Choosing the Best Figs for Hawaii

Project Overview

FW07-034
Project Type: Farmer/Rancher
Funds awarded in 2007: $25,000.00
Projected End Date: 12/31/2009
Region: Western
State: Hawaii
Principal Investigator:
Ken Love
Email
Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers

Commodities

  • Fruits: figs, general tree fruits

Practices

  • Education and Training: extension, farmer to farmer, on-farm/ranch research, participatory research
  • Production Systems: general crop production

    Proposal summary:

    Hawaii’s range of microclimates makes it possible to grow hundreds of different crops, although each has varying degrees of profitability for farmers. The previously funded Western SARE “12 Trees Project” identified figs as one crop with a large profit potential, estimated at 12 times that of Kona coffee. However, only three fig cultivars are currently available to Hawaii growers, so this Farmer/Rancher project will test additional fig cultivars that produce at different times at varying altitudes. The cultivars will come from the USDA germplasm repository in Davis, Calif., which keeps more than 130 fig cultivars in its collection. The SARE project will investigate the figs’ water requirements, susceptibility to pests and diseases and yields. Taste testing for chefs, cost of production and marketing of fresh and processed figs will also be analyzed along with Asian pruning and growing systems and packaging for wholesale and grocery markets.

    Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.