Breeding and selection of taro ( <scp> <i>Colocasia esculenta</i> </scp> ) for improved disease‐resistance in Hawaiʻi

Societal Impact Statement Taro is a root crop with wide geographic range and high cultural significance to Indigenous peoples of Hawaiʻi the Pacific. Leaf Blight (TLB) worldwide disease taro, Hawaiian taro varieties exhibited little resistance it. To improve TLB-resistance, conventional breeding was conducted by hand-pollination. Out ~3500 seedlings, 18 were selected evaluated under non-flooded conditions at four locations in over 5 years. Four identified as yielding disease-resistant. Further, prevent confusion new traditional we developed DNA fingerprints differentiate them. Taken together, these results have provided information regarding plant material tools for those interested conservation across Summary Breeding evaluation (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) increase (TLB), caused oomycete pathogen Phytophthora colocasiae Racib., while maintaining yields desirable eating qualities. When crops such it important consider issues Indigenous, intellectual property rights. In response concerns practitioners about potential genotypes landraces, also sought develop using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identify genotypes. Conventional hand-pollination landraces sources TLB-resistance from multiple countries. The most promising lines multiplied upland (i.e., non-flooded) on major Islands extracted genotypes, analyses SNPs conducted, compared landraces. Bayesian yield analysis multi-year multi-location trials 1016-003, 1016-019, 1024-215, 1005-084 producing twice fresh weight corm control “Maui Lehua” exhibiting disease-resistance years environments. able them that make up portion their parentage. multi-year, field resulted yielding, disease-resistant maintain qualities some distinguish helping preserve heritage germplasm.