Recycling Papaya Seed Waste to Manage Nematodes and Soil Health for Sustainable Anthurium Crop Production

Commodities

• Additional Plants: ornamentals

Practices

• Education and Training: on-farm/ranch research
• Pest Management: biofumigation
• Soil Management: soil quality/health

Anthurium is a signature ornamental crop of Hawaii, operated by a few larger nurseries and many small-scale subsistence farms. However, its yield has been declining due to multiple pests and pathogens, including the burrowing nematode, Radopholus similis, which alone causes > 50% yield loss (Arakaki, 1984). This nematode is also a quarantine pest that can restrict the export of potted anthuriums to California and European countries. Nematicide application is costly and not preferred by growers. Preliminary data supported the efficacy of papaya ground seed crude extract (PGS CE) against burrowing nematodes in pot trials. PIs of this project from College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience (CTAHR) and USDA at Pacific Basin Agriculture and Research Center (PBARC) will collaborate with 3 anthurium farms to:

1. Develop soil drenching methods to biofumigate burrowing nematode infested soil using PGS CE in anthurium farms;
2. Examine effects of PGS CE on plant and soil health of anthurium grow beds;
3. Tracking economic benefits of drenching PGS CE on anthurium;
4. Deliver PGS CE biofumigation technology to farmers

Project outcomes will be monitored by 1) counting burrowing nematodes, 2) quantifying free-living nematodes and microbial respiration as soil health bioindicators, 3) recording anthurium yield over 1.5 years, 4) tracking adoption/intent rate during each outreach event, 5) number of views on our YouTube videos, and 6) feedback from collaborative farmers.

We will provide periodic research updates at Hawaii Floriculture and Nursery Association (HFNA) meetings, CTHAR Cooperative Extension events, and GoFarm Hawaii's new farmers training courses, and through extension publications.

Research Objectives:

1. Develop a soil drenching method to biofumigate burrowing nematode-infested soil using papaya ground seed crude extract (PGS CE) in anthurium fields
2. Examine the effects of PGS CE on the plant and soil health of anthurium grow beds.
3. Assess the economic benefits of drenching PGS CE on anthurium.

Extension Objectives:

1. Deliver PGS CE biofumigation technology to farmers through field days, workshops, lectures, and meetings.
2. Broadly transfer knowledge gained through online platforms.
3. Technology transfer through Videos, Podcast and Social media