Diversity in biochemical traits among taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) accessions in southwest Ethiopia: Insights for breeding and food security

Taro is among the underutilized root and tuber crops. It is a staple food in tropical and subtropical regions, including Ethiopia. Taro plays a crucial role in food security, nutrition, and income generation for small-scale farmers in southwest Ethiopia. Despite the crop's importance, there has been limited research on its biochemical composition at the national level, which is essential for breeding, utilization, and enhancing nutritional quality. This study evaluates the biochemical diversity of taro accessions in southwest Ethiopia to highlight their nutritional potential and genetic variation. Data were analyzed using standard methods. Analysis of variance showed highly significant differences for all traits. The biochemical traits varied widely: crude protein (3.80–10.62 %), flour moisture (3.20–10.85 %), dry matter (89.15–96.80 %), organic matter (84.90–94.35 %), ash (1.50–7.00 %), crude fiber (1.00–7.58 %), crude fat (0.40–2.40 %), carbohydrate (71.80–84.77 %), total energy (323.80–380.20 kcal/100 g), starch (66.65–81.75 %), tannin (16.75–63.81 mg/100 g), phytic acid (111.60–364.80 mg/100 g), oxalate (567.30–1071.50 mg/100 g), beta-carotene (0.01–0.10 mg/100 g), mucilage (7.15–28.23 mg/100 g), fresh moisture (52.00–80.00 %), fresh dry matter (20.00–48.00 %), and pH value (5.44–6.65). GCV ranged from 1.33 % (dry matter) to 52.78 % (beta-carotene); all traits showed high heritability. GAM peaked in beta-carotene (98.61 %) and was lowest in oxalate (0.27 %). Principal component analysis showed that the first six components explained 77.8 % of the total variation. K-means clustering grouped the accessions into three clusters, accounting for 28.13 %, 46.87 %, and 25 % of the variation. These findings highlight significant biochemical diversity, offering a foundation for selecting nutritionally superior genotypes. Further breeding and multi-environmental evaluations are recommended to validate these results. • Variability occurred among taro accessions were due to genetic factors. • Raw taro accessions are high in oxalate content. • Taro accessions are rich in starch, mucilage, carbohydrates and energy. • Taro accessions are a higher protein source than other root and tuber crops. • Proximate, phytochemical and ant-nutritional factors of taro flour were quantified.