Potential for Production of Alocasia, Giant Taro, on the Hamakua Coast of the Island of Hawaii

Date
1990-01
Authors
Foliaki, Sione
Sakai, William S.
Tongatule, Sauni T.
Tungata, Unlucky
Ka'ipo, Ron
Furutani, Sheldon C.
Tsang, Marcel M.C.
Nielson, Gregory
Short, Richard
Contributor
Advisor
Department
Instructor
Depositor
Speaker
Researcher
Consultant
Interviewer
Annotator
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Hawaii
Volume
Number/Issue
Starting Page
Ending Page
Alternative Title
Abstract
Production of six cultivars of Alocasia macrorrhiza (L.) G. Don. in the Piihonua area near Hilo on the Island of Hawaii ranged from a high of over 70,000 pounds per production acre for the cultivar Tonga to a low of 14,000 pounds for the cultivar Niu Kini. 'Tonga' and 'Niu Kini' are the most popular cultivars in the South Pacific. Production for other cultivars were: 'Fiasega'- 19,000 pounds, 'Laufola'- 22,000, 'Faitama' - 18,000, and' Accession 18'- 64,000. 'Niu Kini' has purple coloring and 'Fiasega' has yellow coloring, the other cultivars have white fleshed stems. Production of Alocasia on the Hamakua Coast and marketing for human consumption has potential if the markets can be found on Oahu and the West Coast. Because production of stems alone in terms of starch for 'Tonga' is near 13,000 pounds per acre per year, there is a definite potential for production of Alocasia for use as feed for cattle, swine, and poultry. If a method can be developed to process the leaves and stems into palatable food it would decrease the dependency of these industries on imported grains.
Description
Keywords
Alocasia macrorrhizos, cultivars, giant taro, Hawaii, Hawaii (island), yields
Citation
Foliaki S, Sakai WS, Tongatule ST, Tungata U, Ka'ipo R, Furutani SC, Tsang MMC, Nielson G, Short R. 1990. Potential for production of Alocasia, giant taro, on the Hamakua coast of the island of Hawaii. In: Hollyer JR, Sato DM, editors. Proceedings of Taking Taro into the 1990s: A Taro Conference. Taking Taro into the 1990s: A Taro Conference; 1989 Aug 17; Hilo, Hawaii. Honolulu (HI): University of Hawaii. p. 37-45.
Extent
9 pages
Format
Geographic Location
Time Period
Related To
Table of Contents
Rights
Rights Holder
University of Hawaii
Local Contexts
Email libraryada-l@lists.hawaii.edu if you need this content in ADA-compliant format.