Issue 61   |   June 15, 2017   |   Archive   |   Subscribe

News & Events

Peas on the Big Island

Leg it over for some legumes! Lalamilo Research Station in Kamuela on the Big Island is hosting a Chickpea Field Day on Friday, June 16, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. The field day will feature updates and presentations on chickpea variety trials, chickpea growth requirements, and chickpea diseases and their control. For more information, you can email Amjad Ahmad at alobady@hawaii.edu, Sharon Motomura Wages at smotomur@hawaii.edu, or Randall Hamasaki at rth@hawaii.edu.

Grow More Food

The Urban Garden Center will be hosting Grow More Food: Plant Propagation Outdoor Expo on July 7–8. Researchers, Extension agents, Master Gardeners, and CTAHR students will use hands-on teaching demonstrations to teach food producers and gardeners how to propagate crops via seeds, cuttings, air-layering, and grafting. Air-layering/grafting workshops are scheduled for 8:30, 9:30, and 10:30 a.m. and will last 45 minutes each. July 7 is aimed at agricultural producers; also on this day there will be educational booths from HDOA, USDA Farm Service Agency, and other agencies, companies, and non-profits, as well as CTAHR programs such as the Ag Incubator, SOAP, Master Gardeners, ADSC Seed Lab, and Sustainable Pest Management Lab, so growers can learn about the many public and private ag programs available. July 8 is aimed at urban and backyard producers and will also be the OUG’s Second Saturday event, including a plant sale. Participants can sign up for state, federal, and non-profit programs and ask questions face to face. You can register online here; the Expo is $20. Workshops are limited to 30 participants/session, and space is limited, so after registering, call Bea at (808) 453-6050 to reserve a workshop space.

Don’t Get Rat Lungworm!

Rat lungworm cases are showing up in Hawai‘i, but CTAHR Extension is on the job, informing the community about how to help prevent this worrying disease. The UH Farm Food Safety website advises farmers and home gardeners to manage rats, slugs, and snails in fields and gardens and consumers to make sure they correctly wash and/or cook produce before eating. They’re partnering with the Department of Heath, which is the lead agency educating the public about the parasite and health-related issues. Here is a list of approved slug and snail baits for commercial use in Hawai‘i. This weekend, O‘ahu CES also hosted a RLW booth at Oahu RC&D’s Parade of Farms.

Get in Business…Ag Business!

Agricultural business management is the second-largest specialization for undergraduate programs in land-grant universities across the nation. In acknowledgement of the need to connect the plants in our living environment with our food-production system and food-supply chain, TPSS is now offering an Agribusiness Certificate program open to all undergraduate students. The program offers entrepreneurial skills for starting and managing a successful, sustainable agricultural business; opportunities for hands-on experience with modern management-science techniques that assist agribusiness managers and industry analysts; increased proficiency in formulating and implementing problems using computer models; improved economic decision-making ability; and better understanding of marketing, management, and finance, including the ways traditional business-school approaches must be modified for perishable plant and animal products raised on land or in the water. Those who complete the program receive a Certificate in Agribusiness Management.

Grants & Awards

Coming to Grips With Thrips

Qing X. Li (MBBE) has been awarded a grant by Bayer AG Division Crop Science as part of the company’s initiative “Grants4Targets - Novel targets for crop protection” for his proposal, “A (+)-monoterpenoid is a potent insecticide selective for thrips.” Thrips are a small sucking insects that infest numerous agricultural and horticultural crops such as tomato, eggplant, pineapple, cabbage, and anthurium in Hawai‘i and worldwide, as well as native plants such as naio. Controlling them would be a tremendous help and cost savings to growers.

Protector of the Endangered

Nellie Sugii, an MS graduate in horticultural science, was honored with a 2016 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Recovery Champion award for her work as manager of the Lyon Arboretum’s Hawaiian Rare Plant Program (HRPP). A UH News story explains that the award is given to those “whose leadership efforts are integral to the recovery of endangered and threatened species of plants and animals” and that Nellie has developed ways, including tissue culture, of propagating some of the most endangered plants in Hawai‘i, “many of which may have gone extinct without her efforts.” So she deserves thanks as well as congratulations!

Hort Honors

TPSS undergrads Michelle Au, Rachelle Carson, and Micah Grumblis have been awarded the Collegiate Scholars Award by the American Society for Horticultural Science. This award honors the academic achievements of junior and senior undergraduates from departments of horticulture or from departments of plant and crop science who are majoring in horticulture. Students are selected on the basis of their scholarship achievements, leadership abilities, participation in campus/club activities, and service to their department.

The Right Tools for the Job

Herbavore, a customizable garden handtool business that was created by CTAHR BS and MS alumnus Robert Saito (left) and his partner Derek Woodruff, won first prize at the 2017 Shidler PACE Business Plan Competition at the Wai'alae Country Club on May 3. Four teams competed for prize packages totaling more than $40,000 in cash and legal and marketing help—as first place winner, Herbavore received $10,000 cash and more than $12,500 value in other aid. The UH Business Plan Competition provides mentorship, training, and resources to UH students and faculty who want to learn what it takes to be an entrepreneur and start a business venture. Participants practice the art of testing the feasibility of a business idea, developing a business plan, and pitching it to investors.

Spotlight on Our Community

Bee Resilient

Scott Nikaido of the UH Honeybee Project has been in the news lately; he’s interviewed on both KITV and KHON concerning the recent pollinator-awareness event at the Urban Garden Center. He explains that the bee populations in Hawai‘i are actually doing better than they have been for a number of years; in fact, Hawai‘i is one of the largest producers of honey per hive in the country! And this is in large part due to the research and outreach of the Honeybee Project, which has given beekeepers the knowledge and tools they need to control the pests that were lowering their numbers.

Sweetest Day

If you didn’t get a chance to go to the recent Ko Field Day at the Poamoho Station, which showcased the ten native varieties of sugarcane that are growing there, at least you can take a look at these pictures of the event. You won't be able to taste the different varieties of sweet cane juice, pressed onsite, that were served, or take home the planting materials that participants were offered, but you can still feast your eyes on the unique and colorful canes and the system of intercropping with ‘ulu that is being trialed at the station!

Get It in the Ground

Susan Crow (NREM) appeared in a KITV news story about Hawai‘i’s commitment to the Paris Climate Accord in light of Donald Trump’s withdrawal of the United States from this significant environmental agreement. One of two bills supporting the Accord signed by Gov. Ige concerns carbon sequestration, which reduces the level of CO2 in the atmosphere by trapping it in the soil, in plants, or in the water. Susan explains that it’s important to keep the carbon in the ground once it has entered the plants’ roots and the soil; one good way to do this is to avoid tilling crops, which allows 30 percent more carbon to be sequestered.

Keep the Forests Standing

Kimberly Carlson (NREM) traveled to the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center in Maryland to take part in a small workshop and discuss her project on zero-deforestation supply-chain commitments. With co-PI Rachael Garrett of Boston University, Kim (pictured center) is assessing interactions between zero-deforestation commitments and tropical land-cover dynamics to identify conditions that improve the likelihood that commitments will achieve their stated goals. The project synthesizes social data on trade dynamics, market conditions, and supply-chain commitments with ecological data on tropical land cover change to build a coupled land-change–supply-chain trade model and apply it to contrast future scenarios of supply-chain commitments. They are focusing on soy, a leading cause of land-cover change in South America, but are considering how their project can have applications for other global commodities in tropical regions, particularly oil palm in Southeast Asia. Photos are available here.

Welcome to Waimanalo

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard recently took a tour of the Waimanalo Research Station for a look at its many projects and initiatives. After she was greeted by Dean Novotny and Associate Deans Ken Grace and Kelvin Sewake, she was welcomed with a chant by Malama Honua charter school students, accompanied by one of their teachers, MBBE alumna Kelsea Hosoda. Representatives of Halau Ku Mana charter school in Makiki then showed her the lapa’au garden they’ve established at the station. Rep. Gabbard saw SOAP organic crops, including taro, bittermelon, and organic non-transgenic papaya. Ted Radovich (TPSS) demonstrated a novel hydroponics set-up, and GoFarm trainer Jay Bost and farm coordinator Nora Rodli described this successful farmer-training program and introduced her to GoFarm students working on a CSA there. Here she talks with Noa Lincoln (NREM) about his work with native sugarcane varieties.

Owl Right!

Melissa Price and Javier Cotin’s (both NREM) Pueo Project has wings! This citizen-science venture to learn more about the elusive native owl been featured both as a UH News story and in the Star-Advertiser. One of the best things about this project is the collaboration it fosters, both with its agency partner, the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Forestry and Wildlife division, and also with the community members who are joining in to help. “It’s wonderful to work on a project where the community is so interested and supportive of conservation efforts,” says Melissa, and Javier concurs, “I hope to unravel the mysteries of the seldom-seen pueo and look forward to collaborating with the local community to protect this unique species.” Join the collaboration today!

ROD Testing on the Run

Extension forester JB Friday is featured in a Hawaii Tribune-Herald article discussing a new tool for identifying cases of rapid ‘ohi‘a death in the field. While a diagnosis previously required sending a sample to the PBARC laboratory, the ROD working group has developed new portable “lab in a suitcase” that can make the diagnosis in less than 90 minutes, for a lower cost than previous laboratory diagnoses. Diagnoses can now be made in the field and by alternate agencies. The unit includes a fluorometer, miniature centrifuge and heat block and runs off a battery. It extracts DNA from a sample and analyzes it. The next step is to refine the test so that it can identify which of two species of the Ceratocystis pathogen is causing the disease. Check out the UH News story on the innovation as well!

Enough to Eat

Nutritional Science MS student Surely Wallace and Animal Science MS student Danita Dahl are featured in a Honolulu Star-Advertiser article about the #FeedTheDegree survey they spearheaded in Joannie Dobbs’s Food Systems class that seeks to discover the extent of food insecurity among students at UH. Surely, who also recently won the MS 3MEP presentation award and is pictured here at the Awards Banquet, explains that she went hungry as an undergraduate due to the many competing demands on her time. Joannie notes that she often encounters students who are not getting adequate nutrition in the course of her work as nutritionist at the Health Services center. Surely and Danita created a video explaining the problems that food insecurity can cause and submitted a petition signed by over 800 students that asked the administration to create the survey as a first step in figuring out how to address the problem. The survey has now been emailed to students, who are asked to complete it by the end of the summer so that adequate data can be gathered.

Something to Talk About

Coral reef protection, world hunger, animal abuse, disabilities, cigarette use, positivity, and ocean pollution were the topics presented by the Maui 4-H TED-Ed club, when the club members identified and researched a topic important to them that they felt was “worth sharing.” Through the 4-H club, members worked on storytelling and presentation in addition to strengthening their public-speaking skills. The clubs are part of the TED-Ed series and incorporate educational materials from the TED-Ed staff and the 4-H organization. The 4-H club was the first of its kind in Hawai‘i, although there have been other TED-Ed clubs formed outside of 4-H. Maui County 4-H agent Nancy Ooki explains, “The club gives the members the opportunity to discover what they are passionate about and then provides them with the tools to share that passion in a safe and supportive environment.” The club will be back in the fall to tackle new topics and new presentations.

Ag Day on the Garden Isle

CTAHR’s Kaua‘i Agricultural Research Center (KARC), in partnership with the Kauai County Farm Bureau, hosted its 21st Agricultural and Environmental Awareness Day. More than 625 fifth-grade students and their teachers from all parts of the island—including public, charter, and private school and home-schooled students—came to the Research Station for interactive lectures and educational displays. Community contributors included the Kaua‘i Invasive Species Committee, Kaua‘i Master Gardeners program, Hanalei Taro, Kaua‘i Forest Birds Recovery Project, Kaua‘i Nursery & Landscaping, Kaua‘i Anthurium Club, Kawamura Farms, USDA-APHIS and NCRS, and many more. Master Gardener coordinator Josh Silva, pictured here, is also mentioned in the Garden Island’s article on the event. The Farm Bureau’s Joni Ito did a masterful job in organizing the event, and Kaua‘i’s Family & Friends of Agriculture graciously supported it financially. Thanks also go to the hardworking farm crew at KARC: Frank Matsuno, Lou Nishida Jr., Randy Yokoyama, Michael Carle, and Tyrus Moises; the KISC field crew; and many other volunteers who donated time and resources to make this annual event a success.

Looking Back on the Banquet

If you missed the Awards Banquet, or just want to relive the memories, check out the photos posted here. Although the location was new, the great feelings of fun, pride, admiration, and fellowship were just the same! There’s also a detailed and laudatory article on this year’s Outstanding Alumnus, Ernest Harris, in the Star-Advertiser’s Sunday Magazine. Here he is pictured with Dean Rachel Novotny and his wife of 63 years, Bettye Jo Harris.

’Flower and Water

Extension agent Jensen Uyeda has been busy in the fields as well as in the news recently: he’s featured on Hawaii News Now talking about the concept of precision agriculture and his irrigation-management trial at Waimanalo, and on KITV discussing the cauliflower variety trials and recent field day at Poamoho. The irrigation trial is using time-lapse photography and other technological aids to assess whether techniques developed for drought-stricken regions of California can work in Hawai‘i and save growers money by carefully calibrating the amounts of water and fertilizer needed for best growth. And the cauliflower trials are looking at purple, orange, green, and white varieties that will do well in the Islands, providing a new crop for producers, a new locally grown ingredient for chefs, and a fun and tasty alternative for home gardeners. Extension educator Lynn Nakamura-Tengan is also quoted in this article—she remembers the problems her family had with growing cauliflower in her childhood in Kula, so she knows how helpful trials like this will be.

A Congress to Be Proud Of!

Kona 4-H Federation member Wailana Medeiros is one of eight youth on the 2017 National 4-H Congress Design Team! The National 4-H Congress is a unique leadership opportunity for 4-H members from all 50 states, providing recognition to 4-H youth for their outstanding achievements. The event focuses on leadership, youth empowerment, community service, career development, and cultural diversity. It brings together over 900 4-H members in Atlanta, Georgia, over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend for outstanding workshops, sought-after national guest speakers, cultural events, community service projects, and Atlanta’s attractions. They also have the opportunity to network with other 4-H members from across the United States. Wailana is part of the youth–adult partnership team that plans this event—the adults are Extension professionals and the youth are 4-H members who have participated in the event the prior year.

Get on the Elevator

Didn’t get a chance to hear the presentations for the CTAHR’s Inaugural 3-Minute Elevator Pitch Competition? You’re in luck, because they were videotaped, and the pitches of the three winners are now available online! Listen to Erik Ekman, who received the Undergraduate Award for his visionary proposal for turning campus food waste into compost and energy. Hear Surely Wallace, who received the Master’s Award for an informative analysis of Okinawan sweet potatoes as a healthy food for beneficial gut bacteria. And listen to Zhibin Liang, who received the PhD Award and People’s Choice Award for his research into corn silk as a possible source for Alzheimer’s drugs!

New Publications

Corn Knowledge

Professor Gernot Presting and two postdoctoral scholars in his lab, Kevin Schneider and Thomas Wolfgruber, are contributors to an historic release of a new, high-quality corn reference genome sequence that shows reasons why corn can be adapted to such a wide variety of growing conditions. Their findings were published in the journal Nature. Genome analysis has become an indispensable tool for plant improvement by breeding. The newly released sequence fills in ~100,000 gaps left in the initial genome sequence released in 2009. This additional information leads to a much fuller understanding of the genetic structure of this culturally and economically important crop. Most significantly, the findings show that the corn genome is very “flexible,” or adaptable. This flexibility will have potential benefits in the advent of climate change. This genome assembly includes high-quality sequence of many corn centromeres, which have been very difficult to sequence because they are composed of highly repetitive DNA.

How the Kids Are Doing

The Annie E. Casey Foundation, for which the Center on the Family is the state’s designated project grantee, recently released the annual KIDS COUNT Data Book for Hawai‘i, which uses 16 indicators to rank the state across four domains that represent what children need most to thrive. The data show that economic conditions may finally be improving for Hawai‘i’s children, and families continue to offer them a strong foundation. The Data Book, which examines trends in child well-being, found that Hawai‘i now ranks 23rd in child economic well-being and 17th for child well-being overall. However, despite some improvements on individual indicators, Hawai‘i is lagging in the area of education, 36th overall. There have been some improvements in reading and math proficiency, but Hawai‘i’s children are still below national proficiency rates, and more than half of 3- and 4-year-olds are not enrolled in preschool programs. The Star-Advertiser also published an article on the Data Book’s findings.

Socially Sustainable Seafood

NREM student Cheryl Scarton is one of the authors of “Committing to Socially Responsible Seafood,” which was recently published in the Policy Forum section of the prestigious journal Science. The article points out that seafood is a primary source of protein for large sectors of the earth’s population and argues that in light of recent discoveries about slavery and other abuses in the fishing industry, it is necessary to produce and source seafood in a socially ethical and responsible manner, and the scientific community must be involved in this discussion. Previously, most of the focus has been on environmental sustainability, which is also very important. Now, the paper claims, “businesses are seeking to reduce unethical practices and reputational risks in their supply chains. Governments are formulating policy responses, and nonprofit and philanthropic organizations are deploying resources and ex­pertise to address critical social issues. Yet the scientific community has not kept pace with concerns for social issues in the sector.” It also argues that “organizations that work on environmental sustainability issues will need to work more closely with socially focused organizations, as these issues are intrinsically linked and require joint investments.” Cheryl’s research looks at social-ecological relationships over time, including wetland property values.

They’ve Got PDI Covered

David Christopher’s (MBBE) research group will have an upcoming paper honored by being featured on the cover of the June issue of the journal Plant and Cell Physiology. The paper describes the structure, location, and precise orientation of the enzyme protein disulfide isomerase (PDI), found in the membranes of the sub-cellular organelle called the cis-Golgi apparatus in Arabidopsis plants. The group further developed a 3D nano-scale tomography model of the enzyme’s structure and provided evidence that the PDI assists the movement of other proteins as cargo in the cell. The work is relevant to determining the regulation of seed protein content, the nutritional value of seeds, and the trafficking of proteins inside cells. The paper is authored by research support Chris Yuen and Kristie Matsumoto, Byung-Ho Kang, and department chair David Christopher. Plant and Cell Physiology is among the top 8% of plant biology journals as measured by Journal Citation Reports.

In Memoriam

Alvin Huang

We are saddened to report the passing of Alvin Huang (HNFAS) unexpectedly on Saturday, May 20. Alvin was a valued and gracious colleague, collaborator, and friend since joining the college in 1989. His research into the ways that highly perishable ‘ulu can be processed for longer shelf life offered the potential for much-needed income to small Pacific islands. He created a prototype solar dryer in a container that can move between the islands in Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia to sustainably dry breadfruit and ship it to food manufacturers. The resulting gluten-free breadfruit flour can be used in a variety of products, including pasta, senbei, arare, and cereal. Alvin was a key member of the Pacific Region Breadfruit Initiative, which won an Award of Excellence in 2014 from the University Economic Development Association. He will be mourned.

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