Taro Cultivatars in Samoa

Abstract

A Rapid Rural Appraisal was conducted in American Samoa in 1989 to document traditional agricultural practices associated with the growing of taro. From this survey, 22 cultivars of taro were documented where all farmers grew either Manu 'a or Niue cultivars along with a scattering of other cultivars. Twenty-two cultivars were grown in a demonstration plot of 30 ft x 84 ft from September/ October of 1989. Their performances were evaluated based on the number of petioles per mother plant, the number of cormels produced, and the weight of the corm. 'Alafua Sunrise' cultivar was introduced to the American Samoa Community College Land Grant Programs from the University of the South Pacific in Western Samoa. It was tried with other local cultivars and has proven to give higher yields with excellent plant vigor, strong petiole production, and acceptable eating quality.