TARO (ARVI) Colocasia esculenta (L.)

I. Application and Amplification of General Seed Certification Standards

The General Seed Certification Standards are basic and, together with the following specific standards constitute the standards for certification of taro.

II. Land requirements

1. Land to be used for seed production of taro shall be free of volunteer plants. Avoid Swampy, low lying 

    and over shaded conditions.

2. Avoid taro residue and drainage from other taro fields.

III. Field Inspection

A minimum of three inspections shall be made, the first and second about 60 days and  90 days respectively after planting and third about 160 days of planting and prior to harvesting or at appropriate growth stage depending on the crop duration of the variety concerned to check isolation, offtypes and other relevant factors.

IV. Field Standards

A. General requirements

1. Isolation

Seed fields shall be isolated from the contaminants shown in the column 1 of the Table below by the distances specified in columns 2 and 3 of the said Table:

        Contaminants                                                                                   Minimum distance (meters)

                                                                                                                Foundation        Certified

            1                                                                                                         2                     3

Fields of other varieties                                                                                    5                     5

Fields of the same variety not conforming to 

varietal purity requirements for certification                                                       5                     5  

B. Specific requirements

        Factor                                                                                              Maximum permitted (%)*

                                                                                                                Foundation            Certified

      Offtypes                                                                                               0.010                    0.50

      Plants showing symptoms of dasheen Mosaic                                        0.050                    0.10

      Plants infected by Phytophthora (Phytophthora 

      colocasiae (Rac.) disease                                                                      None                   None

      Plants infested with scale insects and mealy bugs                                    None                   None

* Standards for offtypes  shall be met at the final inspection and for the designed insects at each inspection.

Note: 1. All offtypes, disease and insect infested plants shall be rogued out along with the corms, cormels  and  

             destroyed.

          2. Gaps in the seed field shall not be more than 10.0 %.

V. Seed standards

A. Specification  in respect of size and weight of seed material for Foundation and Certified classes shall be as under:

                Size of seed corms                                                            Corresponding weight

              4-6cm x 2.50 to 3.5 cm                                                                20-40 gm

Note: 1. In a seed lot, corms not conforming to specific size of seed shall not exceed more than 5.0%

             (by number).

          2. The seed material shall be reasonably clean, healthy, firm and shall conform to the characteristics of 

              the variety. The corms not conforming to the varietal characteristics shall not exceed  0.10 and 0.50% 

              (by number) for Foundation and Certified seed classes respectively.

          3. Cut, bruised, cracked corms or those damaged by insects (other than scale insects and mealy bugs), 

              slugs or worms shall not exceed more than 1.0% (by weight).

          4.  Maximum tolerance limit of corms showing visible symptoms of infestation caused by scale insects 

               and mealy bugs shall be  as  follows:

        Factor                                                                                              Standards for each class

                                                                                                                Foundation            Certified

Corms infested with scale insects mealy bugs                                                   None                       None