Validating Cultural, Agro-Ecological, Post-Harvest And Agroprocessing Technologies For Making Dasheen (Colocasia Esculenta (L.) Schott Var. Esculenta) Chips In Dominica

Dasheen (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott var. esculenta) is an important staple and export crop in Dominica and other Caribbean Countries. Though CARDI's research has expanded the fresh produce trade from within the Caribbean to markets in the United States and Europe, dasheen is slowly loosing appeal in its fresh form. Rice and other similar commodities which are easy to store and prepare, are becoming more attractive purchases. In addition, dasheen as perishable is coming under increasing export pressure due to stringent international trade regulations. Preparation can also be difficult because of peeling and scratching allergies. The dasheen industry is therefore forced to diversify its product portfolio, in order to expand production and increase farmer earnings. In so doing the industry has decided to move away from the holistic risk and uncertainty of fresh produce market. Value added products (dasheen chips) provide a suitable alternative. Dasheen chip production was however constrained by acridity problems and despite workshops on post-harvest treatments and agro-processing aspects of dasheen, sustainable production of the highly nutritional dasheen chip remains constrained, by a lack of understanding as to how cultivars, agro-ecological zones and time of harvest affect corm acridity. Experiments addressing the above, examined corm acridity, of the "Common", "White" and "Purple" cultivars, when harvested between four and nine months. Corms were produced in Grand Bay (mean annual rainfall 2400mm) on soils characterized as plastic sticky clay loams without a silica pan, and in Wet Area (mean annual rainfall 5300mm) on soils characterized as sandy clay loams. Results showed that, when harvesting in Grand Bay for processing into dasheen chips, the "Common" and "Pink" dasheen should be harvested in seven months and the "White" dasheen in eight months. In Wet Area, the "Common", "White" and "Pink" dasheen can all be harvested in eight months].