Identification of plant morphology of taro as a potential source of carbohydrates

Taro plants have long been cultivated and utilized as a source of additional food in Indonesia. Besides being a source of food, taro can also be used for industrial purposes, such as cosmetic and plastic raw materials. Taro tuber characteristics determine its use. Research in the form of a survey conducted in 2016, by observing and studying the morphological characteristics of Taro, in three Districts in West Sumatra Province. The research objective is to obtain information on Taro plants that have the potential to be made as carbohydrates in supporting food security and diversification as well as providing with initial information on Taro germplasm. To see the level of plant relatedness, NTSYS program version 2.1 was applied. Results of the study managed to collect 47 accessions, with differences in diversity between locations, and of that number, based on morphological characters of tubers observed, there were 32 accessions that have the potential to serve as a source of carbohydrate. Research is still ongoing to test the properties of carbohydrates and analysis of genetic variability. Keywords—characteristics; germplasm; tuber; West Sumatra