Seed Rescue Culture: A technique for the Regeneration of Taro ( Colocasia esculenta  )

In Papua New Guinea, twelve local taro cultivars were used to establish an initial breeding population from naturally flowering plants. Flowering rate varied significantly among cultivars, ranging from 0-5 flower heads per plant. Selected plants were transplanted and placed randomly in a separate plot to allow cross-pollination and production of fertile seeds to generate genetic variability and new recombinations in taro. At maturity, each flower head produced 400-500 seeds. The seeds did not grow in soil. However, embryos were rescued and grown aseptically via in vitro seed rescue culture (SRC) technique. Regenerated plantlets were free of contaminants and expressed a wide range of morphological and physiological variability. The SRC technique may be used for safer and convenient international exchange of taro germplasm and to widen the genetic diversity in taro breeding. The process encourages the initiation of a breeding programme involving hybridization of local exotic cultivars to generate improved cultivars of taro.