Conclusions and recommendations for the application of thnobotanical and genetic approaches to the conservation and use of taro

摘要

The Symposium analyzed several factors affecting the genetic diversity of taros. The major areas are listed below with the main points raised during the meeting. We discussed the factors that may lead to genetic erosion in taros. We can suggest thatthis is the case but further combination of ethnobotanic and genetic diversity data are needed to make a clear assessment as to whether genetic erosion is taking place. Results were presented that showed clearly that farmers are responsible for the shaping of new diversity in taros through the deployment of the crop in very diverse environments and through distinctive selection criteria that are determined by culture and use practices. The Symposium revealed that further clarification is needed on taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships in Chinese taros. Most papers agree with the emerging global consensus that taro is a single species including wild and cultivated taros. This emerging consensus is supported by the practices of taro farmers who routinely move and select germplasm across wild, naturalized and cultivated taros.