Declining yields of local taro cultivars, worsened in recent years by outbreak of taro leaf blight (TLB), necessitate the development of varieties that combine TLB resistance with high yield and quality. The objective of the experiment was to obtain viable true taro seeds (TTS), the lack of which has hindered local breeding effort to improve taro. Fifteen exotic cultivars of taro, obtained from International Network on Edible Aroids (INEA) as part of an EU-funded project on "Adapting Clonally Propagated Crops to Climatic and Commercial Change," and four local cultivars constituted the crossing block at Umudike (5 • 24 to 5 • 30 N; 7 • 31 to 7 • 37 E) in south eastern Nigeria in 2013. One hundred and nine crosses were made, of which 18.3% were successful, but only infructescence from nine crosses developed to maturity and produced seeds. Germination of these TTS started on the 7th day after sowing. Seedlings that developed from these seeds were transplanted into small bags filled with sterilized peat mixed with vermiculite. Each plant is expected to be genetically different from all others and could be a potentially improved cultivar. This is the first report of successful hybridization, production of TTS, and development of seedlings from true seed of taro in Nigeria.
Land suitability evaluation was carried out to evaluate the suitability of soils of Okoko Item, Abia State, South-eastern Nigeria, for upland rice production. Free method of soil survey was adopted. Qualitative land suitability of the area for rain-fed rice production was done using FAO Land Suitability Classification System. The study area was delineated into four mapping units designated as OK I, OK II, OK III and OK IV. Mapping units OK I and OK II were generally flat, deep and well drained. Mapping unit OK III was generally flat, shallow to moderately deep and poorly to imperfectly drained while mapping unit OK IV was undulating with deep, well drained and gravelly soils. Soils were classified as Typic Rhodudults for OK I, Rhodic Paleudults for OK II, Mollic Epiaquents for OK III and Typic Plinthaqualfs for OK IV. Mapping units OK I and OK II were moderately suitable (S2), mapping unit OK III was permanently not suitable (N2) while mapping unit OK IV was marginally suitable (S3) for upland rice production. Majority of the area (61 %) is permanently not suitable (N2) for sustainable upland rice cultivation due to poor drainage. However, 26 % of the area is moderately suitable (S2) while 13% of the area is marginally suitable (S3) for sustainable upland rice cultivation due to dominance of rock outcrop and boulders.
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