Taro

Season: Kharif and summer
Soil type: Taro comes up in all types of soil, but performs better in well drained soils.
Planting time: Under rainfed condition, second fortnight of May to first fortnight of June is optimum time of planting. March-April is optimum time for planting of irrigated crop. February-March is optimum for planting of Sankasaru in rice field under irrigated ecology
Seed rate: 600-800kg/acre
Seed tuber treatment: Dip the tubers of Sankasaru in a slurry prepared from 1 bucket of water + 2kg cow dung+ 25ml of chloropyriphos+ 25g of Mancozeb followed by drying under shed for 5-6 hours. For kujisaru or panisaru seed tuber treatment with Tichoderma dust formulation/ carbendazim @ 2-3 g/kg of tuber is beneficial.
Seed tubers: Whole tuber or cut tuber of 20-25 g weight. Cormels are preferred than mother corm for planting.
Methods of planting: Plant the treated seed tuber vertically in furrows at shallow depth.
Spacing: 60 x 30cm for kujisaru, panisaru, 60x 45 cm for sankhasaru.
Mulching: Planting followed by mulching with dried leaves or paddy straw or agricultural polythene is beneficial and enhances tuber yield.
Nutrient management:
Basal: FYM 4t + SSP 150 kg, 1stTop dressing at 20-30 DAP: Urea 35 kg + MOP 27 kg per acre, IInd top dressing at 50-60 DAP: Urea 35kg + MOP 27kg
Weed management: First intercultural operation followed by hand weeding at 20-30 DAP and second hand weeding at 50-60 DAP.
Water management: Irrigated summer crop needs 6-8 irrigation depending on soil type till the onset of monsoon rainfall. Do not allow water stagnation yam field during kharif season. Taro respond well to drip irrigation. Tuber iniation and tuber bulking critical stage for irrigation to Taro crop.
Harvesting: The crop becomes ready in 5-7 months after planting depending on varieties. The crop attains maturity when total senescence takes place and dig out the tubers without injuring the tubers. In a well-managed crop farmer can get 8-10 t of tuber /acre