Here is the PDF file for the *Hawaii Crop Weather* (crop progress and condition) Report for the week ending* September 2, 2007*.
Please visit the website for more information: http://www.nass.usda.gov/hi/
USDA NASS Hawaii Field Office
1421 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96814-2512
1-800- 804-9514
Agricultural Highlights
Fruits
Bananas
Orchards in windward areas of the Big Island were in fair to good condition. Growth in young orchards got a boost from the warm, sunny weather and adequate soil moisture. Banana Bunchy Top virus incidences remained isolated in the Puna and Kona areas. Oahu orchards were in fair to good condition. Fields in windward areas remained in fair condition. Leeward and central fields remained in active harvest with heavy supplies. Irrigation was heavy. Orchards on Kauai were in fair to good condition. Spraying for insect infestation was on a regular schedule.
Papayas
Orchards in the Puna area of the Big Island were in fair to good condition. Soil moisture was adequate. Mostly sunny skies with scattered showers helped young trees. Papaya Ringspot Virus still plagued many fields, but spray activities were active in other fields and appeared to keep aphid populations in check. Harvesting on Oahu was reduced by fire-damaged fields that were previously in active harvest. In other areas, fruit development and ripening were fair to good with the high temperatures slowing crop progress. Mealy bugs were mostly under control while Ringspot virus and wild pig damage lowered yields in some fields. Orchards on Kauai continued to make fair to good progress during the week. Pickings were at moderate levels from several fields with some new fields in active harvest boosting available supplies.
Vegetables
Head Cabbage
The Big Island?s Waimea crop was in fair to good condition. Light insect damage on outer leaves was noticed. Irrigation helped to keep crop progress normal, but warm conditions affected head quality. The crop in Volcano was in fair to good condition. Maui?s crop continued to make steady progress. Hot growing conditions were proving to be challenging for the crop and producers who have been trying to minimize stress and damage by insects. Overall, insect pressure throughout the growing area continued to increase. However, insect damage varied by location. Most producers are expected to continue their steady plantings with some planning to increase plantings slightly to compensate for slower growth and lower yields in the months ahead.
Dry Onion
Maui?s crop continued to make slow progress. Weather conditions made it difficult for the crop to achieve high yields and good quality. Some operations maintained good yields and relatively good quality, but most fields experienced lower yields mainly due to reduced bulb size. There was a slight improvement in the overall condition of the dry onion crop during the past couple of weeks. Planting for the fall harvest was active.
Sweet Corn
Windward Oahu fields made good progress with the sunny and dry weather during the week. Harvesting was very active with increasing pickings. Restricted water use slowed plantings and production in fields dependent on reservoir sources for irrigation. Central Oahu crops were in fair to good condition with light corn ear worm problems. Corn fields in the windward areas of the Big Island benefited from the recent mixture of rain and the warm sunny conditions. Adequate soil moisture facilitated higher germination rates and improved ear development. Planting and harvest were steady.
