Table 6. Yield of sweet potato grown on sand, Sanford, 1981.

Acknowledgements

This paper reports results from a project that contributes

147 days 188 days to a cooperative program between the Institute of Food &
Tons/acre rjry wt. Tons/acre Dry wt. Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) of the University of Florida.
Cultivar fresh dry- fresh dry and the Gas Research Institute (GRI), entitled, "Methane
from Biomass and Waste."
W119 10.6 2.5 23.8 21.2 4.7 22.0
W149 7.0 1.5 21.9 18.3 3.8 21.0
14.9
Literature Cited
Travis 5.5 0.9 15.7 14.4 2.1
W125 6.7 1.5 23.0 14.1 3.2 22.5 1. Bagby, M. O. 1981. Energy: Alternative sources for agriculture.
Morado 3.0 0.8 25.1 12.9 3.3 25.6
Proc. Great Plains Agr. Council, p. 3-10.
W115 7.5 1.5 19.9 12.1 2.1 17.5 2. Hall, D. O., G. W. Barnard, and P. A. Moss. 1982. Biomass for
W154 8.1 1.5 17.9 —
energy in the developing countries. Pergamon Press, New York.
220 p.
3. LeGrand, F. 1980. Producing ethanol by a community distillery for
use as a fuel. Florida Agr. Expt. Sta. Cir. 482. 11 p.
4. Silva, J. G. da, G. E. Serra, J. R. Moreira, J. C. Concalves, and
J. Goldenberg. 1978. Energy balance for ethyl alcohol production
from crops. Science 201:903-906.

Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 95:367-374. 1982.

WETLAND TARO: A NEGLECTED CROP FOR

FOOD, FEED AND FUEL1
Stephen K. O'Hair Maoli' taro in a flooded Pahokee muck soil in Belle Glade,
IFAS, University of Florida, Florida. Noticeable corm development began in July. A
Agricultural Research and Education Center, maximum of 3404 kg dry weight/ha was recorded after 305
Homestead, FL 33031 days of growth in January. Maximum corm and cormel pro
duction was recorded in December with a total of 9,317 kg
George H. Snyder dry weight/ha. Top growth reach a plateau of 3300 kg dry
IFAS, University of Florida, weight/ha by September, which was maintained unfif a
Agricultural Research and Education Center, January frost.
Belle Glade, FL 33440

Julia F. Morton
Morton Collectanea, University of Miami,
Coral Gables, FL 33124
Additional key words. Colocasia esculenta.
Abstract. Taro (Colocasia esculenta Schott) is an aroid with
large, heartshaped, peltate leaves arising from a starchy
main, cylindrical, tapered corm from which may develop
numerous rounded side cormels. The species is highly vari
able and it is claimed that there are more than 1,000 types
or races varying in habit, degree of acridity, tenderness, color
of plant and corm, and adaptability to dry or wetland culture.
Although it is grown commercially, most crop production and
harvesting is done manually.
For the past 50 yr, tropical agriculturists have tended to
replace dryland taro plantings with cocoyam (Xanthosoma
spp.) which gives a higher yield with less labor. Neverthe
less, wetland taro has a place under conditions unsuitable for
dryland crops. Machines are being developed to replace sev
eral difficult and tedious manual operations.
The corms can be peeled and boiled, fried, or dried and
made into flour. Taro chip production is currently com
mercialized. Both the tops and corms can be used to feed
swine. All plant parts can be converted to carbon-based fuels.
Monthly harvests were made of March planted 'Lehua
iFlorida Agricultural Experiment Stations Journal Series No. 4386.
This paper reports results from a project that contributes to a coopera
tive program between the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
ot the University of Florida and the Gas Research Institute, "Methane
from Biomass and Waste". Mention of a chemical product does not
imply endorsement or registration in the U.S. for that use on taro.
Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 95: 1982.
Taro, Colocasia esculenta Schott (syns. C. antiquorum
var. esculenta Schott; Caladium esculentum Hort.), has,
historically, been the most prominent of the edible aroids
(family Araceae), and it has acquired various regional
names: coco (Jamaica), tannia or eddoe (Trinidad), eddo
(Barbados), taya (French West Indies), oto (Panama),
tiquisque (Nicaragua), nampi or nampy (Costa Rica),
quequeisque, quiquisque (El Salvador), makal (Yucatan),
ashipa (Peru), inhame branco or inhame da costa (Brazil),
gabi (Philippines), talo (Samoa), dalo (Fiji), kulkas (Egypt),
kolocasi (Cyprus), kalo, keladi, or tales (Indonesia and
Surinam). In Guatemala, Cuba and some other Spanish-
speaking areas, it is sometimes called "malanga", a term
better limited to Xanthosoma spp. (cocoyam) to avoid con
fusion (23).
Origin and Distribution
Believed native to India and neighboring regions of
southeastern Asia, taro has been cultivated there and in the
East Indies for more than 2,400 yr. Recent archaeological
research in Papua New Guinea indicates that taro was
grown in the swamps of the Western Highlands Province as
much as 9,000 yr ago (42).
Taro was introduced into Egypt about 2,000 yr ago, and
thereafter to Italy and Spain. From Spain it was carried to
the New World. Meanwhile, it spread to various parts of
tropical Africa and throughout the Pacific Islands and be
came a staple food long before the sweetpotato was known
in Oceania. The northern and southern limits of taro's
range of cultivation are "upwards of 10 degrees beyond that
of the greater yam" (Dioscorea alata L.) (6).
Over the past 300 yr, taro has taken second place to the
367
sweetpotato, and some taro-producing swamplands have
been abandoned in Papua New Guinea. Nevertheless, wet
land taro is still important in the Cook Islands, Fiji, the
New Hebrides, and in New Caledonia where irrigated plant
ing declined for some years and then was revived (42).
Today, 99% of Hawaiian taro production is in flooded
fields similar to rice paddies (Fig. 1). Even in this case all of
the actual crop production and harvesting is done by hand.
Fig. 1. The Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge on the Hawaiian
Island of Kauai, a major site of wetland taro production in the state.
Taro production by private producers is encouraged in this wildlife
refuge because it helps reverse the state's trend toward reduced areas
of wetlands, a trend that poses a threat to such wetland dependent
birds as the Hawaiian gallinule.
For the past 50 years, tropical agriculturists have tended
to replace dryland taro plantings with cocoyams (Xantho-
soma spp.) which give a higher yield with less labor.
Filipinos have come to prefer the mealy, mucilaginous
texture and the flavor of cocoyams. In tropical Africa, taro
and yams are giving place to cocoyams bacause the latter are
more suitable for manufacturing the staple pasty food
product, fufu. Yet, wetland taro obviously has a place under
conditions unsuitable for dryland crops. When grown under
flooded conditions, adapted cultivars grow more rapidly
and mature more quickly than when grown as dryland taro,
and yields may far exceed those of dryland taro (11, 42).
Description
Taro is a perennial herb with erect, peltate, heart-shaped,
downward-pointing leaves 12 to 60 cm long, 7 to 50 cm
368
wide, on green, green-and-purple, or wholly purple, suc
culent petioles 40 to 150 cm long. Leaf color varies from
light- or dark-green to more or less purple. The incon
spicuous inflorescence which forms seasonally (1 or from
2 to 5 together) is a cylindrical spadix about 10 cm long,
yellow or reddish above and green below. Male flowers
occupy 2.5 to 5 cm of the upper part and are separated by a
space from the female flowers which cover 2.5 to 5 cm of
the lower part. The whole inflorescence is shielded by a
yellow-and-green spathe about 24 cm long. Seeds are seldom
set without hand-pollination although natural seed set oc
curs in some cultivars (40, 44). Some forms never have stout
corms or rhizomes (underground stems), but edible taro
has a starchy main, cylindrical, tapered corm, ranging up to
50 cm long and 20 cm wide, from which may develop sev
eral rounded lateral cormels. All are surrounded by a mass
of thick, cordlike feeder roots. Externally, corms and cormels
are brown-skinned, encircled by fibrous rings. Internally,
the corms or cormels may be white, yellow, orange, red,
brownish-red, or purple. Cut surfaces often discolor when
exposed to air. There is great variation in the degree of
acridity.
Varieties
The species is highly variable and it is claimed that there
are more than 1,000 types or races varying in habit, degree of
acridity, tenderness, color of plant and corm, adaptability to
dry or wetland culture, and suitability tor various food uses.
Var. aquatilis Hassk., with long, slender stolons and with
out a swollen corm, has levels of cold tolerance and is
naturalized along bodies of fresh water in the southern
United States (1).
In 1903, O. F. Cook (9) reported that Californians of
Chinese history had "recently" started raising Chinese taro,
corms of which were being imported from Canton and Hong
Kong. The French name, "Taro de Chine" in Indochina,
was anglicized as "dasheen". This form which produces
abundant small cormels, became popular in the West Indies.
Dasheen is the botanical variety C. esculenta var. globulifera
R. A. Young and includes the cultivars 'Globulifera' (per
haps the same as 'Trinidad*), 'Sacramento', and 'Ventura'.
In Hawaii dasheen is called "Japanese" taro. Plants produc
ing only a central corm are classed as "Chinese" taro (8).
A taro collection started by O. W. Barrett in Puerto Rico
was transferred to Brooksville, Florida, in 1906, and the
United States Department of Agriculture made vigorous
efforts to promote dasheen growing throughout the southern
states (20). Nonetheless, taro has never competed success
fully with the potato and sweetpotato in this country (18).
In 1939, Whitney et ah (49) described 56 dryland and 31
wetland cultivars in Hawaii. A collection of 154 cultivars
(56 Hawaiian, 62 from other Polynesian sources, 28 Mela-
nesian, and 8 from other countries) is maintained under
dryland culture by the Harold L. Lyon Arboretum in the
upper Manoa Valley near the University of Hawaii campus
(2) (Fig. 2).
Only 5 or 6 cultivars are grown commercially in Hawaii.
'Lehua', the main cultivar, produces a pinkish-fleshed corm.
Others are 'Piko uaua', 'Piko kea', and 'Uliuli' (mostly
white-fleshed); and 'Maui Lehua' and 'Piialii' (reddish-
fleshed). The red-fleshed cultivars are preferred for poi (35).
The cultivar 'Sar kachu' is grown in Bengal as an aquatic,
producing corms 15 to 30 cm long (48).
Cultivation
In India, Oceania and parts of Africa, wetland taro is
often a fringe crop grown along rice paddy borders, ponds
and streams. Larger plantings may require field leveling and
Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 95: 1982.

Fig. 2. Mr. Don Anderson, Curator of the Harold L. Lyon Arboretum
taro variety collection pictured with a portion of the 150-plus selections
he has maintained for many years. Mr. Anderson has been growing taro
for over 60 yr.
puddling by plowing, disking, harrowing and grading along
with the development of drainage ditches 12.5 to 15 cm
deep around the inner field edges. Dike building is generally
necessary to control water depth and flow. Constant water
circulation is necessary to avoid root rot, to which most
cultivars are susceptible in warm, stagnant water.
Water depth should be maintained at 2.5 to 5 cm from
planting until the plant is well anchored in the soil. There
after water level is raised to fully cover the lower half of the
plant. Additional culture includes a drainage period of a
few days before and after the application of fertilizer (36),
and before harvesting to weaken the root structure and
facilitate removal of corms. Plantings can be made year
round (35). Mechanized planting is being explored in
Hawaii and a tractor for planting dryland taro has been
developed in Fiji (39); nevertheless wetland culture is still
largely manual.
Setts (corm and cormel crown cuttings with 15 to 25 cm
of leaf petioles attached), called "hulis" in Hawaii, are
pushed into the soil by hand. The base is submerged 5 to
7.5 cm or until moist soil has been reached. The corm gives
a higher yield than the smaller cormel. Spacing may be
much closer than with dryland taro, ranging from 12,000 to
100,000 plants/ha (11). However, the wider the spacing, the
larger the corm size. Planting at average densities may re
quire 15 to 20 man hr/ha (35). It has been found that taro
plants grown on mounds in flooded land are more produc
tive than plants grown on the level.
Adequate N is essential to taro. It is usually incorporated
into the soil at the outset because the plant requires most
of its N during the early stages of growth, and also to min
imize N losses through leaching and flooding. Wetland taro
has given good yields with application of 250 kg N and 250
kg K/ha. Fertilizer trials with wetland taro in Hawaii
showed highest yields in plots given 1120 kg/ha N. Yields
in a soil with high P fixation capacity were increased by
1120 kg/ha P and delaying harvesting to 15 months. Appli
cation of K gave no significant increase in corm yield (12,
13). Well fertilized paddies may yield 35,000 to 50,000 kg/ha,
twice the yield of sweetpotato (19).
In wetland culture, weeds are largely controlled by water
depth. Nevertheless some hand- or chemical-weeding is
needed. Propanil, prometon, prometryne and nitrofen are
considered appropriate for weed control in wetland culture
if necessary (3). However, no herbicide has yet been reg-
Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 95: 1982.
istered for use on taro in Florida by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA).
The wetland crop should be ready for harvesting in 12
to 15 months from planting. Corms cannot be left in the
ground as long as those in upland culture. The plants are
considered to be mature when the newest fully expanded
leaves are smaller than the older leaves. Corms taken from
immature plants are edible, however they do not store as
well as those from mature plants. At harvest the fields are
generally re-flooded.
It is usually necessary to cut through the feeder roots in
a circle around the plant to facilitate harvesting. Laborers
usually are equipped with a 1.5 to 2 m pipe with a sharp
ened tip (35). The remaining roots are manually detached
and the corms washed in the field, then put in mesh-
bottomed buckets and rafted to dry land (Fig. 3), where
they are further cleaned, bagged and then trucked to dealers
and processors (35).
Fig. 3. Windrowed taro corms and cormels with attached 'hulis'
ready for separation and loading onto a raft which is winched by the
tractor in the background to the dike roadway for transport from the
field.
Hawaiian growers look forward to the day of mechanical
harvesting. A horizontal auger tractor attachment has been
devised which can dig and windrow flooded taro (24, 35).
Compared to hand-digging, it takes 1/10 of the time. How
ever, it lifts up the corms with a thick coating of mud which
handicaps the manual cleaning and collecting operations.
Therefore, pickup and cleaning machines are under develop
ment (21,41).
Diseases and Pests
Leaf blight caused by Phytophthora colocasiae Rac. is a
common problem in taro paddies in Oceania and the Orient.
Attempts at chemical control have been partially successful
(16, 17). Some cultivars may be tolerant to this disease. Leaf
spot caused by Cladosporium colocasiae Samada is most
evident on older leaves. Copper fungicides will control it.
Soft rot or pythium rot of the corm resulting from infection
by several soil-borne species of Pythium has caused severe
losses (10-50 or even 100%) in Hawaii. Sanitary measures,
soil treatment with Captan 50W at 100 kg/ha and crop
rotation are effective means of control in acid soils. In the
British Solomon Islands, Fusarium oxysporum Schlecht
emend. Snyd. et Hans, has been found responsible for corm
rot in actively growing taro (17). Dasheen mosaic virus is
the most common virus disease. Yield loss in taro as a result
of this disease has not been documented.
Taro leaves are attacked by the taro leafhopper (Taro-
369
phagus proserpina Kirkaldy. An effective predator, the
Philippine sucking bug (Cyrtorhinus fulvus Knight) has
provided adequate control of this pest in the Eastern Caro
line Islands. Taro plants may be defoliated by the sweet-
potato hawk moth caterpillar (Hippotion celerio L.) or by
the small grasshopper, Gesonia sanguinolenta, and the cater
pillar, Agrius convolvuli L. Injuries also result from attacks
of other insects: striped mealybug (Ferrisia virgata
Cockerell), thrip (Heliothrips indicus Bagn.), taro thrips
(Organothrips bianchii Hood and Pseudobryocoris colo-
casicus Carvalho) and aphid (Aphis gossypii Glov.). Taro
beetles (Papuana laevipennis Arrow and P. huebneri Fairm)
feed on the stems and roots but may be deterred by soil ap
plications of dieldrin or aldrin (3, 23). The nematode
Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid k White) Chitwood, has
been found on feeder roots of wetland taro in Trinidad (4).
Storage
Corms and cormels can be kept in storage at 10°C with
adequate ventilation for over 5 months (36). Shelf life at
ambient (ca. 25 °C) temperatures can be several months (22).
Food Uses
All parts of the taro plant contain irritant crystals of
calcium oxalate and/or an acid sapotoxin with definite
seasonal variation, the concentration being highest at the
end of the dry season (32, 38, 46). Other factors besides
calcium oxalate have been associated with the acridity (31).
'None o£ the plant parts can be eaten raw. Most of the ir
ritant is in or near the skin and therefore is largely removed
by peeling (45). To reduce irritation of the hands, peeling
can be done underwater (6) or plastic gloves can be worn.
In Hawaii, taro is often pre-peeled for sale, being kept in
water to avoid discoloration (8). Thorough cooking elimi
nates the irritant in most cultivars.
In Oceania, whole taro is commonly roasted on stones or
baked in ovens. The corm may be peeled, sliced or diced
and steamed, boiled or baked. In New Caledonia, peeled,
sliced corms with chicken or fish and coconut cream are
wrapped in leaves and roasted (28). Corms are less
mucilaginous than the cormels, mealier and richer in flavor
(48), and are better for making chips. Taro chips are made
like potato chips but absorb less fat and have a distinctive
flavor (Fig. 4) (20, 33). Boiled corms are sometimes formed
into patties or fritters and fried, and are often added to
stews. In the Philippines, the boiled, sliced corms are sprin
kled with sugar and coconut (5). Japanese in Hawaii boil
peeled, cut-up corms for 7 min, drain, add sugar and soy
sauce and boil again till tender. They also fry and then
simmer diced corms with sliced meat, onion and a little soy
sauce, or slice the corm and then cook it with chopped
pork and ham or bacon and diced shrimp. The mixture is
folded into batter, and steamed (8).
In Hawaii and Polynesia poi is a slightly fermented
paste of boiled and mashed taro which is easily digested and
considered beneficial to invalids and infants (Fig. 4). As a
part of the main meal, the paste may be eaten as such or
made into patties and baked or toasted. Poi is even added to
chocolate ice cream mix. There are several commercial
processors in Hawaii. The Julliard Fancy Foods Company
of San Francisco sells "Ready-mixed poi" through grocery
stores at $1.19/0.45 kg net weight jar. In southeast Asia, taro
is often preserved by salting and drying for future use (19).
Solar drying is a potential alternative where salt is not
available (30).
Flour can be made from fresh or pre-cooked corms. Much
like potato flour, it is used in soups, gruels, puddings, gravies
370
Fig. 4. Ready mixed poi (jar in center) and several brands of taro
chips are widely available in Hawaiian markets.
and is used either alone or mixed with other flours to make
pancakes, rolls, cookies and bread (28, 48). The dough can
be kept for a long time in sealed metal boxes (28).
Young leaves and petioles of "luau" types, low in acrid
ity, are commonly eaten as greens (27, 34) after boiling
twice or adding baking soda, lime or lemon juice, milk,
butter or other fat when cooking to reduce or eliminate the
acrid properties. As a safeguard, it is best to peel the petioles
since the cuticle contains most of the irritant (10). Thorough
cooking may take 30 to 45 min (29). The leaves are an im
portant ingredient in calalu soup in Trinidad (19). They
are prepared as a creamed soup in Hawaii (27). In Samoa,
after removing the midribs, taro leaves are stacked on a
breadfruit-leaf "platter", filled with coconut cream, rolled
up and cooked on hot stones. In Tahiti, leaves and peeled
petioles are layered with chicken or pork, topped with
coconut cream and lemon juice, rolled up and cooked in an
oven (28).
Very young blanched shoots are obtained by mounding
up mature corms with soil or sphagnum moss in a dark
place, or in raised greenhouse beds with bottom heat and
heavy shading (50). Long, slim, white or white-and-purple
shoots will emerge. When 20 to 30 cm long, they are cut off,
bundled and sold in the market. They are cooked till tender
in salted water. Japanese farmers in Hawaii produce these
shoots on a commerical basis as "asparagus taro top" (Fig.
5) (8).
Food Value
Where a population is dependent on wetlands for a
starchy food staple, taro may be a better choice than rice
from the standpoint of human nutrition (14). In fact, it
equals potato for amino acid content (Table 1). Dr. David
Fairchild, in commenting on Hawaiian dietary studies,
wrote that "Japanese babies and children brought up on a
rice diet in this tropical climate develop serious dental dif
ficulties. When fed on a diet of poi [made from taro], they
have strong teeth and far better health" (15). He was re
ferring to the results of an investigation by Dr. Nils P. Lar
son of Honolulu who conducted his nutritional experiiueut
with the people on a plantation of the Hawaiian Sugar
Planters* Association (18).
Corms contain about 64% moisture, 32% carbohydrate
and 2% protein (Table 2). Leaves of certain cultivars are a
good source of calcium, phosphorus, carotene and vitamin
C, if the cooking water is not discarded (27). The starch
grains contain 28% amylase (46), are among the smallest of
Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 95: 1982.
 Table 2. Average nutritional value of taro (nutrients in 100 g edible
portion).

Young
Conns Leaves shoots Petioles

Calories 137.0z 34.0y 33.0* 29.0*

Moisture (%) 64.4 89.9 89.5 93.0
Protein (g) 2.2 2.5 3.1 0.9
Fat (g) ' 0.2 1.0 0.6 0.2
Carbohydrates (g) 32.0 5.3 5.7 3.8
Fiber (g) 1.0 2.1 3.2 1.0
Ash (g) 1.2 1.3 1.1 1.3
Calcium (mg) 16.0 95.0 49.0 25.0
Phosphorus (mg) 47.0 328.0 80.0 12.0
Iron (mg) 0.9 2.0 0.3 0.5
B-Carotene eq. (mg) tr. 3300.0 — 180.0
Ascorbic acid (mg) 8.0 37.0 82.0 13.0
Thiamine (mg) 0.1 0.1 — tr.
Riboflavin (mg) 0.1 0.3 - tr.
Niacin (mg) 1.2 1.5 — 0.4

zfrom references 25, 26, 47.

yfroin references 25, 26
sfrom references 8, 25, 26
wfrom references 7, 8, 25, 26

suggest that it may be a crop that could be readily adapted

Fig. 5. Taro shoots (petioles) grown in the dark for use as "asparagus
taro top".
to Florida wetlands with final use as food, feed or fuel. To
observe taro growth and development on a flooded muck
soil an experimental planting was made at Belle Glade
(Fig. 6).

Table 1. Amino acid content of taro corms in comparison with potato

(mg in 100 g edible portion).

Taro Potato

Isoleucine 77
Leucine 160 125
Lysine 128 106
Methionine 58 22
Cystine 21 19
Phenylalanine 153 67
Tyrosine 64 54
Threonine 129 77
Tryptophan 24 21
Valine 141 115
Arginine 119 105
Histidine 42 35
Alanine 49 80
Aspartic acid 217 262
Glutamic acid 95 352
Glycine 81 70
Fig. 6. An experimental planting of 'Lehua Maoli' taro grown in
Proline 74 77 flooded Pahokee muck soil at the University of Florida, IFAS, Agricul
Serine 137 70
tural Research and Education Center in Belle Glade as part of a taro
production study conducted in 1981.
zfrom reference 37
Setts of 'Lehua Maoli' taro received from Dr. Ramon
any plant and are more easily digested than those in other
de a Pena, University of Hawaii, were planted in 0.5 m
foods (48).
spacings in unflooded Pahokee muck soil at the AREC-Belle
Glade on March 5, 1981. The plot area had been cropped
Other Uses to rice in 1979. Triple superphosphate was applied prior to
Taro can be employed as feed for domestic stock (43).
the taro planting to provide 30 kg P/ha. The field was
In addition there is much interest in the potential of taro as flooded so that the bottom half of the plants was covered,
once the plants were established.
raw material for the production of bio-fuels. For this pur
pose taro has value in that it is well adapted to lowland
At 1-month intervals, 6 randomly selected whole plants
soils that are not of value for most other crops. It currently
were harvested and divided into their constituent parts
is not of great economic importance in the United States for (leaves, petioles, corms, cormels, roots and unidentifiable
food or export and its concentrated carbohydrates can be
senescent material). Fresh and dry weight yields were de
readily converted to carbon based fuels. termined for each part, and the harvested material was
analyzed for starch and glucose. The monthly harvests were
made through March, 1982, and a final harvest was taken in
Experimental Florida Planting
June, 1982. A severe freeze (—6°C) occurred on January 12,
The versatility of taro along with its potential yields 1982. Taro leaves and petioles above the water line were

Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 95: 1982. 371

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29. Miller, C. D., L. Luis and K. Yanazawa. 1946. Food used by Filipinos
in Hawaii. Univ. Hawaii. Agr. Expt. Sta. Bui. 98, Honolulu. 80 p.
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31. Moy, J. H., B. Shadbolt, G. S. Stoewsand and T. O. M. Nakayama.
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ABSORPTION AND TRANSLOCATION OF SOME
GROWTH REGULATORS BY TOMATO PLANTS GROWING
UNDER UV-B RADIATION AND THEIR EFFECTS ON
FRUIT QUALITY AND YIELD
Agustin Prudot and Fouad M. Basiouny1
Department of Agricultural Sciences,
Tuskegee Institute,
Tuskegee Institute, Alabama 36088
Additional index words. Carotenoids, ascorbic acid, total
soluble solids.
Abstract. An experiment was conducted in the green
house to study the effects of UV-B irradiation on the absorp
tion and translocation of indoleacetic acid, gibberellic acid,
2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid, 6-benzylamino purine, kinetin,
and ethylene by tomato plants. UV-B induced variable effects
on the absorption and translocation of different growth regu
lators. Regardless, of the growth regulator treatments plant
height, yield, total soluble solids, pH, carotenoids and
ascorbic acid were slightly reduced under UV-B enriched
conditions which indicated a direct effect of UV-B on different
morphological and physiological processes of the tomato
plants.
Plants growing in their natural habitat are constantly
exposed to radiant energy of all wavelengths from the sun
which reaches the surface of the earth. An important por
tion of this electromagnetic radiation is the ultraviolet.
There has been a growing concern that effluents from super
sonic and other highflying crafts, chlorofluoromethane, re
frigerants and aerosol propellants, that diffuse to the
iGraduate Student and Professor of Plant and Soil Sciences, respec
tively.
374
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stratosphere could cause a reduction of atmospheric ozone
(1, 4, 9). This would result in a concomitant increase in
penetration of solar ultraviolet radiation to the earth's sur
face with possible biological consequences (5). Simulating
various atmospheric ozone concentrations, many investi
gators showed reduction in many aspects of plant growth
and development due to the exposure of plants to the UV-B
irradiation. The use of growth regulators to accelerate, re
tard, or modify plant growth and development is now com
monly accepted. Absorption and translocation of these com
pounds depend on many internal as well as environmental
conditions. Light quality has been reported to affect the
uptake of many organic and inorganic substances (8). This
experiment was conducted to evaluate the absorption and
translocation of several growth regulators by tomato plants
growing under UV-B conditions and their effect on fruit
quality and yield.
Materials and Methods
Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill cv. 'Walter')
seeds were planted in the greenhouse in a mixture of ver-
miculite, peat moss, and fine sand (1:1:1 by volume). Seeds
were germinated under ultraviolet light UV-B ( + UV-B) or
without UV-B (-UV-B) (UV-B = 280-310 nm,) in a ran
domized block design. When the plants reahed the second-
leaved stage, they were sprayed with six different growth
regulators (Table 1). UV-B irradiance was supplied by
twelve Westinghouse FS40 Sun Lamps filtered through
either cellulose acetate for (+ UV-B) or mylar film for
(-UV-B). The plants received a total of 872 hr of UV-B
irradiation during the growing season. The temperature of
Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 95: 1982.