2026-07-09http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/626713An experiment on maturity was conducted to determine the optimum harvest interval for "Red Petiole" dasheen Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott var. esculenta in Dominica. Results showed that yield components (yield/hectare, corm weight, length and width) for 8 and 9 months harvest intervals were significantly higher (p< 0.001) than other harvest intervals of 5, 6, and 7 months and larger and more marketable corms were produced. No significant differences were observed for specific gravity (SG) and % dry matter (DM) between different harvest intervals. Responses to sensory evaluation showed a taste preference for 8 and 7 months harvest intervals (30 and 23%). Significant differences were observed for storage life (p<0.001) with the storage life for 8 month harvested corms being more extended (19 days). Based on the percentage of marketable corms, taste preference and storage life the results indicate, that the harvest intervals of 8 months is the appropriate time to harvest "Red Petiole" dasheen cultivar grown under such edaphic conditions.DETERMINATION OF OPTIMUM HARVEST INTERVAL FOR "RED PETIOLE" DASHEEN, COLOCASIA ESCULENTA VAR, ESCULENTA, IN DOMINICAText