Grant Information
| Knowledge Area | Subject of Investigation | Field of Science | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 212 - Pathogens and Nematodes Affecting Plants | 5220 - Pesticides (includes herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, etc.) | 1102 - Mycology | 15% |
| 212 - Pathogens and Nematodes Affecting Plants | 640 - Tropical forests | 1102 - Mycology | 15% |
| 212 - Pathogens and Nematodes Affecting Plants | 2199 - Ornamentals and turf, general/other (includes cacti) | 1102 - Mycology | 10% |
| 215 - Biological Control of Pests Affecting Plants | 2199 - Ornamentals and turf, general/other (includes cacti) | 1102 - Mycology | 10% |
| 215 - Biological Control of Pests Affecting Plants | 5220 - Pesticides (includes herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, etc.) | 1102 - Mycology | 10% |
| 215 - Biological Control of Pests Affecting Plants | 640 - Tropical forests | 1102 - Mycology | 10% |
| 712 - Protect Food from Contamination by Pathogenic Microorganisms, Parasites, and Naturally Occurring Toxins | 2199 - Ornamentals and turf, general/other (includes cacti) | 1102 - Mycology | 10% |
| 712 - Protect Food from Contamination by Pathogenic Microorganisms, Parasites, and Naturally Occurring Toxins | 5220 - Pesticides (includes herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, etc.) | 1102 - Mycology | 10% |
| 712 - Protect Food from Contamination by Pathogenic Microorganisms, Parasites, and Naturally Occurring Toxins | 640 - Tropical forests | 1102 - Mycology | 10% |
This is an integrated Research proposal. It combines our expertise in Research with the goal of helping the agricultural community. This community ranges from small local growers, larger growers and producers, landscape maintenance, parks and arboretum health, native forest and endangered species, new crops for Hawaii, many different host plants, and even the occasional home owner. This focus will direct our funding applications to projects that support extension as well as basic research. Our basic research has been with taxonomy and nomenclature of the fungal pathogens, molecular studies to trace pathogen populations within the State, and movement of pathogens internationally. Our goal is to prevent more invasive species from entering our fragile tropical ecosystem. We have specific projects that focus on local grower's problems and work in that community to provide disease diagnosis, identify causal organism, develop disease control strategies and educate growers. Grower and employee education is crucial to excellent disease control. Employees who are knowledgeable are the best scouts and can locate diseases when they first begin. Owners who understand the behavior and survival methods of the pathogens can often think of cultural practices that are difficult to implement but are successful. This is a true measure of our achievement as researchers and scientist that support the economic stability of the community.The island ecosystem makes the use of many effective fungicides impossible because of the rapid movement of pesticides from fields to the coastal ecosystems. My research program is closely tied to the needs of the local growers and I have a 20% FTE in Extension. Thus many disease control programs are conducted to develop pathogen management systems that are sustainable and useful to local farmers. This gives growers options for controlling devastating diseases. Along with my cooperators, we hold meetings with growers to continually communicate and educate them about topic such as: how the disease begins, what are early signs of the disease, what cultural methods will decrease disease spread and what control options are currently available. We commonly conduct highly successful demonstration trials in the grower's fields to encourage community participation and group learning. The community meeting also gives the growers an opportunity to express their concerns and gives us a good informal time to increase education and reduce confusion.
Identification of the casual organism of disease: Visit the farm, nursery, forest, or other sites with the disease problems and obtain an understanding of the disease severity, mode of spread, sites of inoculum generation, cultural methods that might help immediately (sanitation, moisture control), and provide the grower with an opportunity to express his ideas. Collect the diseased plants and at the lab, make a quick check for bacteria and nematodes. If nematodes are found, send some of the diseased material to the laboratory of Brent Sipes for assay and if bacteria are found, send the specimen to Anne Alvarez's lab. Isolate the potential fungal pathogens and establish pure cultures on vegetable juice agar plates. Grow disease free plants and inoculate with the fungi that were isolated. Culture the fungal isolate to be tested and produce a high number of spores on V8 juice agar. Prepare a spore suspension and inoculate 5 to 10 plants and monitor every few days. After symptoms develop, confirm the symptoms caused by the pathogen (the symptom must match those of the original disease), obtain diseased sections and re-isolate the fungus, that was used for the inoculation. For some diseases molecular methods must be employed to determine: if there are more than one strain of the pathogen, if new strains are entering the State, how diverse the population of the pathogen is, how closely related the pathogen are on all islands, is the pathogen population changing to infect new hosts, and other similar objectives best approached with molecular methods. Develop Disease Control Strategies by reviewing the disease and field situation and developing control options. If the pathogen is new, fungicides will be pre-screen in agar tests to reduce the number of fungicides that needs to be tested in the field. Our treatments will always include low risk environmentally-friendly fungicides, that degrade rapidly in the environment. Plan and implement greenhouse or field testing, to identify and pursue registration of effective fungicides. For field crops we try to reduce field disease levels by reducing moisture, increasing organic matter in the soil, increase microbial population in the soil, use solar heat to kill soil pathogens, employ biocontrols to reduce pathogen populations, screen varieties for resistance, and try different types of soil amendments. Many of these options are very important for organic growers. Meet with growers and the community to keep them informed of the research results. Continue collaborations with national and international colleagues to prevent new pathogens or strains from entering the state. Work on the ohia rust involved collaboration with pathologist from Florida, California, Central and South America, New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan, Pacific Islands and other countries. Introduce the grower to students and have field trips enabling the students to understand the plight of the grower and the environmental complications present. Have students think about what could be the cause of the grower's problems and how we should address it. These skills are critical for student development into responsible citizens.
Target Audience
Public and private elementary, middle, and high school students from the island of Oahu and the University of Hawaii undergraduate and graduate students. International Exchange Students, Forestry personnel from Hawaii DO, PPQ, DLNR DFAW, USDA Forest Service , US Army Garrison, national and international collaborators from Australia, Japan, China, England, and New Zealand. Farm owners for Hawaii's avocado, basil, potato, taro, vegetable, orchid, corn, ti leaf, papaya, cacao, asparagus, pineapple, and anthurium industries, as well as ornamental and landscape nurseries. Agricultural industry stakeholders, homeowners, and plant hobbyists.
Changes / Problems
Nothing Reported
Training & Professional Development
Provided one-on-one training for HDOA inspector from Oahu and Hawaii Island, on laboratory techniques and instruction on isolation, culture and identification of fungal pathogens of plants. Provided weekly seminars at HDOA to train inspectors to identify disease causing agents on imported plant and plant parts. Identified fungal pathogens on disease samples submitted to the mycology laboratory by HDOA inspectors for identification. Increased the range of fungal pathogens that inspectors can now identify, thus increasing speed, accuracy, and efficiency of inspections. Provided one on one training for HDOA inspector on laboratory techniques for molecular analysis of DNA extracted from fungal pathogens. Trained inspector on protocols to extract DNA from fungi, run PCR reaction with fluorescent labeled primers, and gel electrophoresis to visualize PCR reaction results. At the University of Hawaii at Manoa, I instructed PEPS 605 on Mycology and Pathology of fungal pathogens. This is a new graduate level course, and part of the new core for Tropical Plant Pathology; PEPS 660, a graduate seminar which focused on independent research; PEPS 210 Introduction to Environmental Sciences, a large undergraduate course with many hands on activities and field trips; PEPS 491, 499, and 699 which are mentored independent research courses. Hosted Dr. Motoaki Tojo and his graduate student from Osaka Prefecture University in Hawaii to collaborate on fungal disease research on ornamental and field crops. Organized a tour of the Waimanalo Research Station, Pearl City Urban Garden Center, the Magoon Research Facility and the East-West Center dormitory. Provided one-on-one training for a student assistant from Hilo on laboratory techniques for culture and identification of Fusarium oxysporum. The student is an assistant for Dr. Susan Miyasaka and is working on the koa dieback project. The student learned how to prepare agar in Petri plates, how to inoculate Koa seedlings with Fusarium cultures, how to prepare the inoculum of known concentration, how to use the microscope to identify fungal structures necessary to confirm Fusarium oxysporum and how to re-isolate the pathogen. Took Dr. Angus Carnegie (Australia) and Dr. Jolanda Roux (South Africa) on field trips to Lyon Arboretum, Ho'omaluhia Botanical Garden, Waiamea Valley Park, and Pu'u Pia Trail to examine Puccinia psidii infecting Myrtaceae hosts and to collect Chryphonectria from forest trees. Dr. Roux was able to collect samples for comparison to isolates occurring in her country, and Dr. Carnegie found rust occurring on a new Eucalyptus host in Hawaii. Oahu county agents who first found the Stemphylium on basil have been trained to recognize the symptoms of the fungal pathogen on samples in the field, and can identify the disease causing agent in culture in the laboratory.
Dissemination Streams
Research results were shared with the agricultural community through extension coordinated events such as the Edible Crops Mini Conference that was held in May 2016 at the Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore of Oahu. Findings from the basil downy mildew project were presented to farmers, government employees, industry representatives and students. Participated in Seminars, Workshops and other community events to educate farmers, students and the public. Met with ti growers in Kahalu'u to discuss research on fungal diseases causing losses to ti and registration of fungicides to control diseases. Gave presentations on fungal diseases at Landscape Industry Council of Hawaii's "Tree Fungi Workshops" held on Kauai, Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii Islands. Consulted with nursery and industry personnel, fielded questions, diagnosed disease samples, and gave recommendations for growing healthier trees using chemical, organic, and cultural control methods to suppress and manage fungal diseases on trees. Introduced my graduate student working on Rapid Ohia Death to industry representatives and nursery owners. Corresponded with Hawaii Island vanilla grower Kerwin White. Gave him growth and culture recommendations for growing vanilla in Hawaii. Provided a colored hand out outlining steps for successful cultivation of vanilla, from planting cuttings to harvesting and curing beans. Corresponded with homeowner in Alewa Heights on Oahu with ohia trees in decline. Visited the site, collected samples, isolated fungi and determined possible cause of tree decline. Gave homeowner recommendations on management strategies to try. Diagnosed lychee and daikon disease samples. Traveled to Kunia to Fat Law farm to assess damage on basil caused by downy mildew. Collected samples, confirmed presence of downy mildew. Reviewed current disease management practices including fungicides being applied and spray schedule. Coordinated test protocols with Dr. Michael Kawate for a demonstration trial at the grower's field. Presented at the ANNUAL meeting of the American Phytopatholgoical Society at Pasadena, California. A large gathering of Plant Pathologist and plant scientist from all over the world. In Hawaii, made presentations at local conferences and work shops for local growers. Students made presentations at the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources Research symposium in April of 2015. Each student described their research and the results obtained. They are questioned by Faculty and other students. A great experience for them to prepare them for professional careers in science. Results of the work on diseases on orchids caused by Fusarium were presented in a poster at the 2013 Landscape Industry Conference. Project results are also available in Shikha Srivastava's dissertation publication. Results for the mint research were presented in posters at the CTAHR Student Research Symposium in April 2014. Results from the Basil/Stemphylium and Papaya/Phytophthora/Irradiation projects were presented at the Tester Symposium and at the CTAHR Student Research Symposium. Results of the corn survey were entered into the National Agricultural Pest Information System Database and is accessible to the public. Results of the anthurium postharvest susceptibility tests were sent to Dr. Amore in TPSS for distribution to growers, who can assess feasibility of cultivars for commercial production. The most recent host list of Myrtaceae infected with the Puccinia psidii in Hawaii was shared with researchers in New Zealand. Results of the survey of diseases on orchids caused by Fusarium were presented in a poster at the 2013 CTAHR Student Research Symposium. Results of the basil downy mildew fungicide efficacy field trial at Waimanalo was presented to basil farmers from Oahu at a workshop at the Urban Garden Center and at a Field Day at the Waimanalo Research Station. Results of the corn survey were entered into the National Agricultural Pest Information System Database and is accessible to the public. Results of the anthurium post-harvest susceptibility tests were sent to Dr. Amore in TPSS for distribution to growers, who can assess feasibility of cultivars for commercial production. Results of orchid, mint, basil, and ohia rust research were presented to undergraduates taking the Mycology class at UHM. Both Dr. Carnegie and Dr. Roux have written up the results of their findings in publications and both are currently in press. Presented information to windward farmers at Go Farm Lecture, "Managing Foliar Plant Pathogens on Vegetable Crops"
Next Reporting Steps
Nothing Reported