Hill taro gives high income

(Baonghean) - Hill taro is also known as mountain taro or taro. This is a food crop with high economic value, providing stable and higher income compared to upland rice cultivation in mountainous areas.

In the mountainous district of Ky Son, taro is grown in the communes of Huoi Tu, Muong Long, Dooc May, Na Ngoi and Tay Son. In addition to being a valuable food crop, very popular with the people, taro is also used as an important medicine in Oriental medicine to support the treatment of a number of cases such as: stomach pain, spleen tonic, body weakness, physical strength enhancement, nephritis, dysentery, muscle and bone pain. Currently, the whole district has hundreds of hectares with a total output of nearly 1,000 tons per year, bringing a huge source of income to the people in the highlands.

Planting techniques:

Often grown in mountainous provinces, it has the effect of protecting the soil and preventing erosion. Average yield is 5 - 6 tons/ha, in good soil it reaches 12 - 13 tons/ha.

Select breed:

There are 2 types: White vertical variety and purple vertical variety. White vertical variety has higher plant height, average tuber weight per clump and higher tuber yield.

When planting, choose white vertical seeds, choose healthy, disease-free, round, and about 50g baby bulbs on the main bulb. Do not use long sprouted bulbs and baby bulbs for seeds (baby bulbs are bulbs that grow from baby bulbs). Before planting, dry the seed bulbs in the sun for 2-3 days to promote germination.

Potatoes are planted in January and February of the lunar calendar, it is best to plant around the time of Spring so that after planting, the spring rains will help the plants grow well.

Land preparation:

The land is plowed and weeded thoroughly. Dig holes measuring 20 x 20 x 20 cm.

Depending on the climate and soil conditions of each place, the distance and density can be planted as follows: Distance 70 x 80 cm, density 20,400 trees/ha; 80 x 80 cm, density 15,600 trees/ha; 90 x 90 cm, density 12,300 trees/ha.

Apply organic fertilizer at 8 - 10 tons/ha; average about 0.5 - 0.8 kg/hole. Apply nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizers. Amount of fertilizer for 1 Northern sao: 4 - 7 quintals of manure; 2 - 3 kg of urea; 10 - 12 kg of fused phosphate; 2 - 4 kg of potassium sulfate. Apply all manure and phosphate fertilizer, 1/2 of nitrogen and potassium mixed evenly into the soil before planting. The remaining nitrogen and potassium fertilizer can be applied as top dressing 1 - 2 times after planting 3 - 6 months. When planting, place the seed tubers at a depth of 7 - 8 cm, avoid direct contact with fertilizer, and cover the soil. After planting, cover with straw or dry grass to keep the soil moist and limit weeds.

Taro likes moisture, but if waterlogged, the root system will not develop well. After planting, the air temperature is not high, the plant has not grown yet, just keep the soil moist (soil moisture 65 - 75%). During the tuber formation period, the plant grows and develops strongly, needing a lot of water.
Therefore, pay attention to watering and avoid drought during this period.

For flat land, after 2 - 3 months of planting, when the tree grows well, mound the bed 15 - 20 cm high, 40 - 50 cm wide to allow the adventitious roots to grow, increase the tree's drought resistance, limit the emergence of new shoots, and create conditions for the mother tree to grow. For sloping land, mound the base.

It is necessary to pay attention to prevent some pests: aphids, red spiders, leaf blight, tuber rot; in which late blight often occurs during periods of high temperature and high humidity.

When the leaves turn yellow and dry, the tubers are old, have high starch content, and have a delicious flavor. The tubers can be harvested. The main harvest is in mid-September. If the tubers are used for seeds, they must be left to mature before harvesting. After harvesting, the tubers do not need to be washed and should be stored in a cool, dry place.

Farmers also need to pay attention, because the growing period of mountain taro is relatively long (about 8 months). Therefore, to increase income per unit area, it should be intercropped with peanuts, soybeans or some leafy vegetables.

For lowland plains, when planting taro, it is necessary to make raised beds.

Phu Huong (St)