Effect of Black Plastic Mulch on Yield of Dryland Taro Production

摘要

Seventeen cultivars were evaluated for dryland taro production under a black plastic mulch with irrigation. Within the cultivars, the development of keikis (off shoots) was erratic. Some mother plants were heavy producers of keikis, while others did not produce any. Closer observation indicated that the plastic mulch had inhibited the development of keikis and they could not penetrate the mulch, causing their death and thereby reducing the total yield of the taro plant.