State of Seed in Hawai‘i - A Historical Perspective on Seed Work at UH Mānoa
Dr. Ted Radovich, UH CTAHR and Dr. Hector Valenzuela, Vegetable Specialist, UH CTAHR
UH initiated its formal plant breeding program in the 1940s, and the Pearl Harbor tomato was released in 1945. The emphasis in the early days was on adaptability and disease resistance. During the program’s heyday, many varieties of the same crop were released frequently. Constant efforts in breeding were required to keep up with environmental pressures, such as breeding for heat tolerance in cooler crops, as well as breeding for resistance to new mutations of disease and new insect threats.
Notable successes of the UH breeding program include tomato hybrids, pesticide-free tropical sweet corns, and powder mildew resistance in edible potted peas. UH still tries to work closely with growers, though new releases have become infrequent because many of our breeders have retired. Our cooperative extension agents work with remaining and retired breeders as well as growers to continue to put out new lines of seeds. Retirees and volunteers continue to be a significant source of support for the program.
Rejuvenation of all systems, including certification of varieties, is needed, as well as renewed investment. The UH seed program is planning on producing papaya and other seed for home gardeners soon. This seed will not be certified organic, but it will be produced from organic trees.
Some successes of the UH plant breeding program include:
- Anahu tomato – first root knot nematode resistant variety;
- Kewalo tomato – most important home garden variety; bacterial wilt resistance combined with earliness and other resistance;
- Sweet corn – popular, disease resistant, tropical sweet corn;
- Sunrise papaya;
- Rapoza Mango;
- Koba green onion;
- Hirayama Kai Choy.