Taro is an easy plant to grow, requires little care but brings high economic value. Expanding the taro growing area contributes to hunger eradication and poverty reduction for some people in difficult areas. To grow taro with good yield and quality and bring great profits, it is necessary to follow a number of farming techniques.

Đặc điểm khoai môn

Taro is a starchy vegetable grown mostly in Asia.

Characterized by a brown exterior and white flesh with transparent purple spots. When cooked, it has a mild sweet taste and a texture similar to potatoes.

Taro is a rich source of fiber and many vitamins and minerals that the standard American diet often lacks.

Benefits from taro:

• Helps control blood sugar: Helps slow down the digestion and absorption of other starches, preventing blood sugar spikes after meals.
• Helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease: Fiber and starch in taro can also reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease
• Fights cancer: Taro contains plant-based compounds called polyphenols that have various health benefits, including the ability to reduce the risk of cancer. It is also a powerful antioxidant that protects your body from the harmful effects of excessive free radicals that are linked to cancer.
• Helps lose weight: Taro contains a lot of fiber, which reduces absorption and helps us feel full longer.

Kỹ thuật trồng khoai môn

Taro planting season

Taro can be grown all year round, but is commonly grown in the following 3 main seasons:

• Spring-Summer crop: planted in January - February of the solar calendar, harvested in May - June of the solar calendar.
• Summer-Autumn crop: planted in May - June of the solar calendar, harvested in August - September of the solar calendar.
• Fall-Winter crop: planted in August - September of the solar calendar, harvested in November - December of the solar calendar.

The cultivation time of each type of Taro variety will have differences in characteristics, environment and climate. Therefore, the harvest time will have certain changes. Farmers should choose quality varieties to get quality products and high yield.

Choose taro varieties

In order for plants to grow and produce high yields, before planting, farmers need to fully prepare and pay attention to some important points such as 

Choose a plant variety:

- Top seed tubers are grade 1 and grade 2 tubers weighing 20 - 30 grams/tub, not rotten, with a hairy outer layer, fat sprouts and a few short roots.

– Propagate when growing taro using two common methods as follows:

+ Destroy the dormancy of the top of the tuber by cutting off the top bud. Helps stimulate early development of lateral cotyledons. The common practice is to cut the tubers into many pieces horizontally or cut small pieces of 2 x 2 x 2 cm in size when there are side shoots, then compost or cut them separately when they sprout and root. plant it.

+ Propagation is cloning, seeding from meristem tissue. This method is often used to restore and clean diseases of degenerated or infected strains and varieties.

Soil preparation:

Soil needs to be fully and properly prepared to create ideal conditions for plant growth. Choose suitable soil and prepare it carefully. For each different type of farming, such as on dry fields or flooded fields, it is necessary to prepare the land appropriately and create conditions for plants to grow healthily and have good growth rates.

You should choose a taro area that is a crop field or a converted rice field that needs to be high and dry, well-drained, and not flooded during the rainy season. For upland fields, it is necessary to choose a place with good soil, a thick arable layer without gravel, and land with a slope lower than 20 degrees.

The characteristic of taro is that it has a shallow root system, so the soil needs to be carefully prepared to ensure perfect porosity, and the soil must contain a lot of humus. Prepare the land by plowing thoroughly, removing all weeds.

Cultivation land:

One month before planting, it is necessary to clean weeds and crop residue from the previous crop. Hoe holes 60 - 70 cm apart, hole size 20 x 20 cm to ensure planting density of 28,000 - 30,000 trees/ha. 

On fertile soil: 

• Proceed to clear weeds, plow 15 - 20 cm deep and harrow thoroughly. 
• Raise beds 1.2 - 1.4 m wide, trenches 0.4 m wide. The bed does not need to be raised high so that the soil can grow the potato roots in the later stages, the bed height is from 15 - 20 cm. 
• Hoe the holes staggered, the hole distance is 60 cm, each bed has two rows, the mixing density is from 30,000 - 32,000 plants/ha.

Treat the soil by spreading powder on the ground to prevent pests and diseases in the soil. This is done at least 20 - 30 days before planting.

Planting density

Each type of taro variety has different characteristics, so taro planting density will vary. Therefore, it is necessary to have the most suitable balance for each type of taro

• • Planting density ranges from 35,000-45,000 trees/ha. The ideal distance between rows of taro when planting is 50-60cm between rows and 35-40cm between plants. There are differences in taro planting density that need to be adjusted in a harmonious and balanced way.
  • The amount of seed needed is 1,200 - 1,500 bulbs/1000 m2 . 
  •  The ideal distance between rows of taro when planting is 0.5 - 0.6m. distance from tree to tree is 0.35-0.4m .
  • Make a row or dig a hole to place the tubers, then cover the tubers with a thin layer of soil and cover with a layer of straw to keep them moist.

Planting taro

How to grow taro is quite simple and easy to do. Place the bulb at a depth of 5-7cm below the ground, making sure the main sprout is facing up, then cover it with soil. Finally, cover the surface of the ground with a layer of rotten straw or dry grass to effectively keep the soil moist, thereby stimulating the bulbs to germinate and grow faster.

Covering with straw or dry grass needs to be 1-1.2m wide, so priority should be given to covering the ground. When the buds start to grow, you can use a knife to make a moderately sized hole to help the tree grow faster.

After 12 - 15 days, take out and plant, tubers with long sprouts are planted first and tubers with short sprouts are planted later for easy care..

Chăm sóc khoai môn

Caring for taro is not too complicated. People just need to follow the correct techniques and the plants will grow and grow healthily. Below are the requirements to pay attention to during the care process:

Sprinklers

After planting, appropriate humidity must be maintained for the plants to germinate and grow well

Especially when the potatoes have 5-6 leaves, avoid drying out, which will directly affect the yield of the plant later.

In case of prolonged drought, it is necessary to water the furrows to provide water and maintain appropriate humidity without affecting the plant's growth process.

Pay attention to water control and avoid waterlogging when taro enters the harvest period. Not paying attention to the amount of water in the field risks causing tuber rot to appear.

Weeding and rooting

Weeding and rooting are carried out in 3 times: 

Time 1 is carried out when the plant has 2 - 3 leaves. Because the root system of the plant has not yet developed strongly this time, it is necessary to lightly dig and loosen the surface wall to limit weeds and avoid affecting the root system of the taro plant. 

At the second time, when the plant has 4-5 leaves, it is necessary to combine raising the soil around the base to provide nutrients for the plant, gently dredging the bed and fertilizing the taro plant.

Time 3: After 5 months of planting, it is necessary to prune the branches of the taro tree. In each clump, only leave 1-2 branches, combine with cleaning weeds and cultivating a high base for the taro tree.

Fertilizer

Manuring: 

Apply Vigami Boson organic fertilizer at the rate of 50-70kg/1000m2/time right at the time of soil preparation and planting. At the same time, fertilize around between the two bulbs before filling with soil. 

Fertilization method: Fertilize in holes combined with soil preparation before planting

Dressing:

When fertilizing taro, we apply fertilizer at different times depending on the actual farming situation. Detail:

• Fertilize once for taro that you want to harvest early, usually about 30 days after planting.
• Fertilize twice if we intercrop with late autumn potatoes to ensure productivity for the late crop.

1st fertilizer dose: Apply when the potatoes have about 3 leaves, 30 days after planting with Vigami Boson fertilizer at 20-30kg/1000m2/time

Second amount of fertilizer: After the first fertilizer application, apply again about 1 month later Vigami Boson with the amount of 20-30kg/1000m2/time.

 Fertilization method: Top dressing combined with weeding and rooting for taro plants. After cleaning the grass, spread fertilizer around the base, then proceed to mulch the roots of the taro plants.

Pest prevention 

During the process of cultivating taro plants, farmers need to pay attention to care and visit fields regularly to ensure effective control of pests and diseases.

Ensure adequate water supply, timely detection and prevention of pests and diseases so that plants can grow well.

– Taro plants often suffer from a number of diseases such as: Downy mildew, leaf mosaic disease, cavities, red spider mites, cotton aphids,... 

• Downy mildew: Do nấm Peronospora parasitica gây ra. Xuất hiện bắt đầu từ mép lá và ở phần cuối cuống lá. Vết bệnh hình tròn hoặc bán nguyệt. Đầu tiên màu xanh xám rồi chuyển sang xanh tối cuối cùng là màu đen.
• Leaf blight and tuber rot: Caused by the fungus Phytophthora colocasiae, it is mainly harmful during the rainy season. The disease first appears as spots that are 1 - 2 cm round, soggy, purple in color, brown spots on the leaves. The spots gradually grow larger, causing the entire leaf to burn (people call it "tiger face").
• Soft rot disease: Caused by the fungus Pythium spp. Pathogens attack the roots and tubers, causing the tubers to rot, become soft and smell bad, the leaves turn yellow, and the plant wilts and dies.
•  Leaf mosaic disease: The disease causes harm all year round, severe during the hot season and mild during the rainy season. The disease often causes young leaves to become small, (curly) twisted, leaves lose color, have yellow spots that do not develop, internodes are short, and the plant becomes brittle and easily broken.
• Green worm Damages leaves by eating holes in the leaves, affecting the growth of the plant.
• Red spider: Causes damage mainly at the end of the dry season, causing leaves to wilt or seedlings to die. Red spiders eat the epidermis and suck the leaf tissue when the leaf enters the leaf stage and onwards, causing the plant to lose its green color and turn yellow, causing the top surface of the leaf to become patchy yellow (yellow-white dots). very visible roots on the leaf surface).
• Cotton aphids: They cause damage by sucking on young buds, concentrating mainly on the underside of leaves, causing deformed buds and stunted leaves. In addition, they also secrete honeydew that causes sooty mold to grow.

Therefore, pay attention to taking care of plants properly and check regularly to detect disease as early as possible. At that time, it was necessary to use specialized pesticides and at the same time remove heavily infected trees to protect the best farming area.

People can refer to the product VIGAMI UNI-TEGULA (The interaction helps kill most types of sucking and chewing insects. With extremely strong contact, toxicity, and internal absorption mechanisms, it is highly effective and long-lasting in preventing pests on plants. Prevent many harmful objects such as: thrips, green leafhoppers, whiteflies, mealybugs, red spider mites, leaf rollers,...)

 

Harvest and preserve

Harvesting time depends on each variety and planting technique. Usually harvested 10-12 months after planting.

After 4.5 - 5 months of planting, the potato field has 70 - 80% of dry leaves.When aloe vera turns yellow, it can be harvested. 

Choose a day without rain to harvest. If harvesting when the leaves are still green, do not cut the leaves immediately but leave the whole plant in a cool place for 5-7 days to allow the tubers to ripen more physiologically, ensuring quality.

You can cut lengthwise before harvesting. The tubers do not need to be washed. After harvesting, store the tubers in a cool, dry place. It is best to store taro tubers in underground tunnels with ventilation fans on all sides.

Kết luận

Taro is a crop grown mainly for tubers to meet human dietary needs. The farming process has its own requirements that need to be ensured. Knowing the planting techniques and how to care for taro needs to be applied to help cultivate smoothly, achieve high efficiency with good productivity.

Hopefully in the future, knowledge and skills in growing high-yield taro will be widely shared and applied. By simply putting attention and consistency into the care process, we can create bright green taro gardens and harvest high-quality potatoes, which are an important food supply for communities and world.