Evaluation of papaya lines and cultural practices at Moloaa, Island of Kauai, Hawaii.

The land at Moloaa Island of Kauai, Hawaii, was intensely cultivated with sugarcane or pineapples for more than 50 years. When these crops were phased out in 1973 because of insufficient returns, small farmers supported with Hawaii State funds attempted to grow papayas in the area. Being unfamiliar with the area, the growers requested assistance from the State. Under a joint agreement involving members of the Moloaa Farmers' Cooperative, the University of Hawaii's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, and the Kauai Task Force, the Horticulture Department of the College was given the responsibility to: (I) develop cultivars adapted to Moloaa by evaluating advanced hybrid lines and segregating populations, and (2) develop a model papaya demonstration farm, using the latest cultural practices and technologies available and obtain information that would be helpful to the growers.