DEVELOPMENT OF LOCALLY ADAPTED SUSTAINABLE TARO PRODUCTION (COLOCASIA ESCULENTA (L) SCHOTT IN PALAU

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: HATCH
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1018330
• Project Start Date: Nov 30, 2018
• Project End Date: Oct 31, 2021
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
COLLEGE OF MICRONESIA
PO BOX 1179
KOLONIA POHNPEI,FM 96941

Performing Department
COLLEGE ADMINISTRATION

Non Technical Summary
This project will evaluate minimum tillage cropping systems that incorporate the use of organic mulch or cover crop, establishment of protocols for upland taro production, minimizing soil erosion and improving nutrient cycles and increasing soil organic matters. Furthermore, it will determine the effects of organic mulches suppressing weeds, reducing soil erosion and retaining nutrients of the surface soil. Conservation Agriculture (CA) is currently implemented in more than 110 million ha in countries such as the United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, Paraguay, and in the Indo Gangetic Plains. However, the protocols developed in other countries seldom have direct transferability of effectiveness in Palau. Research conducted in local conditions will improve its effectiveness and reliability. Sustainable upland taro production system will be developed for taro growers.

Animal Health Component

50%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

0%

Applied

50%

Developmental

50%

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
205	0199	1020	100%

Knowledge Area
205 - Plant Management Systems;

Subject Of Investigation
0199 - Soil and land, general;

Field Of Science
1020 - Physiology;

Keywords

tillage

mulches

taro

organic

soil erosion

Goals / Objectives
To optimize taro yield using conservation agricultural low-cost practices involving nutrient recycling and soil amendments.Objective 1. To survey the present taro production practices in different states at Babeldaob, PalauObjective 2. To determine effects of mulching materials and land preparation in taro yield and it's components

Project Methods
Method 1: Questionnaires will be prepared. Pertinent data will be gathered such as demographic data, practices from seed plant selection, planting methods, organic materials used in fertilizing, weed control, insect and disease control and problems related to soil erosion, etc. The survey data will be reported in the form of local publications.Method 2: Experimental design will be Split Plot Design with 2 factors and 3 replications. One commercial taro variety will be used and the experiments will be conducted for 2 seasons.Main Factor- Land preparation: Conventional tillage (control), hole, trenching (3)Sub Factor - Mulches: No mulch (control), organic, plastic (3)Method 3: Soil sampling will be conducted from different areas in the experimental plot in R&D station, PCC-CRE to determine nutritional status of the soil including carbon and nitrogen before and after the experiment for each season. Eroded soil trap will be constructed for each experimental plot. Monitoring and assessment of identified sustainable measures; eroded soil amount, soil nutritional status before and after treatments will be carried out.

Progress 10/01/19 to 09/30/20

Outputs
Target Audience:Farmers, gardeners, hobbyists, village leaders, schools, teachers, students, extension agents Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The target audiences: farmers, gardeners, hobbyists, village leaders, schools, teachers, students, extension agents achieved the knowledge on conservation agriculture techniques. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated to the farmers, gardeners, hobbyists, village leaders, schools, teachers, students, extension agents by local workshops,field demonstration in farmer's plots, poster, conference, and journal publications. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The survey onthe present taro production practices in different states at Babeldaob, Palau is on going. Experiments on theeffects of mulching materials and land preparation in taro yield and it's components were conducted for two times and the 3rd one is on going.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2021 Citation: Masato Oda, Yin Yin Nwe, Hide Omae. Use of site-specific K factors in the Universal Soil Loss Equation can show arable land in Palau. Jan 2020. https://f1000research.com/articles/9-89. Yin Yin Nwe, Felix Sengebau, Thomas Taro, Christopher Kitalong, Jay Olegeriil, Hide Omae. Effect of tillage method and land cover on yield of upland taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott), and soil erosion in Palau. Journal of Tropical Agriculture Development

Progress 11/30/18 to 09/30/19

Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences reached so far include students, Palaun farmers and farmers' groups. To deliver science-based knowledge to people poster presentation was done in Palaun Women Conference. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The training for soil preparation for sustainable taro produciton was done. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated to communities by poster presentation at Baleu Women Conference, 2019 and demonstration plots. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?To survey the present taro production practices in different states at Babeldaob, Palau and second trial of the same experiment will be conducted to confirm the results.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? To determine effects of mulching materials and land preparation in taro yield and it's components, taro experiment plot (Split Plot Design with 2 factors and 3 replications) is conduting in R&D station, PCC-CRE.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Study of locally adaptable sustainable taro production based on conservation agriculture in Palau *Yin Yin Nwe1, Felix Sengebau1, Thomas Taro1, Christopher Kitalong1, and Hide Omae2 Palau Community College (PCC)1, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS)2 Taro (Colocasia esculanta) is a staple food important to food security and culture in Palau. Recently, food insecurity concerns arise from reduced food production due to salt-water intrusion, increased flooding and soil erosion in Palau. In Ngatpang State, 53% of land has been rated as moderately to actively eroding. Conventional tillage causes massive soil erosion and rapid loss of soil organic matter that leads to degradation of soil fertility and overall damage to immediate and surrounding environmental quality. Conservation Agriculture (CA) is currently implemented over more than 110 million ha. of land across several countries and has been successful in remediation of environmental degradation. However, the protocols developed in other countries are not directly transferability to Palau. In order to develop a locally adapted sustainable taro production protocol, utilization of organic mulch under minimum tillage to improve soil fertility is the first step, before applying CA technology to optimizing taro yield.