February 2018 – Page 2

February 7, 2018

Presentation on the Food Safety Modernization Act with Luisa Castro, Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture

Topics include an overview of the law, how it affects local farms and production, and information about important exemptions and scenarios.

SPEAKER: Luisa Castro, PhD, agricultural food safety program manager for the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture.
PRESENTATION: “FSMA: What You Should Know,” a presentation on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
DATE: Friday, February 9, 2018.
TIME: 5:00 p.m.
PLACE: University Classroom Building, room 100, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo (campus map).

February 6, 2018

Professor Michael Shintaku featured in film, Food Evolution

Using the controversy over genetically-modified foods as its entry point, the film Food Evolution shows how easily fear and misinformation can overwhelm objective, evidence-based analysis. UH Hilo’s Prof. Shintaku weighs in.

Michael Shintaku, a professor of plant pathology at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, is among the many scientists featured in the film Food Evolution that tackles GMO (or genetically modified organisms) in food production. The film includes footage of Hawai’i Island and is narrated by Academy Award nominee Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Dr. Shintaku stated that in 2013, the County of Hawai‘i passed a bill banning transgenic crops (GMOs) from Hawai‘i Island, with certain exceptions (later reversed in federal court). This became a national story, attracting reporters from The New York Times and other media outlets.

February 6, 2018

Tissue culture guru Michael Tanabe concludes his academic journey

Professor Tanabe’s contribution and influence is evidenced by many of his former students who are now entrepreneurial owners, laboratory supervisors, and laboratory technicians in firms involved in tissue culture.

By Christopher Lu, Professor of Animal Science.

It is not an overstatement to say that Professor of Plant Science Michael Tanabe is synonymous to tissue culture in Hawai‘i. If you mention tissue culture in Hawai‘i, many will immediately relate to Mike Tanabe. Professor Tanabe’s contribution and influence is evidenced by many of his former students who are now entrepreneurial owners, laboratory supervisors, and laboratory technicians in firms involved in tissue culture.

After four decades of outstanding service, Professor Michael Tanabe has announced his retirement.

Professor Tanabe is an enthusiastic teacher. He is known to be a meticulous, organized and firm educator. He came to his office early, often before 6:30 a.m. to prepare for his teaching. That has not changed after more than 42 years of teaching.

February 5, 2018

The carnivorous Venus flytrap is easy to propagate

If anything touches the small stiff hairs in the mouth of a Venus flytrap, the lobes on the plant snap shut, trapping whatever landed in the plant.

By Leilani Blair.

A worm inside the mouth of the plant. — Meal worm in Venus flytrap. Photo by Beatrice Murch via Wikimedia.

This carnivorous plant gathers nutrients from gases in the air and from the soil. The venus flytrap is native in parts of North and South Carolina. When the venus flytrap’s mouth is open wide you can see short hairs, these are called trigger hairs or sensitive hairs. If anything touches these small stiff hairs, the lobes on the plant snap shut, trapping whatever landed in the plant.

February 5, 2018

Christopher Lu publishes review on milk production

The article describes the trends in milk production and consumption.

Professor Christopher Lu, professor of animal science at the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, published an invited review entitled, “Dairy, Science, Society and Environment,” at the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Environmental Science (July 2017).

“This article describes the trends in milk production and consumption, the debates over the role of milk in human nutrition, the global outlook of organic dairy, the abatement of green-house gas emissions from dairy animals, as well as scientific and technological developments in nutrition, genetics, reproduction, and management in the dairy sector,” explains Lu.

Originally published in CAFNRM/Ag Club Newsletter.

February 5, 2018

UH Hilo Adopt-A-Beehive program raises awareness about the importance of honey bees

The fearless women who run the UH Hilo bee program raise awareness about honey bees as vital pollinators of crops around the island and worldwide.

By Maria McCarthy, Student, Bachelor of Science in Agriculture student, with an animal science track.

Lorna Tsutsumi holds up honeycomb from hive. — Lorna Tsutsumi

Screaming, swatting and running are the common reactions that majority of people have on sighting a bee. Cheryl Yara, Alex Doi, Maria McCarthy and Vanessa Staffer of the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, do the opposite. They spend their days getting as close to the honey bees (Apis mellifera) as possible.

“I enjoy giving back to the ‘āina (land) and helping save the honey bees for our future generations to benefit from a crucial insect in our ecosystem,” Yara explains.

February 5, 2018

The medicinal plant ‘olena is difficult for farmers to grow in soil; tissue culture may be the answer

Turmeric, Curcuma longa, also known as Curcuma domestica and locally known as ‘olena, has been used for medicinal and culinary purposes for over 4,000 years.

By Maria McCarthy, Student, Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, animal science track.

The use of plants for medicinal purposes has been practiced since man has walked the earth. The practice has changed over the years, as well as the methods of propagating the plants.

Turmeric, Curcuma longa, also known as Curcuma domestica and locally known as ‘olena, has been used for medicinal and culinary purposes for over 4,000 years. The rhizome is the plant organ that contains all the sought out qualities.

February 5, 2018

Animal scientist Christopher Lu participates in Chinese sheep and goat conference

Professor Christopher D. Lu participated in the Chinese Sheep and Goat Association’s 30th Anniversary Conference and the International Goat Association’s Board of Director’s meeting last August.

By Norman Arancon, Associate Professor of Horticulture.

Professor of Animal Science Christopher Lu was invited to attend the Chinese Sheep and Goat Association Conference held in Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China in August, 2017. The organization celebrated its 33rd anniversary and recognized individuals who made significant contributions to the association. The conference was well attended by about 800 Chinese and international participants.

February 5, 2018

PHOTOS: Field trip, lab and farm work

Photos featuring faculty and students and their hands-on activities at the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo.

Group of people out on a field trip. — Assistant Professor of Entomology Jesse Eiben (top left) with class on field trip.

February 2, 2018

Dean’s Column: Sustainable economic development visions in West Sumatra, Indonesia

There are new opportunities for Hawaiʻi as an agricultural technology node and as a model for self-reliant food and food production in tropical islands.

By Bruce Mathews, dean of the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo.

Ardi. Mathews, and Evensen standing for photo — (Left to right) Dr. Ardi from Andalas University, West Sumatra, Indonesia; UH Hilo CAFNRM Dean Bruce Mathews; and UH Mānoa CTAHR Natural Resource Management Specialist Carl Evensen, at Sherman Hall, UH Mānoa.

On 13-14 November, 2017, I was invited to Honolulu to meet with a delegation from West Sumatra, Indonesia to the East-West Center, the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS), and the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. The delegation included the governor of West Sumatra, The Hon. Irwan Prayitno, and the former dean of the faculty of agriculture at Andalas University in Padang, West Sumatra, Dr. Ardi.

Dr. Ardi presented a talk on the outcomes 30 years henceforth of the TropSoils Indonesia project conducted by CTAHR, the Indonesian Center for Soils Research, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Sumatra during the 1980s. The project developed sustainable agricultural practices based on integrated nutrient and pest management for resource limited farmers cultivating the regions acidic, low-fertility soils. Overall the economic standing of local residents improved as a result of the project however there are new challenges that need to be addressed for farmers to sustainably intensify their operations and be resilient in the face of climate change and other stresses.