Improving Sustainable Coconut Production in Hawaii through Producer-Driven Tissue Culture Propagation and Threat Education

Commodities

• Agronomic: other
• Fruits: other
• Nuts: other
• Vegetables: other
• Additional Plants: other
• Animals: other
• Animal Products: other
• Miscellaneous: other

Practices

• Crop Production: nurseries, varieties and cultivars
• Education and Training: on-farm/ranch research

The global coconut market was valued at $4 billion in 2021 and is
projected to reach $7 billion by 2027. North America has the most
significant demand for coconut products globally. Hawaii is the
most significant producer of coconuts in the US.  Production
has not been sufficient to meet market demands.

The coconut industry in Hawaii faces two major threats, both of
which this proposal seeks to mitigate. First, the coconut
rhinoceros beetle (CRB) feeds on emerging palm fronds causing
severe damage that can kill the plant. Secondly, lethal yellowing
(LY) is a disease that kills coconuts worldwide. As of yet,
Hawaii has not found evidence of LY. In order to prepare for the
likely emergence of LY, this proposal seeks to provide superior
planting material of LY-resistant coconuts. By expanding the
availability of coconut planting materials, we hope to mitigate
the impact of LY and CRB in Hawaii.

Unless preventative and mitigating measures are implemented, CRB
and LY can devastate the coconut industry. This devastation would
impact Hawaii's cultural heritage, agriculture, ecosystem, and
economy. Both research and educational outreach is needed to grow
and maintain a sustain coconut industry in the face of these
threats. 

The research objective is to test two coconut varieties for the
lowest cost and technically simplest tissue culture method to
produce disease-resistant coconut palms.  Propagating the
coconut palm through constraint-minded tissue culture offers a
mechanism to rapidly increase the number of disease-resistant
coconut palms.

We will post on social media once a week to update on the
research and provide useful information on disease and pest
control, coconut growing, tissue culture, and nursery
management.  We will hold field days that consist of
workshops and community presentations.  The aim of these
efforts is to educate stakeholders and assist producer-adoption
of sustainable agriculture practices.

Research Objective: To test the difference between two coconut
varieties for the lowest cost and technically simplest tissue
culture method to produce disease-resistant coconut palms in
order to mitigate the impact of the coconut rhinoceros beetle and
lethal yellowing in Hawaii.

Education Objective: To educate producers, stakeholders,
students, agricultural professionals, etc., regarding the threats
facing the sustainability of the coconut industry in Hawaii,
namely from the threats of coconut rhinoceros beetle and lethal
yellowing.