Progress 09/24/02 to 09/23/07
Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416) To develop innovative agricultural processes, including value-added bio- based products, novel postharvest technologies, marketing strategies, and appropriate training, that will expand and diversify Hawaii's agriculture and boost exports. While the overall purpose of the project is to integrate agricultural technology and transfer that ultimately lead to increased agricultural productivity, emphasis will be placed on environmentally-acceptable and sustainable methods, which provide an economic benefit to the targeted users. Approach (from AD-416) Identify and characterize the nutritional components of various forage bio-mass, sugar cane seed-cane tops, and other by-products from the papaya, pineapple, macadamia nut, and other agricultural industries in Hawaii. Develop technologies to process forage crops and bio-mass waste into new products and the methods to market them. Develop postharvest processes and technical training for adding value, improving marketability and economic viability, and deceasing the processing, handling, storage, shipping and marketing costs that contribute to agricultural losses. Documents SCA with U-HI Manoa. Formerly 5320-43000- 013-04S (6/2005). Significant Activities that Support Special Target Populations This report serves to document research conducted under the terminated specific cooperative agreement between the USDA, ARS - Hilo, HI and UH - Manoa, CTAHR. Additional details of research can be found in the report for the parent CRIS 5320-43000-014-00D, Postharvest Treatment of Tropical Commodities for Quarantine Security, Quality Maintenance, and Value Enhancement. Investigating the Potential of Tea, Camilla sinensis, as a High Value Niche Market Crop for Hawaii: A tea evaluation and selection program expanded to East Hawaii and Maui evaluating the tea seedling selections at the CTAHR Volcano Research Station and the CTAHR Kula Research Station on Maui. Results showed that Benikaori and Yutaka Midori varieties grew better than Yabukita and Bohea varieties after a year's growth. Through growing awareness of this project and tea, the Hawaii Tea Society has grown to over 80 members and the project distributed over 5000 plants to interested growers. Competitive and Comparative Advantage of Hawaii Value-Added Agricultural Products: Assessed the variations of Hawaii's competitive and comparative advantage in selected agricultural products in the U.S. market between 1993 and 2003. Analysis covers two sugarcane products (raw sugar & molasses), four fresh fruits (pineapples, papayas,bananas & avocados), two tree nuts (coffee & macadamia nuts) and three floriculture products (anthuriums, fresh cut orchids & potted flowering plants/foliages). Hawaii has increased comparative advantage in 6 products: coffee, potted flowering plants/foliages, bananas, anthuriums, cut orchids and avocado, but has reduced comparative advantage in raw sugar, molasses, pineapples, papaya and macadamia nuts. Estimated transportation costs for selected agricultural products from Hawaii to the U.S. mainland and compared them to that of foreign competitors. The analysis covers three fresh fruits (pineapples, papayas, and bananas), two tree nuts (coffee and macadamia nuts) and fresh cut flowers. The results indicate that Hawaii tends to have higher freight rate in terms of dollars per pound but tends to have lower freight rate in terms of percentage of cargo value, when compared to its major foreign competitors in the U.S. mainland market. 'Sharwill' Avocado Maturity Standards for Identifying "Safe Export Windows": There was no significant difference in fruit size among fruit from three growing sites. Growing season did influence fruit size, late season fruit were significantly smaller than early season fruit. The fruit from the last harvest weighted only 75% of the early season fruit. Similarly, no difference was observed in initial skin color, flesh color and the firmness between fruit from different locations and harvest dates. Late season fruit were smaller and had higher dry matter. The change in dry matter was more pronounce in fruit from site 1. Late season fruits ripened about 30% to 40% faster than early season fruit. Suggesting that dry matter if used as a maturity standard will need to be adjusted for harvest date. ADODR monitors progress through direct contact with Dean, CTAHR in the execution of, and any modifications to, the Subordinate Project.
Impacts
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Publications
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Progress 10/01/05 to 09/30/06
Outputs
Progress Report 4d Progress report. This report serves to document research conducted under a Specific Cooperative Agreement between ARS and the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Additional details of research can be found in the report for the parent CRIS 5320-43000-014-00D "Postharvest Treatment of Tropical Commodities for Quarantine Security, Quality Maintenance, and Value Enhancement." This Cooperative Agreement is for the purpose of developing innovative agricultural processes, including value-added bio-based products, novel postharvest technologies, marketing strategies, and appropriate training, that will expand and diversify Hawaii's agriculture and boost exports. While the overall purpose of the project is to integrate agricultural technology and transfer that ultimately lead to increased agricultural productivity, emphasis will be placed on environmentally-acceptable and sustainable methods, which provide an economic benefit to the targeted users. Partnering with
other agricultural research components in Hawaii, will combine the needed skills, resources and outreach abilities to make this agreement a success. This agreement will integrate the knowledge-base, expertise, and outreach capabilities provided by the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR), University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM), in conjunction with cooperative efforts of the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management (CAFNRM) at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, USDA-ARS-PBARC, and other Federal, State, and industry partners. Specifically, this will provide farmers and other members of the community with new postharvest methods and technology training to increase product value, demonstrate value-added possibilities for by-product usage, reduce postharvest or market losses, improve product marketability, and decrease processing, handling, storage, shipping, or market costs. These goals will also involve university outreach by UH-CTAHR into
Hawaii's agricultural communities, and will facilitate a broader understanding, acceptance, and implementation of these new technologies, as well as demonstrating new employment opportunities. Ultimately, one of the key goals of this work should be the minimization of food and nutrient (fertilizers, composts, animal manure and feed commodities) imports into the state, and more efficiently utilize Hawaii's natural resources (land areas, soil, water, and solar energy) to increase the market share of local grown products. In addition to developing and/or expanding new markets which will stimulate economic development and improve environmental sustainability, this project will foster new partnerships in research and education, and better serve the expanding diversified agricultural base of Hawaii and the Pacific. Investigating the Potential of Tea, Camellia sinensis, as a High Value Niche Market Crop for Hawaii: Green tea (Camellia sinensis) is a new alternative crop with excellent
potential for Hawaiis farmers. The USDA PBARC and CAFNRM in collaboration with CTAHR has undertaken a comprehensive set of activities to help develop and establish a tea industry in Hawaii while concurrently providing the research and extension capacity to support such an industry. This project has two broad, highly integrated objectives: 1) Establish a high value tea industry in Hawaii and 2) Establish a centralized research/extension tea farm model at Mealani Research Station to support the tea industry in Hawaii. Tea Model Farm: The CTAHR-Mealani Research Station located on the island of Hawaii has one acre of tea in production. Research including studies on propagation techniques, planting density, fertilization, pruning, hand vs. mechanical harvesting, varietal testing and seasonal yield comparisons continue. Evaluation of tea varieties and selection continue. Tea Processing: A tea processing facility is now operational in March 2005. We are progressing with operational tests
of the processing machines using tea produced at Volcano and Mealani research stations. Working protocols for green and oolong type teas have been developed and are being evaluated for consistency and quality. Developmental: We developed an initial tea manufacturing protocol for Mealani in early July 2005 and will continue to refine the protocol research manufacturing different teas and develop a consistent and marketable product to test for further market acceptance during 2006. At the September, 2005 Da Taste of the Hawaiian Range food show, tea tasting and consumer acceptance surveys were conducted using green and oolong tea harvested from CTAHRs Volcano and Mealani Research Stations. The CTAHR team members embarked on a tea culture study in Shizuoka, Japan (also Taiwan) during Nov 2004 International Conference of Tea Culture and Science and at the March 2005 World Tea Expo in Las Vegas. The project leader visited two major tea regions in China in May 2005. This training provided
the project team with the necessary tea industry background, in addition to utilizing specific methods in the production and processing facilities at Mealani. We continue to maintain a tea plant nursery, including establishing mother plants to develop a plant evaluation and selection system. Outreach: On September 9, 2005, an educational tea conference was held at the Mealani Station and was attended by 120 people. Topics included marketing, propagation, fertilization, field establishment and processing. Soon after this conference, membership in the Hawaii Tea Society increased from 50 to 70 members and private commercial plant nurseries sold over 1,200 tea plants the following month. Ten (10) other tea production and processing workshops were held following the initial educational meeting. Topics included marketing sessions covering farm cooperatives, e-marketing and adding value to agricultural products. We continue to work closely with the Hawaii Tea Society (Big Island) and
assisted in educational programs in addition to the development of an industry plant distribution program. We continue to maintain a tea plant nursery, including establishing mother plants to develop a plant evaluation and selection system. Survey of Tea Society membership estimated that a minimum of 30,000 plants are needed for release in 2006 and another 20,000 plants are needed for 2007 to support the industry. Sustained release of tea cuttings awaits final approval of the new CTAHR Plant Distribution Policy.
Impacts
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Publications
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Progress 10/01/04 to 09/30/05
Outputs
4d Progress report. This report serves to document research conducted under a specific cooperative agreement between ARS and the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Additional details of research can be found in the report for the in- house associated project 5320-43000-014-00D, Postharvest Treatment of Tropical Commodities for Quarantine Security, Quality Maintenance, and Value Enhancement. This Cooperative Agreement is for the purpose of developing innovative agricultural processes, including value-added bio-based products, novel postharvest technologies, marketing strategies, and appropriate training, that will expand and diversify Hawai'i's agriculture and boost exports. While the overall purpose of the project is to integrate agricultural technology and transfer that ultimately lead to increased agricultural productivity, emphasis will be placed on environmentally-acceptable and sustainable methods, which provide an economic benefit to the targeted users. Partnering
with other agricultural research components in Hawai'i, will combine the needed skills, resources and outreach abilities to make this agreement a success. This agreement will integrate the knowledge-base, expertise, and outreach capabilities provided by the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR), University of Hawai'i at Manoa (UHM), in conjunction with cooperative efforts of the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management (CAFNRM) at the University of Hawai'i at Hilo, USDA-ARS-PBARC, and other Federal, State, and industry partners. Specifically, this will provide farmers and other members of the community with new postharvest methods and technology training to increase product value, demonstrate value-added possibilities for by-product usage, reduce postharvest or market losses, improve product marketability, and decrease processing, handling, storage, shipping, or market costs. These goals will also involve university outreach by UH-CTAHR
into Hawai'i's agricultural communities, and will facilitate a broader understanding, acceptance, and implementation of these new technologies, as well as demonstrating new employment opportunities. Ultimately, one of the key goals of this work should be the minimization of food and nutrient (fertilizers, composts, animal manure and feed commodities) imports into the state, and more efficiently utilize Hawai'i's natural resources (land areas, soil, water, and solar energy) to increase the market share of local grown products. In addition to developing and/or expanding new markets which will stimulate economic development and improve environmental sustainability, this project will foster new partnerships in research and education, and better serve the expanding diversified agricultural base of Hawaii and the Pacific. Investigating the Potential of Tea, Camellia sinensis, as a High Value Niche Market Crop for Hawaii: Green tea (Camellia sinensis) is a new alternative crop with excellent
potential for Hawaiis farmers. The USDA-PBARC and CAFNRM in collaboration with CTAHR has undertaken a comprehensive set of activities to help develop and establish a tea industry in Hawaii while concurrently providing the research and extension capacity to support such an industry. This project has two broad, highly integrated objectives: 1) Establish a high value tea industry in Hawaii and 2) Establish a centralized research/extension tea farm model at Mealani Research Station to support the tea industry in Hawaii. Tea Model Farm: A tea model farm including a processing facility at the Mealani Research Station located on the island of Hawaii was started and is the focal point of the tea project activities. We currently have almost one acre of field plantings. Tea Processing: Employing an existing storage shed, a tea processing facility was 90% operational in March 2005 and equipped with small farm equipment purchased through the USDA-ARS and CTAHR, with CAFRM contributing in an
advisory capacity. We are progressing with operational tests of the processing machines using tea produced at Volcano and Mealani research stations. With the new equipment installed, we have the potential to research and refine methods of processing that are useful for small volume producers and to consistently reproduce a uniquely Hawaii generated product. Developmental: We developed an initial tea manufacturing protocol for Mealani in early July 2005 and will continue to refine the protocol research manufacturing different teas and develop a consistent and marketable product to test for market acceptance during 2005-06. The CTAHR team members embarked on a tea culture study in Shizuoka, Japan (also Taiwan) during Nov 2004 International Conference of Tea Culture and Science and at the March 2005 World Tea Expo in Las Vegas. The project leader visited two major tea regions in China in May 2005. This training provided the project team with the necessary tea industry background, in
addition to utilizing specific methods in the production and processing facilities at Mealani. We will continue to maintain a tea plant nursery, including establishing mother plants to develop a plant evaluation and selection system. We are in the process of expanding cutting propagation activities to meet stated needs of industry for field plant material. Outreach: We will continue to develop, define and refine best management practices for tea production; including establishing a tea culture system encompassing fertility, pest management, pruning, harvesting and post- harvest handling, and to provide training and informational support to research staff and stakeholders, including costs associated with production. We worked closely with the Hawaii Tea Society (Big Island) and assisted in educational programs in addition to the development of an industry plant distribution program. Over 10,000 cuttings were provided from the Mealani Research Station in June 2005 to initiate their
program. Internal fact sheets summarized by CTAHR included the following: Hawaii Grown Tea, Stem Rooting Trials, and Pesticides Registered for Use in Tea. PBARC summarized the Cost Estimate for Tea Planting, and Tea Field Planting Protocol. This information was disseminated to stakeholders at industry meetings during the past year. Topic areas included tea tasting, pest control, field production, and marketing.
Impacts
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Publications
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Progress 10/01/03 to 09/30/04
Outputs
4. What were the most significant accomplishments this past year? D. Progress Report This report serves to document research conducted under a specific cooperative agreement between ARS and the University of Hawaii. Additional details of research can be found in the report for the parent CRIS 5320-43000-013-00D, Postharvest Treatments for Quarantine Security and Quality Maintenance of Tropical Commodities. This Cooperative Agreement is for the purpose of developing innovative agricultural processes, including value-added bio-based products, novel postharvest technologies, marketing strategies, and appropriate training, that will expand and diversify Hawaii's agriculture and boost exports. While the overall purpose of the project is to integrate agricultural technology and transfer that ultimately lead to increased agricultural productivity, emphasis will be placed on environmentally-acceptable and sustainable methods, which provide an economic benefit to the targeted
users. Partnering with other agricultural research components in Hawai'i, will combine the needed skills, resources and outreach abilities to make this agreement a success. This agreement will integrate the knowledge-base, expertise, and outreach capabilities provided by the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR), University of Hawai'i at Manoa (UHM), in conjunction with cooperative efforts of the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management (CAFNRM) at the University of Hawai'i at Hilo, USDA-ARS-PBARC, and other Federal, State, and industry partners. Specifically, this will provide farmers and other members of the community with new postharvest methods and technology training to increase product value, demonstrate value-added possibilities for by-product usage, reduce postharvest or market losses, improve product marketability, and decrease processing, handling, storage, shipping, or market costs. These goals will also involve university
outreach by UH-CTAHR into Hawaii's agricultural communities, and will facilitate a broader understanding, acceptance, and implementation of these new technologies, as well as demonstrating new employment opportunities. Ultimately, one of the key goals of this work should be the minimization of food and nutrient (fertilizers, composts, animal manure and feed commodities) imports into the state, and more efficiently utilize Hawaii's natural resources (land areas, soil, water, and solar energy) to increase the market share of local grown products. In addition to developing and/or expanding new markets which will stimulate economic development and improve environmental sustainability, this project will foster new partnerships in research and education, and better serve the expanding diversified agricultural base of Hawaii and the Pacific. Progress report for Investigating the Potential of Tea, Camellia sinensis, as a High Value Niche Market Crop for Hawaii: Preliminary trials were
conducted using stem cuttings planted in rooting trays situated on nursery benches under small greenhouse units. It is recommended to use new semi-hardwood stems, approximately 3 nodes in length, and with the shoot tip removed. Growth regulators improved initiation but were not necessary. Mist chamber environment should be at least 80% shade incorporating a combination of shade fabric and plastic film. Certain cultivars rooted better under only shade cloth. Plants should be irrigated using micro mist spray heads (13gph), twice each day between 3 to 5 minutes. Root media should be kept moist but not over saturated. pH of the water is important to be acidic. Root initiation occurs in about 3-4 months and is well established for transferring to individual pots by 4-6 months. While cultivation methods are being established at three sites on the Island of Hawaii, there was a need to obtain a comprehensive viewpoint of the tea industry in Japan and Taiwan to learn about technology
concerning cultivar selection, propagation, pruning, fertilization, processing evaluation, marketing and the cultural aspect of tea production. This is in anticipation of developing a model tea farm at the Mealani station on the Island of Hawaii and provided much needed information on installing the necessary experimental and training component at the Mealani site. In addition, the University of Hawaii established a working relationship with scientists at five tea research institutes and universities in Japan and Taiwan. Two grower workshops on vegetative propagation have been completed in cooperation with USDA PBARC. The most current techniques in rooting stem cuttings were demonstrated at the USDA nursery greenhouses. A tea bulletin, entitled "Small-scale Tea Growing and Processing in Hawaii" was done in collaboration with USDA ARS researchers. The bulletin provides current information on recommended practices on production, processing and the potential marketability of high
quality tea in Hawaii. The publication is available through the CTAHR Publication and Information Office. Further grower meetings and educational publications are planned for the coming year.
Impacts
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Publications
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