Issue 152   |   February 26, 2013   |   Archive

News & Events

Water and Weeds

Heads-up for some upcoming useful information: Local Immigrant Farmer Education (LIFE) and Risk Management Hawaii (RMH) will be hosting two workshops on Hydroponics for Ag Tourism and School Systems at Kahuku Farms, located at 56-800 Kamehameha Hwy. Part I will be held on Feb. 26 from 10 a.m. to noon, while Part II takes place on March 3 from 9 to 11 a.m. Participants will learn such important information as what crops and varieties do best in hydroponic systems, what government programs are associated with hydroponic ag tourism, and how best to incorporate food safety in the systems. Then it’s off to the Big Island for a 2-day workshop and field demonstration on weed management, where Joe DeFrank (TPSS) will demonstrate both chemical and non-chemical methods of killing weeds such as yellow nutsedge. The workshop will be given at the Waimea Civic Center (67-5189 Kamamalu Road) on March 7 from 6 to 8 p.m., while the field demo will be offered 9–9:45 a.m. at Nakamoto Farm in Kamuela. Participants who wish to receive credits towards pesticide recertification should bring their pesticide cards, and there will also be information useful to organic growers. For the hydroponics events, call Lynn at 622-4185 to register; for the weed control, call Didi or Perci at 887-6183 or email mddiaz@hawaii.edu.

When Is a Crop Not Just a Crop?

The Pearl City Urban Garden Center will be hosting one of a series of workshops presented by educators and longtime CTAHR collaborators Craig Elevitch and Ken Love on making family-farm crops more marketable and profitable. The workshop, which will be held March 28 from 9:00 a.m. to noon, will discuss ways to add value to agricultural products, covering an array of topics including creating a brand identity, developing market niches, using certifications to increase product worth, and pricing for a range of markets. Click here to see the other dates and locations the workshop will be held and to pre-register for free.

Getting Back to the Roots

Save the date for the annual ginger growers’ meeting, which this year will include presentations by Linda Cox (NREM), Susan Miyasaka and Ferol White (TPSS), and Sharon Motomura (Hawai‘i County extension). The meeting, which will be held on Mar. 13, 6:30–8:30 p.m. at UH-Hilo Campus Center Room 306, will be the last one for ginger growers participating in the research study to receive FREE bacterial wilt-free ginger seed pieces for planting. There’s no cost to attend, and parking for the event is free. Commercial growers who are interested in participating should contact Sharon Motomura at smotomur@hawaii.edu or at 808-969-8250, while backyard growers or researchers should contact Ferol White at ferol@hawaii.edu or 808-969-8267.

Grants & Awards

Fab Foodies

Do you know how many hectares in Africa are used for growing acai palms? Or where the US ranks in terms of global food security? Or even the optimal temperature and amount of time to store cooked rice? Well, the winning team of the second annual CTAHR Food Systems Quiz Bowl does, plus a whole lot more. HNFAS’s team the French Toast Mafia, consisting of Yvonne Lee, Tracy Sy, and David St. Jules, swept the competition in the Jeopardy!-style game on Friday, but everyone was a winner at the delicious dinner afterward. Thanks to the students in ANSC/FSHN 601 The Science of Food Systems for writing up the tricky and informative questions!

Fungal Biofuel

Recent MBBE Ph.D. graduate Saoharit “Pikky” Nitayavardhana was awarded the Best Student Oral Presentation Award at the International Conference on “Challenges in Environmental Science and Engineering (CESE-2012)” held in Melbourne, Australia, on September 9 to 13. Her presentation was on “Biofuel residues conversion into aquatic feed via fungal fermentation,” arising from her Ph.D. research under the supervision of Samir Khanal. Pikky (pictured, middle, between Samir Khanal’s students Devin Takara and Dradeep Munasinghe) is originally from Thailand and earned her M.S. from Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand, with a perfect GPA of 4.0.

Spotlight on Our Community

Fighting Fireweed With Fireweed Moth

The biocontrol agent the Madagascan Fireweed Moth has just been released on Hawai‘i Island, and hopes are high it will be a major ally in the fight against the invasive Madagascar fireweed, which is toxic to cattle and horses and which also takes up nutrients and water needed by other native and beneficial plant species. CTAHR researchers including Tomoaki Miura and James Leary (both NREM) and Mark Thorne (HNFAS), as well as the staff of the Mealani Research Station, helped to map the range and spread of the weed for assessment and monitoring purposes and to raise and release the moth’s larvae; monitoring will be continued of the moth’s spread and the fireweed’s hopeful decline.

Moth Mystery

Dan Rubinoff and William Haines (both PEPS) were recently interviewed on HPR about their paper published last month in the scientific journal PLOS ONE on the native moth Omiodes continuatalis. The moth, which first appeared on the islands of Kaua‘i and O‘ahu 3 million years ago, has disappeared from much of its original range and is now only found in small portions of its habitat on Maui and the Big Island. It has even disappeared from Koke‘e on Kaua‘i, which is considered to be a substantially intact native area. Dan and William explain that the moth’s decline is probably due to invasive species of ants and wasps, but that they’re unsure of the exact cause. But since, as they point out, insects are the basis of ecosystems, it’s necessary to find out what’s killing off insect species—and stop it, if possible. More quarantine and inspection control are a good start, they advise—of construction materials as well as agricultural and food items.

A Fashion Maven Is Born

Andy Reilly (APDM) was recently profiled in Flux magazine on early influences that led to his interest in clothing and fashion, such as a sky-blue-and-gold-striped suit he had when he was 5 years old and his early experiments in designing clothes sewn out of paper towels. He also discusses the accessory that most defines his personal style as an adult—fragrances, he says, especially those that echo his more mature fashion sense—“different but subtle.”

Step Right Up to Spring

About 200 CTAHR students, faculty, and staff came out for food and fun at CTAHR’s annual Spring Event, where this year, instead of the traditional dodgeball competition, participants enjoyed an outdoor carnival. Entertainment included homemade games like sidewalk bowling and trying to catch a bounced ball in a hat…while wearing it. Professional balloon artists from Adventure Balloons wowed the crowd with their skill and creativity, twisting such masterpieces as Dean Gallo’s crown and dunking booth volunteer Halina Zaleski’s (HNFAS) pig with wings. The highlight was certainly the dunking booth, where all enjoyed watching brave faculty plunge into the water: the dripping crew also included Ken Leonhardt (TPSS), CN Lee and Maria Stewart (both HNFAS), and Mark Wright and Dan Rubinoff (both PEPS). Monetary donations of $520 were collected to support Collegiate 4-H, a CTAHR-affiliated program that fosters leadership and personal development in today’s youth through hands-on learning projects in the community. Mahalo to Charlie Nelson and Ryan Kurasaki for helping with food arrangements, and to Janice Uchida for donating potted plants for prizes. Thanks to the Spring Event student committee, scholarship recipients, and ASAO for their time and dedication in making this a smooth and successful event, and thank you to everyone who attended and donated to this year’s cause for making this first-time carnival-themed Spring Event a memorable one.

You Go, GoFarm!

UH News recently released a video report on the GoFarm Hawai‘i program, describing how the program, which is part of the Community College Career Training program (C3T Hawai‘i), mentors students in a process of ever-increasing immersion in the life of farming. CTAHR faculty and staff are partnering with farmers for the 18-month-long program that will, it is hoped, add many more farmers and agricultural workers to the Island landscape. GoFarm! was also featured on KITV News, in a segment explaining how the 13 students in this class are learning everything from how to prep their seeds and till the soil to how to run an agricultural business. After graduating, each student will be allowed to use a half-acre of land at the Waimanalo Research Station on which to grow their crops and further their training.

Down With Diamondbacks

The diamondback moth (DBM) (Plutella xylostella (L.)) is a pest of crucifers such as cabbage and broccoli that can severely damage crops and render them unmarketable. The moth is difficult to control because it readily grows resistant to insecticides, and CTAHR Extension professionals have worked with commercial crucifer crop growers on an insecticide-resistance management program since DBM’s insecticide resistance in Hawai‘i was discovered in 2000. Thirteen years later, DBM Insecticide Resistance Management (IRM) team members Robin Shimabuku, Randy Hamasaki, and Jari Sugano (all PEPS) , Ronald Mau (PEPS emeritus); Jensen Uyeda (TPSS); Steve Fukuda (TPSS emeritus); Ming Yi Chou, and Sharon Motomura (Hawai‘i County Extension) are continuing field and laboratory bioassays to evaluate new chemical classes for the IRM rotation program and monitor resistance levels to chemicals in the current statewide DBM IRM program at least twice a year. Managing and tracking insecticide resistance in commercial areas is an important component in sustaining Hawai‘i’s crucifer crop industries, which are themselves important to the Islands’ food security.

State of the State, State of CTAHR

Good news—Governor Neil Abercrombie gave a shout-out to Dean Gallo and CTAHR’s “integral” role in “nurturing Hawai‘i’s agriculture industry” in his 2013 State of the State address. He praised the “vigorous leadership” of Dr. Gallo, saying the college “is poised to meet critical research and extension needs if given the support.” Support—what a great idea!

Credit From the Credit Unions

Michael Cheang’s Kids Savings project partners schools with credit unions and investors to provide children with seed money and support to start their own savings accounts, which Michael hopes will help combat the widespread financial illiteracy in our society. A recent event to honor participating elementary school teachers who created games to foster financial savvy among their third-graders was reported glowingly in the Hawaii Credit Union League’s newsletter. The story explained that these teachers were building on Michael’s project to instruct their students on the common core standards as well as dollars and cents.

Going With the Grain

If you're interested in furniture, art, and sustainability, you'll want to check out the UH System video featuring JB Friday’s young koa tree project. Last year JB Friday (NREM) supplied some koa to the UHM art department in order to see how woodworkers might use wood from young, second-growth koa, as opposed to the old-growth koa commonly used in the current industry. An art class made 11 benches showcasing the wood’s distinctive and beautiful grain, and these were displayed at the UHM gallery and then at the fishcake art/furniture gallery in Kaka‘ako. JB emphasizes that koa from managed or planted forests can be an important addition to the economic and ecological landscape of the Islands: Landowners will have more of an incentive to replant with the native koa, providing watershed protection and habitat for other native species, if they are assured of a market for their wood.

Bioenergy From Down Under

Doug George will be working with Andy Hashimoto (MBBE) on the $6 million grant he recently received to study sustainable biofuel systems to increase the Islands’ energy security. Dr. George will be collaborating on the project until April 2013, while on sabbatical from the University of Queensland. An agronomist with a background in plant breeding (mainly sunflowers), he has already begun research on bioenergy crops, including sugarcane, bana grass, native grasses, and eucalyptus trees on the UQ Gatton Campus.

New Publications

Ginger Woes

Troubled by yellowed, necrotic ginger? You’ll need to check out the new website about bacterial wilt of edible ginger, a serious pest that has substantially reduced the economic value of ginger in the state. The project to research management options and educate the public on how to deal with the disease is led by Susan Miyasaka (TPSS); other collaborators include Linda Cox (NREM), Scot Nelson (PEPS), Bernard Kratky (TPSS emeritus), and community stakeholders. If your ginger is wilting, don’t delay—check it out today!

Help From Palau

Susan Miyasaka recently published an article in HortTechnology on taro leaf blight (TLB), based on her 12 years of evaluation of taro germplasm along the Hamakua Coast of the Big Island. Of the 5 cultivars that showed the greatest resistances to TLB and corm rots, 'Dirratengadik', 'Merii', 'Ngesuas', 'Ochelochel', and 'Sawa Bastora', 4 originated from Palau. In contrast, 2 commercial cultivars from Hawai‘i, 'Bun Long' and 'Maui Lehua', were quite susceptible to TLB and corm rot. This indicates, Dr. Miyasaka explains, that conventional breeding of taro to improve TLB resistance could improve yields of commercial taro cultivars.

The “Doctor” Is in…Cyberspace

For those who have one hand dug deep in the soil and the other on the pulse of technology, the Android version of “The Plant Doctor” app is now available, ready to function on more than 2,100 different Android devices! The app download and interactive diagnoses of plant health problems are free, as are the suggestions for pest management. The IOS version for iPhone and iPad is available at the iTunes store. During the past month the intrepid and indefatigable plant doctors have diagnosed problems from India, China, Iran, England, Canada, and several states in USA, including Hawai‘i.

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