Panchamukhi
A farmer-grown taro type (not an institute release). In a 40-cultivar trial at Umiam, Meghalaya, it gave the highest corm yield, 20.00 t/ha, with corms averaging 1,500 g. Buy planting material from a clean source, since it is not certified.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Arbi (Taro)
- Type
- Corm / cormel (vegetative, traditional cultivar)
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- Not published (taro in general: 5 to 8 months, CTCRI)
- Seed rate
- No variety-specific rate found. CTCRI gives about 1 tonne of cormels per hectare for taro at 60 x 45 cm, with cormels of 35 to 45 g.
- Expected yield
- 20.00 t/ha corm yield in a 40-cultivar trial (mother corm, not cormel yield)
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Not formally documented
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Panchamukhi (spelled Panchmukhi in the research paper) is a farmer-grown taro type found in several states. It is not an institute release like the CTCRI Sree series or PAU's Punjab Arvi-1. The best record we found is a 40-cultivar trial at the ICAR NEH Region complex, Umiam, Meghalaya, reported in the Journal of Horticultural Sciences, volume 10, issue 2, 2015, by T. Angami, A.K. Jha and others. In it Panchmukhi was the tallest (179.33 cm), had the longest petiole and the biggest leaf, and gave the highest corm yield, 20.00 t/ha, with corms averaging 1,500 g. Its dry matter, 27.50%, was the highest, tied with KCA-1. The same trial found White Gouriya best for cormel yield (15.29 t/ha) and total yield (25.92 t/ha). The plants were rainfed, spaced 45 x 45 cm, and harvested 240 days after a March planting in 2009 and 2010. We found no recommended duration, no disease record and no release.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Panchamukhi (spelled Panchmukhi in the trial) if your buyer pays for large mother corms. In a 40 cultivar trial at Umiam, Meghalaya (Journal of Horticultural Sciences 10(2), 2015) it gave the highest corm yield, 20.00 t/ha, and the heaviest corm, 1,500 g. Do not choose it for small-cormel vegetable sales: in the same trial White Gouriya gave the highest cormel yield, 15.29 t/ha, and the highest total, 25.92 t/ha. Also remember that this is a farmer-grown type. We found no disease record, no duration and no release, so it is for a trial plot first.
Sowing & cultivation
- Seed rateNo variety-specific rate found. CTCRI gives about 1 tonne of cormels per hectare for taro at 60 x 45 cm, with cormels of 35 to 45 g.
- SpacingThe Umiam trial planted sprouted corms 5-7 cm deep at 45 x 45 cm in pits. We found no spacing trial for Panchmukhi itself. CTCRI recommends 60 x 45 cm for taro in general.
- HarvestingNo duration published for Panchmukhi. CTCRI says taro is ready in 5 to 8 months, when most leaves turn yellow.
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Highest corm yield (20.00 t/ha) and heaviest corm (1,500 g) of the 40 cultivars in one trial
- Highest dry matter (27.50%, tied with KCA-1) in the same trial
Things to consider
- The 20.00 t/ha is corm yield. In the same trial White Gouriya gave more cormels (15.29 t/ha) and more in total (25.92 t/ha)
- Not an institute release: no disease record, no duration and no certified planting material. Buy cormels from a grower whose crop stayed clean
Suitable regions
A farmer-grown type sold under this name, not an institute release, so no institute has named a recommended zone. The one trial we found was done at Umiam, Meghalaya, under rainfed conditions. Ask your local KVK how it performs near you.
- West Bengal
- Bihar
- Uttar Pradesh
- Odisha
Corm yield is not cormel yield: what 20 t/ha really means
In the 40 cultivar trial at Umiam, Meghalaya, reported in the Journal of Horticultural Sciences (Angami and others, volume 10, issue 2, 2015), Panchmukhi gave the highest corm yield, 20.00 t/ha, with corms averaging 1,500 g. White Gouriya gave the highest cormel yield, 15.29 t/ha, and the highest total, 25.92 t/ha. Those are two different crops from the same plant: the big mother corm, and the small cormels around it.
So Panchamukhi's 20 t/ha cannot be put next to Sree Hira's 18 t/ha, which is cormel yield, and called better. If you sell cormels as the usual arbi vegetable, the cormel figure is the one that pays, and in this trial another cultivar led on it. If a buyer pays for big corms, for cutting up or for a local dish, Panchmukhi is the one that stood out.
Ask your buyer which part they want before you plant. The CTCRI bulletin adds that a crop short of water makes more mother corm, with a corm to cormel ratio of about 1:1 to 1:1.2, while a crop with no stress makes 3 or more cormels for each corm. Your water can shift the balance as much as the variety.
Can you keep your own planting material?
This crop is grown from tubers, so your own field can supply next season. Keep medium-sized, firm tubers from healthy plants, store them cool and dark, and throw out anything soft or rotting — the disease travels inside the tuber. Replace your stock with certified planting material every few seasons, because virus builds up quietly year after year.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Arbi (Taro) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panchamukhithis page | Farmers whose buyers pay for big mother corms rather than small cormels | Not published (taro in general: 5 to 8 months, CTCRI) | 20.00 t/ha corm yield in a 40-cultivar trial (mother corm, not cormel yield) | West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha |
| Punjab Arvi-1 | Punjab farmers who want an early taro and can buy heavy seed cormels | 176 days | About 225 q/ha (22.5 t/ha), PAU release figure | Punjab |
| Sree Hira | Odisha farmers with leaf blight on rainfed upland or irrigated medium and low land | About 180 days (6 months) | About 18 t/ha (leaflet); 18 to 20 t/ha (CTCRI bulletin) | Odisha |
| Sree Kiran | Kerala farmers who cannot sell the whole crop in one week and want a taro that keeps | 190–210 days | 17.5 t/ha usual, 28.5 t/ha potential (CTCRI) | Kerala |
| Sree Pallavi | Kerala farmers with a leaf blight or mosaic history who sell small cormels | 7 months (about 210 days) | 16 t/ha usual, 18 t/ha potential (CTCRI) | Kerala |
| Sree Rashmi | Kerala smallholders who want a non-acrid taro that does not need heavy inputs | 210–240 days | 18 to 20 t/ha usual, 32 t/ha potential (CTCRI) | Kerala |
Tools for this crop
The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what Arbi (Taro) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Arbi (Taro) plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Arbi (Taro) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Arbi (Taro) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Arbi (Taro) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Arbi (Taro) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
What did the Panchmukhi trial actually measure?
It compared 40 taro cultivars for growth, yield and quality at the ICAR NEH Region complex, Umiam, Meghalaya. The abstract names these as leaders on one trait or another: Panchmukhi, C-3, White Gouriya, ML-2, Arcol-7, Arcol-5, Nayabungalow, Nainital, Kandha-5, Nadia Local, KCA-1 and IG Coll-5. Panchmukhi was tallest (179.33 cm), had the longest petiole and the largest leaf, and the most dry matter along with KCA-1 (27.50%). The trial was rainfed and the corms were harvested 240 days after planting.
Is 20 t/ha for Panchamukhi comparable with the yields on the other arbi pages?
Not directly. The 20.00 t/ha is corm yield, meaning the mother corm. Sree Hira's 18 t/ha, for example, is cormel yield. Before you set the two side by side, check which part was weighed. The bulletin explains why it matters: a crop short of water makes more mother corm, a crop with no stress makes 3 or more cormels for each corm.
How long does Panchamukhi take to mature?
We found no duration for Panchamukhi. The trial abstract does not give one, and no institute has released it. CTCRI says taro in general is ready in 5 to 8 months, depending on the cultivar and how it is grown. Dig when most of the leaves turn yellow, and note your own planting and digging dates for next season.
Which spacing should I use for such a tall plant?
We found no spacing trial for Panchamukhi. CTCRI recommends 60 x 45 cm for taro in general, which takes about 1 tonne of planting material per hectare, and 45 x 30 cm for a denser crop, which takes 1.5 to 2 tonnes. Because this plant grew 179 cm tall in the trial, start with the 60 x 45 cm spacing and not the closer one.
Where do I get clean Panchamukhi planting material?
There is no certified source. Buy from a grower whose crop you have seen stay free of leaf blight and mosaic, and pick sound cormels of 35 to 45 g, the size CTCRI calls best for planting. Leaf blight can cost 25 to 50% of the yield, and it travels on planting material.
Sourced from: Evaluation of taro (Colocasia esculenta L.) cultivars for growth, yield and quality attributes — Journal of Horticultural Sciences 10(2), 2015 (AGRIS record), Taro — ICAR-CTCRI technical bulletin (2025). editorial policy.