kg of water as a pre-emergence herbicide .

4. Field management

(1) Reasonable fertilization

Taro has a long growing period, high yield, and requires a large amount of fertilizer. In addition to applying sufficient base fertilizer, top dressing should also be applied in batches. In the early stage of seedlings, apply fertilizer to promote seedling growth. In the early and middle stages of plant growth and bulb growth, apply fertilizer 2 to 3 times. Increase the amount of fertilizer gradually, and apply nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers in combination. Control topdressing in the later stage of growth to avoid late maturity.

(2) Water management

Taro likes moisture, so keep the soil moist during the seedling stage and avoid waterlogging. During the seedling and bulb growth period, the water in the furrows should be kept shallow, with the amount of water submerging the bottom of the furrow. Drain 20 days before harvest.

(3) Soil cultivation and bud removal

During the growing period, add soil 2 to 3 times. Adding soil helps the growth of taro and the accumulation of nutrients in the bulbs. The first soiling is carried out in late May, the second soiling is carried out in mid-June combined with weeding and loosening the soil, and the final soiling is carried out in late July. Cut off the buds before closing the rows and combine it with fertilization and soil cultivation.

5. Pest and disease control

The main diseases and pests of taro include taro blight, taro soft rot, taro wilt, underground pests and fall armyworm. Agricultural prevention and control includes reasonable crop rotation, collecting seed taro from disease-free fields, reducing leaf damage, paying attention to drainage and irrigation, and maintaining ventilation. Chemical control can use agents such as carbendazim, copper oxychloride, agricultural streptomycin, cypermethrin, and thiophanate-methyl.

6. Harvest at the right time

Taro can be harvested when the leaves turn yellow and shrunken, the base of the petioles become soft, and the roots begin to wither. Drain water 15 to 20 days before harvest to dry the soil for easier harvesting, storage and transportation.

In short, taro planting and management are simple, it has strong adaptability, and the planting benefits are good. Only by mastering comprehensive planting and management techniques can taro be expected to produce high yields.