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Determining Optimum NPS and Urea Fertilizer Rates for Taro [Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott] Production in Cheha District, Ethiopia

Published in Plant (Volume 10, Issue 2)
Received: 3 March 2022    Accepted: 15 April 2022    Published: 25 April 2022
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Abstract

Taro is a tropical and subtropical perennial herbaceous root crop. There are various compelling reasons to encourage Ethiopians to cultivate root and tuber crops. Taro corms have a higher nutritional content than most other root/tuber crops. In the south, west, and southwestern regions of Ethiopia, taro is widely farmed and used as a food and source of revenue. Both chemical and organic fertilizers work well on taro. However, the vast majority of taro growers, particularly those who make a living from it, do not use fertilizer. During the 2017 and 2018 cropping seasons, a field experiment was undertaken in the Cheha district of the Gurage zone to identify the proper rate of NPS and urea for taro yield. Due to inadequate agronomic practices, taro yields in the research region are much lower than the crop's potential yield. Plant population, planting pattern, weeding, fertilizer management, and better variety are the main factors causing low production. As a result, a randomized complete block design with three replications was used to layout the combination of three levels of urea and three levels of NPS fertilizer. Because it is a new release with a high yield, the Boloso-I taro cultivar was chosen. In both the 2017 and 2018 cropping seasons, the application of urea and NPS enhanced taro yield. The best cost-effective yield was obtained by applying 242 kg/ha NPS and 187.5 kg/ha urea. As a result, for taro production in the Cheha district, a combination of 242 kg/ha NPS and 187.5 kg/ha urea is suggested.

Published in Plant (Volume 10, Issue 2)
DOI 10.11648/j.plant.20221002.12
Page(s) 44-46
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Corm, Boloso-I, NPS, Taro, Urea, Yield

References
[1] Macharia WM, Nuro MS, Muchugi AN, Palapala V. 2014. Genetic structure and diversity of East African Taro. (Colocasia esculenta L.) Afr J Biotechnol. 139: 2950-2955.
[2] Yared Daygne and Tewodros Mulualem. 2014. Exploring indigenous knowledge and production constraints of taro [Colocasia esculenta L. (SCHOTT)] cultivars grown at Dalbo watershed, Wolaita zone of South Ethiopia. Green. J. Plant Breed. Crop Sci. 2 (3): 47–53.
[3] Smith, B., 2006. The Farming Handbook. University of KwaZulu-Natal Press.
[4] EIAR (Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research).2015. The Root and Tuber Crops working group proceedings of the first meeting. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
[5] Tewodros Mulualem and Getachew Woldemichael. 2013. Study on genotypic variability estimates and interrelation-ship of agronomic traits for selection of Taro [Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott] in Ethiopia. Sky Journal of Agricultural Research, 2 (11): 154 – 158.
[6] Melese Temesgen and Negussie Retta. 2015. Nutritional Potential, Health and Food Security Benefits of Taro [Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott]. A Review. Food Sci. Qual. Manag. 36, 23–30.
[7] Njintang, Y. N., Mbofung, C. M. F., Moates, G. K., Parker, M. L., Craig, F., Smith, A. C., et al. (2007). Functional Properties of Five Varieties of Taro Flour, and Relationship to Creep Recovery and Sensory Characteristics of Achu (Taro Based Paste). J. Food Eng. 82 (2), 114–120.
[8] CSA (Central Statistical Agency). 2018. The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Central Statistical Agency, Agricultural Sample Survey 2017/2018. Volume I, Report on Area and Production of Major Crops (Private Peasant Holdings, Meher Season). Statistical Bulletin. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
[9] Goenaga R., Chardon U. Growth, yield, and nutrient uptake of taro grown under upland conditions. J. Nut. 1995; 18 (5): 1037–1048.
[10] SAS institute Inc; Cary NC: 2008. Statistical Analytical Systems SAS/STA User’s Guide Version 9 (2).
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    Bezabih Woldekiros. (2022). Determining Optimum NPS and Urea Fertilizer Rates for Taro [Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott] Production in Cheha District, Ethiopia. Plant, 10(2), 44-46. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.plant.20221002.12

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    ACS Style

    Bezabih Woldekiros. Determining Optimum NPS and Urea Fertilizer Rates for Taro [Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott] Production in Cheha District, Ethiopia. Plant. 2022, 10(2), 44-46. doi: 10.11648/j.plant.20221002.12

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    AMA Style

    Bezabih Woldekiros. Determining Optimum NPS and Urea Fertilizer Rates for Taro [Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott] Production in Cheha District, Ethiopia. Plant. 2022;10(2):44-46. doi: 10.11648/j.plant.20221002.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.plant.20221002.12,
      author = {Bezabih Woldekiros},
      title = {Determining Optimum NPS and Urea Fertilizer Rates for Taro [Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott] Production in Cheha District, Ethiopia},
      journal = {Plant},
      volume = {10},
      number = {2},
      pages = {44-46},
      doi = {10.11648/j.plant.20221002.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.plant.20221002.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.plant.20221002.12},
      abstract = {Taro is a tropical and subtropical perennial herbaceous root crop. There are various compelling reasons to encourage Ethiopians to cultivate root and tuber crops. Taro corms have a higher nutritional content than most other root/tuber crops. In the south, west, and southwestern regions of Ethiopia, taro is widely farmed and used as a food and source of revenue. Both chemical and organic fertilizers work well on taro. However, the vast majority of taro growers, particularly those who make a living from it, do not use fertilizer. During the 2017 and 2018 cropping seasons, a field experiment was undertaken in the Cheha district of the Gurage zone to identify the proper rate of NPS and urea for taro yield. Due to inadequate agronomic practices, taro yields in the research region are much lower than the crop's potential yield. Plant population, planting pattern, weeding, fertilizer management, and better variety are the main factors causing low production. As a result, a randomized complete block design with three replications was used to layout the combination of three levels of urea and three levels of NPS fertilizer. Because it is a new release with a high yield, the Boloso-I taro cultivar was chosen. In both the 2017 and 2018 cropping seasons, the application of urea and NPS enhanced taro yield. The best cost-effective yield was obtained by applying 242 kg/ha NPS and 187.5 kg/ha urea. As a result, for taro production in the Cheha district, a combination of 242 kg/ha NPS and 187.5 kg/ha urea is suggested.},
     year = {2022}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Determining Optimum NPS and Urea Fertilizer Rates for Taro [Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott] Production in Cheha District, Ethiopia
    AU  - Bezabih Woldekiros
    Y1  - 2022/04/25
    PY  - 2022
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.plant.20221002.12
    DO  - 10.11648/j.plant.20221002.12
    T2  - Plant
    JF  - Plant
    JO  - Plant
    SP  - 44
    EP  - 46
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2331-0677
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.plant.20221002.12
    AB  - Taro is a tropical and subtropical perennial herbaceous root crop. There are various compelling reasons to encourage Ethiopians to cultivate root and tuber crops. Taro corms have a higher nutritional content than most other root/tuber crops. In the south, west, and southwestern regions of Ethiopia, taro is widely farmed and used as a food and source of revenue. Both chemical and organic fertilizers work well on taro. However, the vast majority of taro growers, particularly those who make a living from it, do not use fertilizer. During the 2017 and 2018 cropping seasons, a field experiment was undertaken in the Cheha district of the Gurage zone to identify the proper rate of NPS and urea for taro yield. Due to inadequate agronomic practices, taro yields in the research region are much lower than the crop's potential yield. Plant population, planting pattern, weeding, fertilizer management, and better variety are the main factors causing low production. As a result, a randomized complete block design with three replications was used to layout the combination of three levels of urea and three levels of NPS fertilizer. Because it is a new release with a high yield, the Boloso-I taro cultivar was chosen. In both the 2017 and 2018 cropping seasons, the application of urea and NPS enhanced taro yield. The best cost-effective yield was obtained by applying 242 kg/ha NPS and 187.5 kg/ha urea. As a result, for taro production in the Cheha district, a combination of 242 kg/ha NPS and 187.5 kg/ha urea is suggested.
    VL  - 10
    IS  - 2
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Southern Agricultural Research Institute, Worabe Agricultural Research Centre Department of Crop Research, Worabe, Ethiopia

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