Effect of Nitrogen Fertilization on the Physiological Aspects of Two Improved Taro Cultivars (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott in Samoa

A split-split-plots experiment in a randomized complete block design with three replications was setup to determine the impact of nitrogen fertilization on the physiological aspects (height, leaf area index (LAI), number of leaves and number of suckers) of two improved taro cultivars (Samoa 1 and Samoa 2). Each replicate contain two main plots (cultivars) which were split to accommodate three nitrogen rates (0, 100, 200 kg ha ). 1 These were further split to have five sampling dates (35, 70, 105, 140, 175 days after planting (DAP)). The data collected from the experiment were analysed using the GenStat statistical software. The LAI, plant height, number of leaves and suckers of Samoa 1 and Samoa 2 were increased during the early growth stages until 105 and 140 DAP before declining at 175 DAP. The difference in plant height, LAI, number of leaves and suckers were highly significant (P