Yield and Profitability of Taro Production Under Three Weed Management Schemes at Rota, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Abstract

This experiment conducted at Sabana, Rota from October, 1990 to June, 1991 determined the yield and profitability of growing taro under three weed management schemes. These were weeding taro at 60 and 120 days after planting (low input), weeding taro at 30, 60, 90, and 120 days after planting (high input), and rototilling at 60 and 120 days after planting (farmer's practice). Taro plants under high-input plots produced the highest yields and profits. The farmer's practice had the lowest yields and profits. However, the corms under farmer's practice were big and fully developed. This study could not single out the effects of weed management in taro yield under farmer's practice due to tillage and/or wide space of planting (90 cm between plants and 90 cm between rows) and the other treatments (60 cm between plants and 90 cm between rows).