Taro (Colocasia esculenta) is one of the oldest cultivated crops grown throughout the tropics and subtropics as a source of carbohydrate. It is thought to have originated in the Indo-Malaysian region, probably in eastern India and Bangladesh and spread eastward into Southeast Asia, eastern Asia, and the Pacific Islands. In Hawaii, a number of taro varieties are grown for specific uses such as table taro, poi, and for the production of taro flour, beverage powders and other dried products. Consumer demand for taro products is higher than local production, however, increased production to meet present demand is limited by vulnerability of commercial varieties to the environment and diseases. Our research focuses on the use of modern molecular techniques to accelerate breeding for varieties with increased disease resistance to taro leaf blight caused by a fungus (Phytophthora colocasiae) and other desirable attributes. As a first step in this process, DNA fingerprints of 42 taro varieties have been made to compare genetic relatedness between taro varieties. The Figure above shows RAPD patterns produced from DNA amplification of different taro cultivars illustrating different (polymorphic) banding patterns).    Taro varieties fingerprinted included 23 from Hawaii, 6 from Indonesia, 4 from Papua New Guinea, 3 from Western Samoa, and 1 each from Japan, New Caledonia, Philippines, Micronesia, and Thailand. Based on their fingerprints, taro varieties were separated into 5 major related groups. The largest group included 16 of 23 Hawaiian, 3 of 6 Indonesian, all the Papua New Guinea, Western Samoa, Micronesian, Philippines, and the Polynesian varieties with close to 80% genetic similarity. The second largest group consisted of triploid varieties from Japan and New Caledonia and 5 Hawaiian varieties with more than 80% genetic similarity. The next group consisted of 2 Indonesian and 1 Thailand varieties with more than 75% similarity. Finally, the last 2 groups were composed of only one taro variety each with one from Hawaii and another from Indonesia. A high level of genetic variation was observed in the 6 Indonesian taro varieties that ranged from a low of 65% genetic similarity to a high of 85%. Some of the Hawaiian varieties that are grouped together based on similar appearance (phenotype) showed more genetic similarity to Hawaiian varieties outside rather than to members within its group. For example, the varieties, Piko Kea and Piko Lehua-apei grouped together based upon similar leaf shape, exhibited only about 85% genetic similarity as compared to a 95% similarity between Piko Kea and Lehua Palaii. This preliminary study provides a data base for taro breeders to make informed choices in selection of parents to use in future genetic improvement programs and provides the foundation to locate regions of the taro DNA linked to agronomically important genes such as disease resistance to facilitate movement of those genes into commercial taro varieties.