The Global DiversityThe of Taro Ethnobotany Global and Conservation Diversity of Taro Ethnobotany and Conservation V. Ramanatha Rao, P. J. Matthews, P. B. Eyzaguirre and D. Hunter, editors 1 The Global Diversity of Taro Ethnobotany and Conservation V. Ramanatha Rao, P. J. Matthews, P. B. Eyzaguirre and D. Hunter, editors Bioversity International is an independent international scientific organization that seeks to improve the well-being of present and future generations of people by enhancing conservation and the deployment of agricultural biodiversity on farms and in forests. It is one of 15 centres supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), an association of public and private members who support efforts to mobilize cutting-edge science to reduce hunger and poverty, improve human nutrition and health, and protect the environment. 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Citation: Ramanatha Rao V., Matthews Peter J., Eyzaguirre Pablo B., Hunter D. editors. 2010. The Global Diversity of Taro: Ethnobotany and Conservation. Bioversity International, Rome, Italy. Cover illustration: Transporting wild taro leaves used for pig fodder, northern Myanmar, October 2006 (Photo: P. J. Matthews). ISBN 978-92-9043-867-0 Bioversity International Via dei Tre Denari, 472/a 00057 Maccarese Rome, Italy © Bioversity International, 2010 Bioversity International is the operating name of the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI). ii This book is dedicated to the memory of Eric Quarcoo and Nurzuhairawaty, who sadly passed away in 2000 and 2004 respectively. We lament the loss of our colleagues, but are also inspired and challenged by the great contributions they made to taro research in Africa and the Pacific. iii Contents Acknowledgements v Foreword vi Contributors vii Ethnobotany and global diversity of taro 1 V. Ramanatha Rao, Danny Hunter, Pablo B. Eyzaguirre and Peter J. Matthews An introduction to the history of taro as a food 6 Peter J. Matthews Assessment of cultivar diversity and agronomic characteristics of cocoyam (Xanthosoma sagittifolium) in Ghana through ethnobotanical documentation 29 Carol Markwei, S.O. Bennett-Lartey and Eric Quarcoo Characterizing taro using isozymes and morpho-agronomic descriptors 39 V. Lebot, S. Hartati, N.T. Hue, N.V. Viet, N.H. Nghia, T. Okpul, J. Pardales, M.S. Prana, T.K. Prana, M. Thongjiem, C. M. Krieke, H. VanEck, T.C. Yap and A. Ivancic A study on isozyme variation in the Indonesian taro (Colocasia spp.) germplasm collection 56 M.S. Prana, S. Hartati and T.K. Prana Taro germplasm collection in Vietnam 60 Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hue, Nguyen Van Viet, Vu Linh Chi and M.S Prana Morphological and isoenzyme variability of taro (Colocasia esculenta L. Schott) germplasm in Cuba 69 Arlene Rodríguez Manzano, Adolfo A. Rodríguez Nodals, María I. Román Gutiérrez, Zoila Fundora Mayor and Leonor Castiñeiras Alfonso Genetic diversity assessment of taro collections in China using RAPD assays 92 Li Maolin, Li Rugang, Zhou Mingde, Eyzaguirre P., Ayad W.G. Ethnobotany and genetic diversity of taro in Yunnan, China – analyses of diversity using multiple techniques 98 Li Xixiang, Shen Di, Zhu Dewei, Yang Yongping, Xu Jianchu, Zhou Mingde, P. Eyzaguirre and W.G. Ayad Taro genetic diversity and its use in taro improvement 121 V. Ramanatha Rao Taro (Colocasia esculenta) and tannia (Xanthosoma sagittifolium) crops in the Republic of Cuba 137 Sergio Rodríguez Morales, Miguel Portieles Rodríguez, Luis Ruiz Martínez, Magaly García García, Maryluz Folgueras Montiel, Ramón E. Pérez Hernández and Julia Albert Llerena Techniques for the mass propagation of taro corms (Colocasia esculenta) 143 Motomu Akita and Yoshimoto Ohta Taro collecting and conservation in the Pacific Region 150 Mary Taylor, D. Hunter, V. Ramanatha Rao, G.V.H. Jackson, Param Sivan and Luigi Guarino Improving taro production in the South Pacific through breeding and selection 168 D. Singh, D. Hunter, T. Iosefa, T. Okpul, P. Fonoti and C. Delp Development of a regional core collection (Oceania) for taro, Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott, based on molecular and phenotypic characterization 185 E.S. Mace, P.N. Mathur, I.D. Godwin, D. Hunter, M.B. Taylor, D. Singh, I.H. DeLacy and G.V.H. Jackson Conclusion 202 iv The Global Diversity of Taro Ethnobotany and Conservation Acknowledgements The editors warmly acknowledge the concerted efforts of all the many people involved in writing and editing this volume. Special thanks go to the National Agriculture Research Center (NARC), the National Institute of Crop Science (NICS), the National Museum of Ethnology (MINPAKU) and the Japan International Research Centre for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) for hosting the IPGRI session on taro, as part of the Twelfth Symposium of the International Society for Tropical Root Crops (ISTRC) held in Tsukuba, Japan, 10-16 September, 2000. The editors are also grateful to Linda Sears for her editing work, to Arwen Bailey and Teresa Borelli for additional edits, and to Patrizia Tazza for design and layout. v Foreword Taro, a flexible partner in evolving farming systems and food culture Taro (Colocasia esculenta) is deeply rooted in the agriculture and food culture of Japan. Its name in Japanese - satoimo - is composed of the words “sato” meaning village or home and “imo” meaning root or tuber, reflecting the central role it plays as a staple food crop in small-scale farming systems. It is also thought that the Japanese owe their predilection for slimy foods, such as glutinous or sticky rice, to the high appreciation they hold for taro. Taro was introduced to Japan around 1000 B.C., long before the advent of rice. Owing to its high and stable productivity and due to the absence of other major food crops at the time, it was quickly adopted in the Japanese agricultural production system. It was later supplanted by rice, which shares similar cultivation methods (i.e. use of wetland and terrace systems). However, it still plays a major role in small-scale farming and is used as a food security crop when rice production drops. Consequently, rice and taro have co-evolved in farming and food systems. Due to the ease with which it adapts to diverse farming systems and food cultures, taro has played a central role in the evolution of agro-ecosystems in many countries, and has helped maintain food security in continuously-evolving rice production systems. As in other crops, genetic diversity in taro has facilitated evolution of the crop. Scientific understanding of taro’s genetic diversity and management will further facilitate its use in providing global food security. We welcome this volume as an important step in this direction, particularly for the way it highlights the global benefits that taro can provide in times of change. Japan is a leader in the application of science to taro and hopes that other countries will be supported to make the most of this undervalued cornerstone of many tropical and subtropical agricultural systems. Masa Iwanaga Director General, National Institute of Crop Science, Tsukuba, Japan vi The Global Diversity of Taro Ethnobotany and Conservation Contributors Akita, Motomu, Department of Biotechnological Science, Kinki University, Uchita, Naga, Wakayama, Japan Alfonso, Leonor Castiñeiras, Fundamental Research Institute on Tropical Agricultural (INIFAT), Santiago de las Vegas, C. Habana, Cuba Ayad, W.G., Genetic Resources and Technology Group, IPGRI, Rome, Italy Bennett-Lartey, S.O., Plant Genetic Resources Centre, Bunso, Ghana Chi, Vu Linh, Vietnam Agricultural Science Institute, Thanhtri, Hanoi, Vietnam DeLacy, I.H., School of Land and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia Delp, C., Alafua