Abstract
Growth and rhizome yield of various turmeric strains (11 strains of Curcuma longa, 6 strains of Curcuma aromatica, 3 atrains of Curcuma zedoaria) were evaluated in the Kanto area for two years (2004 and 2005). C. longa was classified into two groups, one with a large plant size and high rhizome yield group consisting of 8 strains mainly from Japan and Taiwan (group I) and the other with a small plant size and low rhizome yield group consisting of 3 strains from southeast Asia (group II). C. aromatica has a slightly smaller plant size and rhizome yield than the strains in group I. C. zedoaria strains were also classified into two groups based on plant size. There was a signifi cant correlation in rhizome yield between the two years, and the order of strains in the yield was almost the same in both years. On the other hand, most of the strains showed a higher rhizome yield in 2004 than in 2005, probably because temperature and solar radiation in 2005 were lower than those in 2004 in the seedling stage.
