Honolulu Economic Development: Agri Business

Hawaii's agro-biotechnology is found in Corn Seed, Plant Tissue Culture, Tropical Fruits and Beverages.

Studies indicate consumption of food and natural resources are rapidly increasing, whereas 90% of the world's arable land is already in use. Agriculture biotechnology is an ideal solution to address this global dilemma. The industry uses plant genetics to produce plants that have enhanced nutritional qualities or ripening characteristics, altered or enhanced color, and resistance to pests and viruses. This approach not only reduces the need for chemical pesticides but also prevents soil and water contamination while reducing health risks.

Hawaii played an important early role in agricultural biotechnology through the development of genetically engineered papaya with resistance for the "ring-spot" virus. 

• UH College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources (CTAHR) conducts a wide range of research to address other problems faced by farmers in Hawaii and other tropical locations. CTAHR's biotech research programs have a major impact on developing Hawaii's diversified agriculture sector.



• CTAHR and Hawaii Agriculture Research Center (HARC) are leaders in applied research on tropical fruit, forestry, plant production and preservation.
  HARC is a private non-profit organization on the island of Oahu specializing in horticultural crop research. 



• HARC's biotechnology team utilizes techniques such as gene transformation through particle bombardment and/or agrobacterium to achieve insect and disease resistance to solve production problems and genome mapping to enhance breeding programs. 



• HARC conducts genetic transformation projects on sugarcane, pineapple, coffee, papaya, coffee, macadamia nuts, and pineapple. Multinational seed companies also take advantage of Hawaii's favorable weather conditions by utilizing HARC's field and nursery services.



• Department of Molecular Biosciences and Biosystems Engineering under CTAHR conducts research on Aquaculture, Biotechnology, Bioengineering, Bioremediation, Environmental Biochemistry, Functional genomics, Gene Regulation, Genetics, Mineral Nutrition, Photosynthesis, Plant-Microbe Interactions, Plant Molecular Biology, Signal Transduction and Stress Physiology.



• A new Tropical Agriculture Biotechnology innovation center is also being planned at the University of Hawaii to add visibility to college's biotech activities and increase research grants.
  

Hawaii Agricultural Biotechnology Highlights:

Corn Seed 

• Hawaii is one of the leading centers for plant genetics in the world. This has attracted Monsanto, Cargill, Dekalb, Novartis, Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc., and Garst Seed Company to breed corn in Hawaii using natural and transgenic techniques. 



• Hawaii's predictable weather and climate allows three crops per year, thereby reducing the time for developing new variety of seed to four year or less. 



• The industry spent approximately $20 million in Hawaii during 1997. The industry currently employs 120 full time and 435 seasonal workers in Hawaii.
  

Plant Tissue Culture 

• Hawaii is ideally located to the develop plant tissue culture industry. 



• Integrated Coffee Technologies Inc. (ICTI), American Tropical Plants and ForBio is installing the first of several automated tissue culture robots at HARC. The company's lead products are caffeine-free coffee plants and controlled ripening coffee plants. 



• Additional products include coffee and tea plants with improved disease resistance and tolerance of environmental stresses such as cold and drought. The company has exclusive licenses to two patents; one for the production of caffeine-free beverages, and the other for controlling the ripening process of coffee fruit.
  

Floriculture Biotechnology

• Hawaii's global reputation as a floriculture innovator was enhanced when UH Professor Heidi Kuehnle developed a patented new anthurium called "Tropic Fire". 



• Hawaii's floriculture industry's wholesale value was $67 million in 2001. Thirty percent of industry revenues come from anthuriums and orchids. 



• CTAHR is working towards creating additional potted anthurium varieties and also developing technology to alter color in orchids. Royalties from the successes will be used to stimulate further development of new varieties.
  

Tropical Fruit Biotechnology

• Collaborative success of CTAHR and Cornell University in developing and patenting a genetically engineered papaya resistant to ring spot virus was a turning point in Hawaii's future success in Tropical Fruit Biotechnology. 



• CTAHR researchers are also adapting this approach to other strains of the virus and other varieties of papaya grown elsewhere in the world providing a high value intellectual property export. 



• CTAHR researchers have also isolated and cloned a powerful plant growth regulator that promotes ripening in many types of fruit. 



• CTAHR, USDA-ARC, HARC and Univerisity of Leeds in UK along with industry personnels are collaborating on the development of nematode-resistant pineapple which will reduce pesticide use, increased efficiency and profits and a safer food product and environment.
  

Beverage Biotechnology

• CTAHR researchers working jointly with scientists at HARC are developing coffee with dramatically reduced levels of caffeine by isolating and cloning a gene in the caffine biosynthesis pathway. Similar approaches can be used to reduce caffeine contents of tea and cacao. 



• Another technology developed by the group was the isolation of a critical gene in the ethylene ripening pathway of coffee that can regulate coffee ripening. 



• CTAHR and ICTI are installing a gene repository that will assemble selections of cacao and coffee from around the world to provide genetic diversity need for conducting break through research.
  

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