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Green-seeds.com:
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REPORT ON CURRENT STATE OF HORTICULTURAL RESEARCH IN THE SOUTH
PACIFIC ISLANDS
PACIFIC ACP COUNTRIES :
FIJI, KIRIBATI, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, SOLOMON ISLANDS, TONGA TUVALU, VANUATU
AND WESTERN SAMOA.
P. Sivan
Associate Professor
USP, Alafua, Western Samoa
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PRODUCTION SYSTEMS
 Pacific
island economies are generally poor and are predominantly dependent
on agriculture, tourism, and foreign aid. The systems of agriculture
practised vary from traditional (subsistence) to high input production
systems. However, the majority of the farmers probably fall within
the two extremes in what may be termed moderate input systems. Although
the farming systems may vary from country to country in the region
and from place to place in a country, they have enough in common to
be treated and analysed together.
In
traditional systems, the main crops grown are root crops (various
taro species, yams, cassava and sweet potato) which are generally
grown in an agroforestry system with other food crops such as bananas
and plantains, breadfruit, coconut, other fruits, nuts, vegetables,
medicinal plants, and other plants that provide raw material for housing,
handicraft and fuel wood. Over 50 plant species have been identified
to have major importance in the agroforestry in the Pacific islands.
In the moderate input systems, mixed cropping is generally still used
but the emphasis is placed on one or more cash crops for sale in local
markets or export. From a production point of view, higher yield per
unit of land area is obtained in this system through added inputs
of chemicals and fertilizers, but due to short fallow periods and
in some cases continuous cropping, problems of maintaining soil fertility
and soil degradation are becoming critical. These problems become
more acute in high input systems where one or two crops are continuously
cropped on the same land.
As
agriculture becomes more commercialized to produce food for local
markets and for export, there is urgent need to develop sustainable
farming systems for the Pacific islands. Chemicals and fertilizers
are often expensive and difficult to obtain and their effects on the
fragile ecosystem of small islands are of great concern. Fruit crops
being generally long term in nature offer opportunities for use in
sustainable agroforestry systems in the Pacific islands. Over use
of energy rich and nutritionally poor local and imported foods are
having marked detrimental effects on the health of Pacific islanders.
Fruit and vegetable production and their use need to be increased
to improve the nutrition of the people. With the development of tourism
in the Pacific islands, there is increasing demand for fruits and
vegetables which is currently largely met by importation. Fruits and
vegetables also offer opportunities for export to Pacific rim countries,
particularly, Australia, New Zealand, USA and Japan to earn much need
foreign exchange.
To improve production of horticultural crops, a number of areas that
need particular attention are :
- low productivity, poor quality products and lack of organized
production,
- pest and disease problems especially for export.
- quarantine to minimize the risk of introduction of new diseases
and pests,
- agricultural research, information and extension services are
often poor due to lack of manpower, technological expertise and
funding,
- lack of established links with IARCs and NARs for technical
information, and
- need for training to ensure the long-term sustainability of
technological achievements.
HORTICULTURAL CROPS
1. Bananas and Plantains
The
major problem with bananas and plantains is black leaf streak disease
which has substantially reduced production and destroyed the banana
export trade from the Pacific islands. However, bananas and plantains
still remain an important food crop. With improved cultivars there
may be some scope to revive the banana industry. ACIAR (AusAID) and
International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain (INIBAP)
have been assisting with introduction and screening of some resistant
cultivars. A few promising cultivars have been identified in Tonga
and Western Samoa. This work needs to be continued and extended to
other countries in the region. Contact with banana breeding centres
elsewhere needs to be maintained and assistance sought to introduce
and test more improved genetic materials.
Current
research activities include screening introduced varieties for black
leaf streak disease (Cook Islands, Tonga, and Western Samoa) and fungicide
trials to control this disease (Papua New Guinea)
2. Tropical Fruits.
Fruit
species found in the region are very limited. The main fruits grown
in the region are mangoes, citrus, papaya, pineapple and passion fruit.
Tropical fruits are generally grown in home gardens or gathered from
the bush but there is considerable scope to develop their production
in the region. There is also a number of indigenous fruit species
that could be exploited better to meet the food need and improve nutrition.
There is need to select good indigenous varieties and introduce improved
varieties of a range of fruits from outside the region (e.g. Southeast
Asia and Northern Australia) and extend these to the farmers. One
major problem is that many fruits are very seasonal and there is need
to select species and cultivars to extend the availability in the
markets. FAO, Asian Development Bank (ADB), and other aid projects
have been assisting the countries in the region in this area.
There
appears to be good prospect for exporting some tropical fruits to
New Zealand, Australia and Japan provided quarantine requirements
are met. At present Cook Islands, Tonga and Fiji export small quantities
of fruits mainly papaya, banana, mango, pineapple and watermelon to
New Zealand. Exports from these countries have become possible through
development of forced hot air treatment facilities to disinfest the
produce. Tonga and Fiji are trying to enter the large Japanese market
for papaya and mango. There is need for improved technologies to produce
high quality fruits for these export markets. Other major areas requiring
attention for export of fruits are control of fruit flies in the field,
identification of existing species and disinfection of fruits before
export. USAID, AusAID and FAO have provided assistance to control
fruitflies in the region but further work in these areas needs to
be continued.
Current
research works with fruits include the following :
- citrus : evaluation of varieties and rootstocks, and biological
control of fruit piercing moth (Fiji, and Western Samoa).
- mango : evaluation of local and introduced varieties for local
and export markets (Fiji, Tonga and Western Samoa), plant nutrition,
and flower initiation and fruit set by use of hormones (Fiji).
- papaya : improve production methods of Hawaiian Solo varieties
for export through studies on improvement of production and quality
through nutrition, irrigation and control of lumpiness in fruits
(Fiji, Cook Islands, Tonga, and Western Samoa).
- pineapples : evaluation of varieties and development of improved
production methods (Fiji)
- vanilla : organic farming (Tonga) and control of viruses (Fiji)
In
addition to these, many countries have small programmes to introduce
and evaluate a range of fruits. However, these programmes are greatly
constrained by lack of expertise, funds and linkages with sources
of information and improved materials.
3. Nuts and Spices.
A
number of countries in the region have been trying to develop tropical
nuts and spices. An ADB feasibility study identified canarium nut,
Brazil nut and a large seeded terminalia nut species from Papua New
Guinea as having commercial potential. The Solomon Islands has been
investigating the possibility of growing canarium nut for oil production
and export. Peanut is widely grown in the region. The major problem
with this crop is rust and there is need to introduce rust resistant
varieties. Vanilla is very successfully grown in Tonga, and with some
limited success, in Fiji. The ADB study identified black pepper as
another potential spice crop which has large international demand.
These need to be followed up.
Apart
from some research work in canarium nut in Solomon Islands, peanut
rust in Fiji and spices in Papua New Guinea, there is little other
research work on these crops in the region.
4. Vegetables
With
the possible exception of Fiji, the range of vegetables grown in the
region is very limited. There is need to extend the range of vegetables
grown in the region to improve the nutrition of the people. This,
however, will need to be coupled with the nutrition education programmes
as the local are not used to eating many vegetables. Important traditional
vegetables grown in the region are taro (for leaves), and bele (Hibiscus
esculentus). A range of other tropical and temperate vegetables
is grown to a limited extent. These include crops belonging to the
Solanaceae family (tomato, eggplant capsicum, chili, and potato),
Curcubitaceae family (cucumber, squash and melons), cabbages, lettuces,
beans etc. The main problem with vegetable production is that most
of the varieties grown in the region are very susceptible to diseases
(bacterial wilt, viruses) and pests, and not well adapted to high
temperatures prevailing in the region. There is need to introduce
more adaptable varieties for the tropical conditions and make provision
to grow and distribute seeds of varieties suited to the tropics.
Small
quantities of vegetables (e.g. squash, okra and eggplant) are exported
from Fiji and Tonga to the growing Asian communities in Australia
and New Zealand. Fiji is also investigating the possibility of exporting
vegetable type pigeon pea and soya bean. Organically grown fruits
and vegetables are also exported in small quantities. There is potential
to develop these markets further.
Fiji
has an ongoing programme to introduce and test elite cultivars from
various sources including AVRDC and various seed companies and to
produce seeds locally for distribution to farmers. Such programmes
are less well developed or non existent in other Pacific islands.
European Union has been assisting Tuvalu and Kiribati to develop production
systems for vegetable production using compost and mulch on atolls
and to develop seed production systems for the Pacific islands in
general. Research work in these areas needs to be strengthened.
5. Root Crops
Taro,
yams, sweet potato and cassava are the major food crop grown in the
region. Taro is the most preferred crop but its production is threatened
by several diseases and pests. Taro leaf blight has almost completely
wiped out taro in Western Samoa and it is also a serious disease in
Solomon Islands and Papua new Guinea. Taro beetle and two viruses
diseases also threaten this crop. Only a limited number of species
and cultivars of yams are grown in the region, and anthracnose is
a major disease of this crop. There is need to introduce higher yielding
and disease resistant cultivars from outside the region to develop
this crop. With sweet potato, the main problems are scab diseases
and sweet potato weevil, and there is need to develop resistant varieties.
There is no major problem with cassava production in the region.
Root
crops, especially taro has become an important export crop for Fiji,
Tonga and Cook Islands. There appears to be a growing market for these
crops in Australia and New Zealand among the growing numbers of Pacific
islanders who have settled there.
Papua
New Guinea and Western Samoa have started small breeding programmes
to develop cultivars resistant to taro leaf blight. There is need
for a much greater effort to control this serious disease of the favourite
food crop of the Pacific islands. European Union has been assisting
to evaluate the large germplasm of sweet potato in Papua New Guinea
for scab disease. Most of the Pacific islands have some programmes
to develop root crops in their country but they are poorly funded
and lack linkages with IARCs and NARs that have improved materials
and technologies for these crops. The European Union has also been
assisting to develop tissue culture facilities in the region to clean
and provide disease free material for introduction. This is an extremely
important service because Pacific islands due to their isolation are
relatively free of diseases and pests and any introduction made into
the region has to free of diseases and pests.
6. Ornamental crops
Fiji
and Western Samoa have recently been involved in developing ornamental
plants to export cut flowers and to provide the local tourist industry.
This generally in the hands of private sector, some of who are small
growers who do not have access for technology from abroad. There appears
considerable to develop this industry to export cut flowers to neighbouring
more developed countries such as Australia, New Zealand and USA and
to supply the local tourist industry.
RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS
1. Regional Institutions
There
are two regional institutions involved in research and development
of agriculture in the region :
(i) School of Agriculture and the Institute of Research Extension
and Training in Agriculture of the University of the South Pacific
(USP) based in Western Samoa.
The
USP has research programmes in development of root crops and production
of vegetables in the South Pacific region. It also implements two
projects funded by Pacific Regional Agriculture Programme (PRAP) (Farming
Systems Project and Tissue Culture Project) and an International Board
for Soil Research and Management (IBSRAM) project for management of
sloping lands. These projects include development horticultural crops.
(ii) South Pacific Commission (SPC).
The Agriculture Section of SPC based in Fiji has a number of projects
to assist in the development of agriculture in the region. It includes
a PRAP project to control taro beetle and provide assistance in quarantine
matters.
2. Regional Projects
Apart
from the regional institutions there are a number of other organizations
that provide assistance on regional basis :
(i) Pacific Regional Agricultural Programme (PRAP)
Funded by the European Union, and based in Fiji, the second phase
(valued at 9 265 000 ECUs for 1994 -1987 period) of this programme
consists of 11 projects implemented in collaboration with the regional
institutes or the Department of Agriculture of regional countries.
The projects that involve horticultural crops are listed below. The
name of collaborating agency is given in brackets.
Project 1 : Farming systems in low lands (USP)
Project 3 : Seed and planting material (Dept. Agric., Fiji)
Project 4 : Selection trials and dissemination of sweet potato cultivars
(Dept. Agric., PNG)
Project 5 : Taro beetle control (SPC)
Project 6 : Atoll farming systems (Dept. Agric., Kiribati)
Project 7 : Provision of tissue culture services for the region (USP)
Project 9 : Agricultural information support (SPC)
Project 11 : Agricultural rural development (SPC)
Each
of these projects generally includes one technical advisor, at least
one local advisor and a number of technical assistants. Most of these
projects are due to end 1997 or 1998.
(ii) International Board for Soil Research and Management (IBSRAM)
IBSRAM's PACIFICLAND Programme for management of sloping land has
projects in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga,
and Western Samoa. The programme includes development of production
systems for various crops including horticultural crops. The programme
has a coordinator based in Fiji and local project staff in the countries
mentioned above.
(iii) Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)
ACIAR provides assistance through Australian research institutions
to regional research programmes, some of which include horticultural
crops. Some recent projects have included control of black leaf streak
in bananas, nutrition of root crops and biological control of pests.
(iv) FAO/UNDP
FAO has a sub-regional office based in Western Samoa and it provides
assistance in specific areas both regionally and directly to the countries.
Recent assistance from FAO has included the control of fruitflies
in the region and developments of fruit crops in Western Samoa.
3. Bilateral Aid
Australia,
New Zealand, USA, Japan and France provide bilateral aid to countries
in the region. Some of the aid is in agricultural and involves horticultural
crops. For instance, AusAID Farming System Project in Western Samoa
and the Soil and Crop Evaluation Project in Fiji provide support for
development of fruits, vegetables and root crops. New Zealand provides
some support for control of fruitflies and development of treatment
procedures for export of fruits and vegetables.
4. National Agricultural Research Organizations.
All
countries have research stations funded by the government. However,
these vary in size from a few research scientists in small countries
like Tuvalu and Kiribati to about 30 in Fiji and 60 in Papua New Guinea.
These scientists work in a range of crops and livestock. It is difficult
to assess without proper investigation, the country programmes in
horticulture, and how many of these scientists and how much fund is
devoted to horticultural research in each country. Some country research
programmes and their priority areas for research are briefly outlined
below :
(i) Fiji : Research Division of Ministry of Agriculture, Forest and
Fisheries.
The main objectives of the Research Division for horticultural crops
are to increase production and quality of tropical fruits, vegetables,
and root crops for local (including the fast developing tourist market)
and export markets. Priority is given to mango, papaya and pineapples
for export and citrus, particularly orange, for local market. In vegetables,
the main objective is to consolidate and intensify year round vegetable
production for local consumption and export. In root crops, the main
objective is to develop taro, kava (Piper methysticum) and
ginger for local market and export. Research is also conducted on
the control of fruitflies and quarantine treatment of fruits and vegetables
for export.
(ii) Western Samoa : Research Division of Ministry of Agriculture,
Forest, Fisheries and Meteorology.
The main emphasis in research is to improve bananas and plantains
for local markets and increase the range and production of fruits
and vegetables for local consumption. In root crops, the main emphasis
is to breed taro for resistance to taro leaf blight.
(iii) Tonga : Research Division of Ministry of Agriculture and Forest
of Tonga
Improve squash production, particularly by control of diseases for
export to Japan. Improve banana, watermelon and other fruit production.
Improve tomato, taro and potato production for export. Improve quarantine
treatment for desinfestation against fruit flies to allow fruit and
vegetable exports.
(iv) Kiribati and Tuvalu : Department of Agriculture
Improve fruits, vegetables and root crops production through use of
mulch and organic materials in atoll soils. Increase the range of
fruits and vegetables to improve the nutrition of the people.
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