Recipient Organization
UNIV OF HAWAII
3190 MAILE WAY
HONOLULU,HI 96822
Performing Department
Tropical Plant & Soil Science
Non Technical Summary
This project seeks to conduct the science and create applicable tools that will help support and advance the development of breadfruit cultivation, including for carbon sequestration, nutrient management, and pruning.
Animal Health Component
40%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
40%
Applied
40%
Developmental
20%
Goals / Objectives
The primary objective is to understand the effects of climate and soil on the carbon sequestration potential, nutrient use efficiency, and food quality, and to extrapolate those impacts for the current breadfruit production across the state based on current distribution, soil, and climate. This will be accomplished through (1) field assessment and observation of multiple sites, (2) analysis of remotely sensed imagery, and (3) conceptual and geo-spatial modeling of results. Leveraging our strong network of partners to conduct widespread observation across the climate and soil gradients in Hawaii we aim to produce quality baseline and preliminary data that can be used for scientific publications, extension materials, and for the pursuit of extramural grant funding for continued development of this work.
Project Methods
Field Assessment of Carbon Sequestration in Breadfruit OrchardsAgro-forestry systems have been shown to increase carbon sequestration - for both standing and soil carbon stocks - and nutrient use efficiency (Albrecht and Kandji 2003, Kang 1997). The efficacy of these cycles have been shown to be highly responsive to climate and soil conditions. Furthermore, the carbon and nutrient cycling directly impacts the food quality produced from trees by altering nutritional value, starch quality, etc. This project seeks to assess carbon flux and sequestration associated with breadfruit orchards. 3 To assess carbon sequestration and cycling biogeochemical measurements will be made at each site. Most directly, total aboveground carbon will be estimated by making detailed measurements of several trees of each age class. Wood, leaf, litter, and soil samples will be analyzed for carbon in various pools to quantify overall carbon flux in the different components. Above ground carbon measurements will be used to verify the appropriateness of existing allometric equations (which can vary 18-fold in carbon estimation). Continued monitoring of soil carbon data from breadfruit orchards will provide data for understanding soil-carbon pools and flux.Continued documentation of breadfruit agroforestry practices in Hawai'iThe relative costs and benefits of diversified agroforestry are generally recognized, but are also highly variable in terms of tangible outcomes. For instance, in general diversified orchards are reported to have lower incidence of pest and diseases, but in terms of specific diseases and the associated magnitude of the impacts, details are often lacking. Of particular interest to the farmer, is how the costs and benefits of diversification affect farm profits. We aim to continue to document the relative costs and benefits of agroforestry to provide further quantification of the outcomes. Interviews with and data from farmers will be used to continue to develop spreadsheet models that can assess the cost-benefits from various different practices. Of immediate and highest interest is the pruning/harvest tradeoffs in labor. Also of interest is tying together the producers and the processors by looking at how farm level investments (e.g. fertilizers) may improve processor-desired outcomes (e.g. fruit quality).Varietal DocumentationThe PI has established a varietal trial that spans five islands in Hawai'i to examine the effects of climate and soil on the phenology and production of the primary commercial varieties. Continuous monitoring of these trials will continue to build the time series data necessary to answer the basic agronomic questions of varietal suitability and response to climate. Bi-weekly observations and yields of fruits and flowers are recorded, and ongoing maintenance (fertilization, pruning, etc.) are conducted.