Cultivation of Colocasia esculenta (Arum or Arvi)

Arvi is also known as Taro and its botanical name is Colocasia esculenta, it is a perennial herbaceous plant. Arvi can be grown in tropical and subtropical regions. It is very important to plant containing leaves as well as the underground part. Arvi (Arum) plant’s leaves are larger in size and can be used as fodder while its underground part contains arvi and yam. Plant leaves are also can be used in making spicy curries. The most important thing is that farmer gets three products from arvi plant. Many of the farmers are getting profit from leaves as well as underground parts. In this article, I will discuss the whole recipe of arvi farming under the following outlines,

• Land preparation
• Fertilizer and irrigation
• Plant protection
• Harvesting
• Yield
• Conclusion

Land preparation

Land leveling is very important. Soil which has good drainage capacity is excellent for arvi (Arum). For this purpose, loamy soil is good but sandy loam soil is the best recommended with the optimum potential of drainage and nutrient holding capacity. The most suitable season for sowing is February-March. It is suggested that the field should have a natural reservoir of essential nutrients that can be get by applying the farmyard manure with green manure or the farmer should prepare the compost. It is suggested that apply the two bags of DAP and Potash during land preparation. 2-3 plowings should be done then broadcast the above-mentioned fertilizer and rotavate the soil which will pulverize the soil followed by planking. It is suggested that beds should be prepared with 2ft of size with 1 ft of distance on which plant to plant distance should be maintained at nine inches.

Note: It is suggested that about 800-900 kg of seed is required for an acre and seed should bury inside the soil under three inches of depth. After this process, the field is irrigated, and it is recommended that apply the sugar waste over the beds it will be helpful for maintaining the moisture as well as helps in seed sprouting.

Fertilizer and irrigation

A good plan of food and water helps in getting a higher yield from the start to the end of the harvest. Land with a fair percentage of organic matter helps crop growth more and mainly three elements are essential for production which are NPK. A good reservoir of organic matter in the form of well-rotten farmyard manure should be decomposed enough so that a combination of organic matter and chemical fertilizer could give a trigger growth and resistance against the harsh environment. Arvi plant’s leaves are bigger in size and it is very important that nitrogenous fertilizer should be applied in earlier days. There are many farmers who apply urea with each irrigation while it is recommended by the expert that the application of ammonium sulfate is better than urea. The plant needs nitrogenous fertilize r as well as potash when it is near harvesting.

Irrigation schedule is very important for arvi crops, just like ginger it requires plenty of water and soil should be in a semi-wet condition so that underground parts should grow more. It is suggested that on normal days irrigation should be applied with 4 days of interval or twice in a week and during rainy season interval may increase as per condition, but farmer should always keep eye on soil water condition to maintain the water.

Plant protection

Arvi plant doesn’t have any serious pest and disease attack but the fungal disease may appear when there is the rainy season and after that when heat comes out and plant leaves shows the dark circles and downy mildew, or leaf blight may appear. So, for those farmers who use plant leaves as a profit-earning commodity then the application of fungicides should be applied immediately after raining so that leaves’ shape may not spoil. Weeds are another headache for the farmer, and it is strongly recommended that uproot manually otherwise chemical control can be applied as well. Insect attack is very rare, it is suggested that apply the effective insecticides as per condition should be applied.

Harvesting

Arvi crop is 3-4 months of lifespan. In the month of August, it is harvested. Arvi plants have three types of products at the end, leaves, arvi, and yam. Its leaves are used for fodder as well. The upper aerial part is cut out, and the underground part is uprooted with the help of a spade. A mature plant bear approximately1-2 kg of arvi.

Storage of seeds

If the farmer is willing to store the seeds, then it is recommended that the plant should not be uprooted keep it underground, but in case of growing next crop, harvested seed should be spread out in the room with an air passage facility. In this way, farmers can store the seeds for next season.   

Conclusion

• Arvi is warm-season crop with 3-4 months of the crop.
• The seed rate required for arvi is ranges from 800-900 kg per acre.
• Arvi can be grown in the tropical and subtropical environments.
• Arvi plant has a larger size of leaves which means its plant require a higher amount of nitrogen.
• It is recommended to use ammonium sulfate or ammonium nitrate with each irrigation.
• Application of DAP and potash during the land preparation is most recommended by different experienced growers.
• The irrigation schedule should be followed properly so that the water requirement could be fulfilled with the time.
• Most of the farmers suspect not any serious insect and pest case but it is very important that fungal diseases or aphids attack may cause destruction some time.
• Plant leaves can be used for fodder for animals.

I hope this article helps you a lot keep commenting if you like my effort and stay tuned!