A new mutation of taro (Colocasia esculenta) observed at Bubia Agricultural Research Centre.

Abstract

An unusual mutant of taro (Colocasia esculenta) was discovered in the cycle-2 population of the recurrent selection programme at the Bubia Agricultural Research Centre, Papua New Guinea. The mutant plant developed a thin elongated stem (about 95 cm long). The stem had several nodes, each carrying one leaf. The leaf size decreased with distance from the corm top. The stem was filled with soft, aerated spongy tissue. Side stems were thin and relatively long, growing from lower nodes of the main stem and the corm top. Their structure was similar to that of the main stem The plant had a normal corm. It was susceptible to the leaf blight and was not flowering.