Even good gardeners occasionally need to know more about the crop they are growing, soil conditions, pests and diseases, as well as how to safely control them.
But where can you find reliable information? You can google any subject, and the Internet provides an abundance of information, but how do know whether it’s reliable and trustworthy?
Land-grant universities (each state has one institution) typically str reliable sources of information about agricultural topics. The University of Hawaii at Manoa is the university that conducts the land-grant mission in Hawaii. Within the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR), the Cooperative Extension Service (CES) provides many, up-to-date, informational bulletins on a variety of crops and animal production. Offices are located on all major islands, with three offices on Hawaii Island where you can pick up selected publications.
To find the nearest CES office in Hawaii, you can search for CTAHR on your Internet browser (www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/site/). Click on “Extension,” then “Locate CES Offices.” In addition, you could sample and send in your soil or plant tissue for diagnosis of disease, insect pests or nutrient deficiencies or excesses, through the Agricultural Diagnostic Service Center. There is a fee for such services, and costs can be found at the CTAHR website under “Extension,” then “Ag Diagnostic Services.” Home gardeners could get personal garden assistance by calling the Master Gardener hotline at the Hilo and Kona CES offices.
At the CTAHR website under “Publications and Videos,” you can search for publications on your topic of interest. For example, you could type in your crop, pest or disease of interest, such as “sweet potato,” “sweet potato weevil” or “rot of sweet potato.” Click on the title of interest, and you can download and print the information for free. With regard to soil information in Hawaii, an excellent publication can be found in “Soils of Hawaii” by Dr. Jonathan Deenik and A.T. McClellan.
Other land-grant universities also host a wealth of information that is useful to Hawaii gardeners. The University of Florida has a website that is an electronic data information source on many crops we grow in Hawaii: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/. Cornell University has an excellent website called ExToxNet, or Extension Toxicology Network, at http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/. You can find science-based information about various pesticides.
Other issues gardeners frequently look for information about are the use of pesticides and fertilizers. Does one use only organic practices, only conventional practices or a hybrid practice that combines the best of both? How do Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs work? Answers can be found on extension websites throughout the nation.
For example, let’s look at the controversial herbicide glyphosate.
Many home gardeners use this herbicide to control grassy weeds. Yet, several members of the Hawaii State Legislature in the past proposed its banning. Is it dangerous? On the ExToxNet website, you could click on “D…. through Glyphosate,” and then “Glyphosate” to find out more about this herbicide. You would discover that glyphosate does not cause cancer in humans, and it is not toxic to fish or bees. It binds tightly to most soils and isn’t moved readily by rain or irrigation water. No pesticides are totally safe and they must be applied according to their label, but based on scientific evidence, glyphosate is relatively harmless.
As we all know, the Internet can provide lots of information — pros and cons on nearly any topic. This is particularly true for controversial subjects such as genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Let’s take the example of papayas genetically modified (GM) for resistance to papaya ringspot virus. Are you interested in growing GM papayas resistant to papaya ringspot virus? Or do you prefer to grow non-GM papayas?
If you search “GMO papaya,” one top story is “Hawaiian Papaya: GMO Contaminated.” However, if you go to the CTAHR website and search “papaya” and select “Is organic papaya production in Hawaii threatened by cross-pollination with genetically engineered varieties?”, you will learn from Dr. Richard Manshardt that co-existence is possible — you could grow non-GM papayas right next to GM papayas without much worry of cross-pollination. You just need to understand the biology of the crop. The major problem you will encounter in growing non-GM papayas is that the papaya ringspot virus could kill your trees.
Recently, National Geographic (March 2015) published an article titled “The War on Science” (http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2015/03/science-doubters/achenbach-text). Author Joel Achenbach states that our lives are filled now with science and technology, but most people cannot easily understand the risks we face (think climate change, evolution, vaccinations and GMOs).
To assist in the understanding of one of these difficult topics, a summer course for teachers, AG403 Agricultural Biotechnology, will be offered from May 26 to June 19 at the University of Hawaii at Hilo in cooperation with CTAHR. Science teachers, particularly those at the intermediate or high school levels, could use the current controversy surrounding GMOs as a teachable moment — to stimulate their students to learn more about genetics, molecular biology and critical thinking.
AG403 is a new hybrid course (partly online and partly face to face). One learning goal of this course to increase the understanding of risks and benefits of agricultural biotechnology, using the context of GM papayas and based on scientific evidence. Tuition will be waived and teachers could use this course for professional advancement. Those teachers from West Hawaii or off-island could apply for a travel grant. These travel stipends are through USDA-NIFA (Agribusiness Education, Training and Incubations project administered by CTAHR). Application forms can be requested from Dr. Susan Miyasaka by emailing miyasaka@hawaii.edu.
This information is supplied by the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. For further information, contact the office near you.
