eng Enviro Research Publishers Current Agriculture Research Journal 2347-4688 2321-9971 2025-04-30 13 1 274 280 24011 article Aiswarya Thekkayil 1 Sumisha Chennappoyil 1 Swedha Madhavan Mavally 1 Chandramohanan Kotten Thazhath 2 Department of Botany, Government Brennen College, Dharmadam, Thalassery, Kerala, India Krishna Menon Memorial Government Women's College, Kerala, India Taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) is an important tuber crop that belongs to the plant family Araceae. Taro tubers are rich in starch, minerals and vitamins. Taro plays an important role in hunger management. Tubers and leaves of taro possess antimicrobial, anti-cancerous, antidiabetic and immunostimulatory properties, and thus it is a pharmacologically important crop species. Different cultivars of taro are cultivated in different parts of the world. Analysis of naturally occurring germplasm is the first step in plant breeding experiments. The present study involves the analysis of growth and yield attributes of five taro cultivars (CULT 1, CULT 2, CULT 3, CULT 4 and CULT 5) from Kerala state of India. Data on twenty-two characters, including eight growth characters and fourteen yield characters, were analysed. Identification and selection of potentially useful cultivars of a crop species is an important step to maintain food security. Based on the cumulative performance index, CULT 5 ranked first, followed by CULT 2 and CULT 3. We can adopt these elite cultivars for extensive cultivation. Future plant breeding initiatives can use these outstanding cultivars to develop potential taro varieties. https://www.agriculturejournal.org/volume13number1/performance-analysis-of-selected-taro-cultivars-in-kerala-state-of-india/ Colocasia; Cultivars; Performance analysis; Taro; Yield characters