The Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture is on the hunt for invasive plant diseases — fungi, bacteria, and even worms — that might be affecting our crops but have never been documented in Hawaiʻi.
Plant pathologist Josiah Marquez is leading the survey as part of nationwide efforts from the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Marquez said the USDA focuses on "national priority pests," and has directed states to conduct surveys for the purpose of early detection and eradication.
"The other purpose is to provide negative data, actually, to show evidence that we don't have these national priority pests," he said. "But they do make some room to include some other pathogens that I think are relevant for Hawaiʻi that may not be on that list."
Marquez was able to include one pathogen for coffee and one for cacao — important local crops that national priority pests would not threaten.
He's targetting the coffee berry disease, a fungal pathogen that infects the beans. It's only been reported in Africa and China, but Hawaiʻi needs to look out for it, he said.
"I think the more important part of doing these surveys is to connect with these growers," Marquez said. "Ultimately, I think that's where we're gonna get early detections — is from growers reporting it."
He plans to visit various farms to collect samples of possible diseases reported by farmers, and then test for the priority pests. But molecular tools are needed to confirm specific species, he said, which aren't currently available in the department. In the meantime, he's collaborating with University of Hawaiʻi research labs.
Marquez said he hopes that as he does these surveys, growers become comfortable sending him samples they suspect have a disease.
"I hope to encounter other pathogens that are not on that list that I'm targeting, so that I can learn about what is actually out here and build a database that we can use for risk assessments and policymaking," he said. His goal is to survey at least 10 farms statewide.
He said he would like the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture to also conduct surveys to build a state database of all the diseases and their distribution.
The HDOA is looking for growers who are willing to have the HDOA visit and collect samples of common plant diseases in Hawai'i. Growers are also welcome to send samples if they believe one of their crops has a disease. For more information, contact Josiah Marquez at Josiah.mk.marquez@hawaii.gov.
This interview aired on The Conversation on Oct. 31, 2024. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
