 | #TECHNOTIPS: Gabi |
 Taro, locally known as “gabi”, is generally considered as a backyard crop. It ranks third in production and hectarage among crops grown in the Philippines. Aside from its nutritional value and market potential, gabi can be grown throughout the year in a wide range of soils.Although the practice varies from region to region, gabi can be cultivated under upland (dry culture) or lowland (wet culture).
Upland or dry culture is the predominant practice in the country. The crop is grown mostly in backyards, usually along the bank of drainage canals or in small plots with adequate supply of water. In this case, land preparation is minimal and usually done with the aid of hand tools. Moreover, in commercial scale, gabi is often intercropped among coffee, cacao, coconut, and fruit trees.
On the other hand, the lowland or wet culture system of growing gabi is not as popular considering farmers grow rice in paddies. It is usually being practiced in areas where culinary demand for taro is high like in the Bicol Region. In this system, land preparation is essentially similar as preparing a rice paddy field.
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(By: Angelica Marie Umali, ATI-ISD) |
