NARI Research and Development Projects
Food Crops Management and Improvement
3. Taro Improvement Programme
The aim of the taro breeding programme is to create new improved taro varieties for Papua New Guinean farmers using a conventional method that involves a cyclic approach in a system of recurrent selection. These new varieties are bred for three important agronomic traits - taro leaf blight (TLB) resistance, good eating quality and high yield, along with consistent performance.
Current activities include: identifying and selecting superior clones from the latest cycles of selection and crossing for preliminary or advanced trials and field evaluation in a range of environments; further evaluation of material in collections for TLB resistance, good eating quality and high yield, and selecting cultivars with potential for introduction into the breeding programme; continuing dissemination of planting materials of the four so-far released NARI recommended varieties (NT 01-04) to farmers; and continuing maintenance of the taro germplasm collections.
The programme works closely with non-government and local government organisations in establishing field trials and in the multiplication and distribution of planting materials of the released taro varieties.
Project Funder: TaroGen Project (AusAID)
Implementing Programme: Crop and Livestock Improvement
Project Cordination Centre: Momase Regional Centre - Bubia
