Advancing genetic improvement of high-value tropical crops in hawaii -- the overall goal of this project is to develop genetic resources for tropical crops (such as coffee and cacao) with improved…

The Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service awarded Hawaii Agriculture Research Center a cooperative agreement valued at $301,256 on June 1, 2026, to advance genetic improvement of high-value tropical crops in Hawaii under the Agricultural Research Basic and Applied Research program (CFDA 10.001).

The recipient will develop locally adapted, coffee leaf rust-resistant varieties for release to Hawaiian growers; maintain and propagate coffee genetic resources to support long-term germplasm access; evaluate select cacao germplasm to identify improved cultivars for Hawaiian growers; develop tissue culture and plant regeneration protocols to enable precision breeding methods for tropical crops; and conduct genomic, transcriptomic, metabolomic, and phenotypic evaluation of important tropical crops. Performance occurs in Waipahu, Hawaii, with a completion date of October 31, 2028.

Advancing genetic improvement of high-value tropical crops in hawaii -- the overall goal of this project is to develop genetic resources for tropical crops (such as coffee and cacao) with improved horticultural traits, disease resistance, and quality. Specific objectives are to: 1) develop locally adapted, coffee leaf rust resistant varieties for release to growers in hawaii. 2) maintain and propagate coffee genetic resources to support long-term access to coffee germplasm. 3) evaluate select cacao germplasm to identify improved cultivars for growers in hawaii. 4) develop tissue culture and plant regeneration protocols to enable precision breeding methods for tropical crops. 5) develop genomic, transcriptomic, metabolomic, and phenotypic evaluation of important tropical crops.