Leaf Area, Leaf Area Index and Light Extinction Coefficient for Taro Culture

Taro, Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott, is the most important species from the Araceae family. The leaf area (LA) is important for the interception of solar radiation and for the biomass production. The light extinction coefficient (k) is related to the leaf inclination angle, leaf arrangement, regarding the Leaf Area Index (LAI), providing an indication of the plants efficiency on intercepting the solar radiation. Studies with this emphasis provide important answers about the use of solar radiation by the plants. However, for taro culture there are a few available studies concerning this subject and for this reason this work had the objective of estimating the LA, by linear measures of the leaf blade, add to that determine the taro K and the LAI. For this the photosynthetically active radiation was measured upon and under the culture canopy, in 15 random points, on these same points LAI was measured. With the data from LAI and the light interception K was obtained. The obtained equations by linear measurements of the leaf blade can be used to estimate the leaf area of Colocasia esculenta precisely. The equation Sf = 7,9012 + 0,8437*(C2 x L) was the one which best represented the real leaf area and the light extinction coefficient was considered low.