Morphological diversity of selected taro germplasm collection at the National Plant Genetic Resources Laboratory

This research was undertaken as part of the project Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of the underutilized Taro to Increase Food Security and Livelihood of Marginalized Communities Faced with Climate Change funded in the 4th cycle of the Benefit Sharing Fund (BSF) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). This poster presents a morphological assessment of 70 taro accessions conserved at the National Plant Genetic Resources Laboratory (NPGRL) to identify diversity based on qualitative and quantitative traits. Using modified NPGRL taro descriptors and diversity indices, the study found high variation in several traits, particularly petiole junction pattern, number of cormels, cross-section of the lower part of the petiole, and multiple leaf and petiole characteristics. The results indicate that the NPGRL taro collection contains substantial morphological diversity and can serve as an important resource for identifying promising materials for taro research and breeding.