Management of corn rot diseases of lowland taro

De la Pena, R.S.

Management of corn rot diseases of lowland taro

1989

De la Pena, R.S. (Hawaii Univ., Honolulu, Hawaii (USA))

Taro, an important staple crop, is also subject to infestations and attacks by various disease-causing pathogens. Lowland taro is a crop grown similar to lowland rice, however, unlike rice, the most important edible portion harvested is the corm which grows underground making it susceptible to unfavorable growing conditions brought about by waterlogging. Under waterlogged conditions, physiological factors as well as biotic agents can cause damage or disease of the corms. There are several diseases that attack the taro plant but the most economically important in Hawaii and most parts of the Pacific and Asian areas where taro is grown, is the corm soft rot caused by several species of Pythium. Corm soft rot can cause as much as 50% to 100% losses in taro yields and the disease carries over to the harvested corms in storage or in transit. Control of the disease by chemical means is expensive and often ineffective. Farmers therefore have to resort to cultural management to keep the disease under control. The most important cultural methods of controlling corm soft rot are: (1) use of clean, disease-free planting materials; (2) proper handling and storage of planting materials; (3) maintenance and practice of good field sanitation; (4) draining, complete drying, aeration and fallowing of field between successive plantings of taro; (5) good irrigation or water management, allowing for ample fresh and cool water to flow through production field; (6) avoidance of stagnant, warm water in the field which favors disease outbreaks; (7) proper washing and cleaning of harvested corms to prevent post-harvest attack by the disease organisms, and (8) proper handling and storage of harvested corms.

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