Peaches aren’t a new crop in Hawai‘i…but good peaches just
might be. The tasty and popular fruit hasn’t previously done well in the
Islands. A CTAHR publication from 1973 discourages growing peaches in the
Islands, explaining that fruit flies would damage the crop too severely and
there were few varieties not requiring chilling temperatures rarely found here.
A “Hawaiian” variety of peach is described as “poor quality, unattractive, low
yielding,” in the USDA Handbook of
Peaches and Nectarines. But Moloka‘i Extension Agent Alton Arakaki is
hoping to change all that. CTAHR’s extensive fruit fly-management program has
helped to solve the first problem, and when low-chill peaches were developed in
other warm parts of the world, Mr. Arakaki and his team swung into action.
In 2010, with the
guidance of peach experts from Texas and California, a lowchill peach variety
trial was installed at CTAHR’s Moloka‘i Applied Research and Demonstration
Farm. In 2012 and 2013 the trees fruited, having had no period of chill below
45°F. Now CTAHR has begun a statewide low-chill peach variety trial with four
varieties: Tropic Snow, Tropic Beauty, Tropic Prince, and Tropic Sweet, all
publicly available, at 50 cooperator and CTAHR sites. Because Hawai‘i has many
growing microclimates, it’s very possible they will find locations that are
ideal for growing peaches. The sight of a peach orchard in full, scented bloom
or heavy with velvety fruits is an unfamiliar but welcome sight in these areas.
Extension agents and cooperators are monitoring and
recording the growth characteristics, productivity, and fruit quality of the
varieties. Agents have had to learn many new skills at train-the-trainer
workshops in order to initiate and participate in these trials, including
variety trial data collection, fruit sizing, tree girdling, fruit thinning,
tree pruning, and bird management. They then visit cooperators to advise them
on growing and pruning techniques.
Much remains to be done if peaches are to be a viable
possibility: after establishing the best varieties for the climate, growers
will need to learn harvest and post-harvest techniques. Down the road will come
potential value-added products such as jams and chutneys. But as Alton
demonstrated to Governor Ige at Maui’s recent Ag Fest, peaches’ future looks
bright in the Islands.
