Taro Gp 4

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Taroˈtɑːroʊ, ˈtr-/; Colocasia esculenta) is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, stems and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in African, Oceanic, East Asian, Southeast Asian and South Asian cultures (similar to yams). Taro is believed to be one of the earliest cultivated plants.[citation needed]

In Cyprus, Colocasia has been in use since the Roman Empire. Today it is known as kolokasi (Kολοκάσι). It is usually fried or cooked with corn, pork, or chicken, in a tomato sauce in casserole. "Baby" kolokasi is called "poulles": after being fried dry, red wine and coriander seed are added, and then it is served with freshly squeezed lemon. Lately, some restaurants have begun serving thin slices of kolokasi deep fried, calling them "kolokasi chips".

In the Philippines, the whole plant is usually referred to as gabi, while the corm is called taro. Taro is very popular flavor for milk tea in the country, and just as popular ingredient in several Filipino savory dishes such as sinigang.[citation needed]

Carl Linnaeus originally described two species, Colocasia esculenta and Colocasia antiquorum, but many later botanists consider them both to be members of a single, very variable species, the correct name for which is Colocasia esculenta.[29][30]

Colocasia esculenta is thought to be native to Southern India and Southeast Asia, but is widely naturalised.[31][32] Colocasia is thought to have originated in the Indomalayan realm, perhaps in East India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. It spread by cultivation eastward into Southeast Asia, East Asia and the Pacific Islands; westward to Egypt and the eastern Mediterranean Basin; and then southward and westward from there into East Africa and West Africa, where it spread to the Caribbean and Americas.

In Australia, C. esculenta var. aquatilis is thought to be native to the Kimberley region of Western Australia; the common variety esculenta is now naturalised and considered an invasive weed in Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales.

In Europe, C. esculenta is cultivated in Cyprus and it's called Colocasi, (Κολοκάσι in Greek) and it is certified as a PDO product. It is also found in the Greek island of Ikaria and cited as a vital source of food for the island during WW II.[33]

In Turkey, C. esculenta is locally known as glevez and mainly grown on the Mediterranean coast, such as the Alanya district of Antalya Province and the Anamur district of Mersin Province.

Taro is one of the most ancient cultivated crops.[39][40] Taro is found widely in tropical and subtropical regions of South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Papua New Guinea, and northern Australia and in Maldives. Taro is highly polymorphic, making taxonomy and distinction between wild and cultivated types difficult. It is believed that they were domesticated independently multiple times, with authors giving possible locations as New Guinea, Mainland Southeast Asia, and northeastern India, based largely on the assumed native range of the wild plants.[41][42][43] However, more recent studies have pointed out that wild taro may have a much larger native distribution than previously believed, and wild breeding types may also likely be indigenous to other parts of Island Southeast Asia.[44][45]

Archaeological traces of taro exploitation have been recovered from numerous sites, though whether these were cultivated or wild types can not be ascertained. They include the Niah Caves of Borneo around 10,000 years ago,[46] Ille Cave of Palawan, dated to at least 11,000 year ago;[46][47] Kuk Swamp of New Guinea, dated to between 8250 BC and 7960 BC;[48][49] and Kilu Cave in the Solomon Islands dated to around 28,000 to 20,000 years ago.[50] In the case of Kuk Swamp, there is evidence of formalized agriculture emerging by about 10,000 years ago, with evidence of cultivated plots, though which plant was cultivated remains unknown.[51]

Taro can be grown in paddy fields where water is abundant or in upland situations where water is supplied by rainfall or supplemental irrigation. Taro is one of the few crops (along with rice and lotus) that can be grown under flooded conditions.[citation needed] Flooded cultivation has some advantages over dry-land cultivation: higher yields (about double), out-of-season production (which may result in higher prices), and weed control (which flooding facilitates).[citation needed]

Like most root crops, taro and eddoes do well in deep, moist or even swampy soils where the annual rainfall exceeds 2,500 mm (100 in). Eddoes are more resistant to drought and cold. The crop attains maturity within six to twelve months after planting in dry-land cultivation and after twelve to fifteen months in wetland cultivation. The crop is harvested when the plant height decreases and the leaves turn yellow.[citation needed]

Corm yield and corm quality appear to be negatively correlated. In order to produce the uniform fresh healthy corms that the market desires, early maturing cultivars with a growth period of 5 to 7 months can be used.[62]

Cultivars grown in the Pacific regions produce good quality corms, as a result of selecting for corm quality and yield. However, the genetic bases of these cultivars is very narrow. Asian cultivars have agriculturally undesirable traits (such as suckers and stolon), but appear to be more genetically diverse. There needs to be an international exchange of taro germplasm with reliable quarantine procedures.[62]

There are thought to be 15,000 varieties of C. esculenta. Currently there are 6,000 accession from various institutes from across the world. The INEA (International Network for Edible Aroids) already has a core sample of 170 cultivars that have been distributed. These cultivars are maintained in vitro in a germplasm centre in Fiji,[63] which is considered safer and cheaper than field conservation.[62]

Taro exists as a diploid (2n=28) and a triploid (3n=42).[citation needed] Naturally occurring triploids in India were found to have significantly better yields. There have been attempts to artificially make triploids by crossing diploids with artificial tetraploids[62]

Taro is a food staple in African, Oceanic and South Asian cultures.[40]People usually consume its edible corm and leaves. The corms, which have a light purple color due to phenolic pigments,[66] are roasted, baked or boiled. The natural sugars give a sweet, nutty flavor. The starch is easily digestible, and since the grains are fine and small it is often used for baby food. [citation needed]

In its raw form, the plant is toxic due to the presence of calcium oxalate,[67][68] and the presence of needle-shaped raphides in the plant cells. However, the toxin can be minimized and the tuber rendered palatable by cooking,[69] or by steeping in cold water overnight.

Taro is the pre-eminent crop of the Cook Islands and surpasses all other crops in terms of land area devoted to production. The prominence of the crop there has led it to be a staple of the population's diet. Taro is grown across the country, but the method of cultivation depends on the nature of the island it is grown on. Taro also plays an important role in the country's export trade.[70] The root is eaten boiled, as is standard across Polynesia. Taro leaves are also eaten, cooked with coconut milk, onion, and meat or fish.[71]

Taro (dalo in Fijian) has been a staple of the Fijian diet for centuries, and its cultural importance is celebrated on Taro Day. Its growth as an export crop began in 1993 when taro leaf blight[72] devastated the taro industry in neighboring Samoa. Fiji filled the void and was soon supplying taro internationally. Almost 80% of Fiji's exported taro comes from the island of Taveuni where the taro beetle species Papuana uninodis is absent. The Fijian taro industry on the main islands of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu faces constant damage from the beetles. The Fiji Ministry of Agriculture and the Land Resources Division of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) are researching pest control and instigating quarantine restrictions to prevent the spread of the pest. Taveuni now exports pest-damage-free crops.

Kalo is taro's Hawaiian name. The local crop plays an important role in Hawaiian culture and mythology. Taro is a traditional staple of the native cuisine of Hawaii. Some of the uses for taro include poi, table taro (steamed and served like a potato), taro chips, and lūʻau leaf (to make laulau). In Hawaii, kalo is farmed under either dryland or wetland conditions. Taro farming there is challenging because of the difficulties of accessing fresh water. Kalo is usually grown in "pond fields" known as loʻi. Typical dryland or "upland" varieties (varieties grown in watered but not flooded fields) are lehua maoli and bun long, the latter widely known as "Chinese taro". Bun long is used for making taro chips. Dasheen (also called "eddo") is another dryland variety cultivated for its corms or as an ornamental plant. A contemporary Hawaiian diet consists of many tuberous plants, particularly sweet potato and kalo.

Important aspects of Hawaiian culture revolve around kalo. For example, the newer name for a traditional Hawaiian feast, the lūʻau, comes from kalo. Young kalo tops baked with coconut milk and chicken meat or octopus arms are frequently served at luaus.[75]

By ancient Hawaiian custom, fighting is not allowed when a bowl of poi is "open". It is also disrespectful to fight in front of an elder and one should not raise their voice, speak angrily, or make rude comments or gestures.[76]

A loʻi is a patch of wetland dedicated to growing kalo. Hawaiians have traditionally used irrigation to produce kalo. Wetland fields often produce more kalo per acre than dry fields.[77] Wetland-grown kalo need a constant flow of water.

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