Tag: kauai

July 16, 2007 General Ag News and Notes, Papaya, Vegtables Post a Comment

Hawaii Weekly Crop Weather Report

Here is the PDF file for the *Hawaii Crop Weather* (crop progress and condition) Report for the week ending *July 15, 2007*

current_hi071607.pdf

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 eastern sections of the Big Island were in generally good condition. Warm days and adequate soil moisture benefited crop and fruit development. Field activities such as spraying, removal of leaves and lateral suckers were active. Black Leaf Streak disease incidences were observed in some fields. Oahu orchards were in fair to good condition. Windward fields remained in fair condition. A seasonal upswing kept leeward and central fields in active harvest. Irrigation levels were heavy. Orchards on Kauai were in good to fair condition. The dry weather and controlled irrigation benefited most orchards.

Papayas

On the Big Island, light showers, warm temperatures, and sunny periods benefited fruit development. Younger fields made good growth in the Kapoho area. Fallowed fields in the Opihikao area were being prepared for new plantings. Field operations such as spraying for weeds and disease control, leaf trimming, harvesting were active during the week. Flowering and fruit set were generally good. On Oahu, fruit development and ripening were good due to increased day length and sunny conditions. Mealy bugs were mostly under control while Ring Spot virus lowered production in some fields. Orchards on Kauai continued to make fair to good progress. Spraying to contain insect populations was stepped up during calm weather to contain the increased infestations.

Vegetables

Head Cabbage

In the Big Island?s Lalamilo area, warm temperatures were not favorable for good head development. Warm days combined with irrigation contributed to an increase in disease incidence. New plantings made steady progress with heavy irrigation. Maui?s crop made steady progress despite the hot growing conditions. Increased irrigation was necessary and so far producers have made efficient use of water. Some fields were showing signs of increased stress especially those in the lower elevation areas. Insect pressure has increased slightly, but so far damage has continued to be minimal due to close monitoring and timely spraying by farmers. There have been reports of some losses due to wildlife feeding. Some fields on Oahu were abandoned to control the increasing pressure from the Diamondback moth infestation.

Dry Onions

Maui?s onion crop continued to make fair progress. Warm growing conditions were taking a toll on the crop. Older fields were struggling to develop good bulb size. In some fields, the heat stress has caused the plant to stop growing. Increased irrigation was helpful for some younger fields, but older fields have many factors to consider.

Sweet Corn

Weather conditions in windward sections of the Big Island were generally good for crop progress. On Oahu, harvesting was light after the holiday in July. However, supplies were heavy and new fields coming into production were making good progress. Light worm damage occurred during the week. Isolated fields in windward areas experienced growing problems and lower yields are anticipated from those fields.

July 8, 2007 General Ag News and Notes, Papaya, Vegtables Post a Comment

Hawaii Weekly Crop Weather Report

Here is the PDF file for the *Hawaii Crop Weather* (crop progress and condition) Report for the week ending *July 8, 2007*

current_hi070807.pdf

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 Hawaii island were in fair to good condition. Warm temperatures and good soil moisture were ideal for growth. Field activities remained normal. Banana Bunchy Top virus incidences remained isolated in the Puna and Kona areas. Oahu orchards were in fair to good condition. Fields in windward Oahu remained in fair condition. Leeward and central area fields were experiencing a seasonal upswing. Irrigation levels were at heavy levels during the week because of the dry weather. Kauai?s orchards were in good to fair condition.

Papayas
Orchards in the Puna area of the Big Island were in fair to good condition. Warm, humid conditions with abundant sun boost growth in most orchards. Soil moisture was adequate, and field activities continued on a normal schedule. New plantings made good progress. On Oahu, fruit development and ripening were good with the increased day length and sunny and dry weather conditions. Mealy bugs were mostly under control while Ring Spot virus kept lowered production in some fields. Orchards on Kauai continued to make fair to good progress during the week. Spraying to contain the insect population was stepped up during periods of calm weather to contain an increase in infestation.

Vegetables

Chinese Cabbage
The Big Island?s Waimea crop continued to make steady progress. Irrigation was regular and heavy to maintain crop progress in the Puukapu and Lalamilo farm lots. Conditions in the Volcano area were ideal for crop development.

Head Cabbage
The Big Island?s Waimea crop was in generally good condition. Heavy irrigation was required to keep crop progress normal. The Volcano crop improved as soil moisture was adequate and days were sunny. On Oahu, some fields were abandoned to control the increasing pressure from the diamondback moth infestation.

Semi-head (Manoa) Lettuce
On Oahu, planting remained steady, however, crop progress was slowed by the high temperatures and drying winds. Moderate to heavy insect infestation and some disease damage continued to lower yields. Spraying to control insects remained active. Planting on Kauai remained light but steady with fair plant progress.

Dry Onions
Maui?s crop was being challenged by continuous dry and warm conditions. The lack of rainfall has eliminated the threat of rot, but the overall dry conditions were detrimental for crop progress. Bulb size has decreased. The overall crop was in fair condition.

Sweet Corn
Fields in the windward areas of the Big Island benefited from passing showers and sunny conditions. Seedling growth was steady and rapid. Planting and harvesting were steady. On Oahu, favorable weather conditions allowed the plants to make good progress with heavy supplies available from central Oahu fields. There were some reports of light worm damage during the week. Isolated windward fields experienced some growing problems which were expected to slow harvesting.

July 3, 2007 General Ag News and Notes, Ginger Root, Papaya, Vegtables, Watermelon Post a Comment

Hawaii Crop Weather Weekly Report

Here is the PDF file for the *Hawaii Crop Weather* (crop progress and condition) Report for the week ending *July 1, 2007*

current_hi070107.pdf

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
Big Island orchards made generally good progress. Soil moisture was adequate. Sunny and warm periods benefited fruit development. Young and newly planted orchards in Pepeekeo made steady progress. Oahu orchards were in fair to good condition. Fields in windward areas remained in fair condition. Leeward and central Oahu fields made good progress. Irrigation levels were at heavy levels during the week due to a lack of rain and gusty winds. Kauai?s orchards were in good to fair condition.

Papayas
Conditions in the lower Puna area of the Big Island were ideal for orchard progress. Daily showers provided sufficient soil moisture. Sunny and warm periods provided a boost to flowering and fruit set. Field activities such as spraying for disease and weed control were active. On Oahu, fruit development and ripening were good with the increased day length and dry weather conditions. Mealy bugs and Ring Spot virus lowered production in some fields. Orchards on Kauai continued to make fair to good progress during the week. Spraying to contain insect populations was stepped up to contain an increase in infestation.

Vegetables

Head Cabbage
The Big Island?s Waimea crop was in fair to good condition. Heavy irrigation was required especially in the Lalamilo area. Routine spraying was controlling insect and disease losses. New plantings made good progress. The Volcano crop was in fair condition. Plantings have increased, but made slower progress due to the dry conditions. New plants were in good condition on Oahu. Insect infestation was at light to moderate levels. Maui?s crop remained in fair to good condition. Insect pressure was higher in the major growing areas, but farmers were closely monitoring conditions to ensure timely spraying.

Dry Onions
Most fields on Maui were developing at a slower rate due to hot and dry conditions. Average bulb size has decreased. Overall, Maui?s crop was in fair condition.

Sweet Corn
On Oahu, favorable weather conditions allowed the plants to make good progress. Some reports of light worm damage were reported during the week. Isolated windward fields experienced some growing problems. Big Island fields were in fair condition. Soil moisture was adequate and resulted in improved growth.

Other Crops

Coffee
The Big Island?s Kona coffee orchards made good progress due to adequate soil moisture levels. Coffee cherries were in the green stage of development. On Kauai, Isolated rains during the week benefited some fields. Showers at the upper elevations kept reservoir levels stable which allowed for good irrigation of all fields. Gusty trade winds were unfavorable for most fields and offset some of the benefits of irrigation.

Ginger Root
Plantings in the windward areas of Hawaii Island made good progress as daily showers raised low soil moisture levels. Sunny periods also helped to boost crop growth.

Sugarcane
Harvesting, planting, and milling activities were active on Kauai during the week. The summer showers which are typically at the upper elevations kept reservoir levels steady and allowed irrigation levels to keep up with the plant?s needs. Some insect infestation was reported with increased vigilance for control.

Watermelons
Harvesting on Oahu was active and supplies for the Fourth of July holiday are anticipated to be heavy.

June 18, 2007 General Ag News and Notes, Papaya, Vegtables Post a Comment

Hawaii Weekly Crop Weather Report

Here is the PDF file for the *Hawaii Crop Weather* (crop progress and condition) Report for the week ending *June 17, 2007*
current_hi061707.pdf
Please visit http://www.nass.usda.gov/hi/ for more information.

USDA NASS Hawaii Field Office
1421 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96814-2512
1-800- 804-9514

Agricultural Highlights

Fruits

Banana
Kauai orchards were in good to fair condition. Orchards in windward districts received good overall rains for good soil moisture. Oahu orchards were in fair to good condition. Fields in windward Oahu remained in fair condition maintaining light to moderate harvesting as BBTV continues to affect fields. Leeward and central Oahu fields made good progress with active harvesting. Irrigation levels were bumped up to heavy levels during the week due to the dry days. Soil moisture in East Hawaii orchards increased slightly with light rains occurring over several days early in the week. The crop is in fair to good condition. Field operations remain normal. BBTV incidences remain isolated in the Puna and Kona areas.

Papaya
Hawaii County orchards were in fair to good condition. Soil moisture increased this week due to light daily rainfall. Mostly overcast days with a few sunny periods during the week have been beneficial to crop progress. Harvest and spray activities were active. Oahu harvesting was at moderate levels. Mealy bugs and ring spot virus in some fields kept production lower than expected.

Vegetables

Head Cabbage
Most Maui fields were as well as can be expected considering the hot growing conditions. The heat was creating stressful field conditions especially for the lower elevation areas. The dry landscape has also encouraged wildlife feeding along the borders. Some fields were also showing signs of increased insect pressure. So far, the head cabbage crop has been able to maintain good yield. A timely spraying program has continued to be necessary to minimize loss from insect damage. The crop in Waimea was in generally good condition. Light insect damage on outer leaves was noticed. Irrigation was keeping crop progress about normal. The crop in Volcano welcomed light but steady showers.

Sweet Corn
The young crop in East Hawaii benefited from rain early in the week. Planting has been steady and the harvest is fairly steady. Product was mostly for local sales. Harvesting was active as beneficial weather conditions allowed the plants to make good progress with good market supplies from windward and central Oahu fields. Some reports of light worm damage during the week.

Cucumbers
Pickings from most Oahu fields were at moderate to heavy levels and anticipated to continue increasing as plants remained in active harvest. Melon fly infestation and light pickle worm damage has affected crop yields in some areas during the week. Irrigation levels were heavy as the dry weather continued in most crop growing areas.

Dry Onions
The continuous dry growing conditions have begun to have a detrimental effect on the dry onion crop. The hot field conditions have slowed crop growth and development. Yields are likely to decrease because of the reduced size. The fields that were harvested and marketed a few weeks earlier have supplied the market demand and newly harvested production has not been able to move into the various markets at the same rate as in the past.

June 10, 2007 General Ag News and Notes, Papaya, Vegtables Post a Comment

Hawaii Weekly Crop Weather Report

Here is the PDF file for the *Hawaii Crop Weather* (crop progress and condition) Report for the week ending *June 10, 2007*

current_hi-061007.pdf

Please visit http://www.nass.usda.gov/hi/ for more information.

USDA NASS Hawaii Field Office
1421 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96814-2512
1-800- 804-9514

Weather Review

Weather conditions had a variable effect on agriculture during the week ending Sunday, June 10. High pressure to the north and low pressure to the south resulted in a week of light to moderate trade winds with mostly light, passing showers. Most of the shower activity was limited to the northern islands during the first half of the week and shifted to the southern half of the State during the weekend. These passing showers occurred in windward areas and the higher elevations with some lighter amounts being blown over to the leeward side of the islands. Conditions were particularly dry on the Big Island where temperatures reached new daily highs on Monday and Wednesday. The Mayor of the County of Hawaii declared a State of Emergency on June 5 due to the continuing dry weather. A voluntary 10-percent reduction in water usage was in effect for the districts of North and South Kohala, Hamakua, and Ka`u. A mandatory 25-percent reduction in water usage was in effect for the following specific areas of the Big Island: Waimea Town to Kawaihae, Upper Pa`auilo, and Ahualoa. In addition, the State Department of Agriculture continued to place users of the Honokaa-Paauilo irrigation system under a mandatory 30-percent water conservation notice due to damage sustained from the October 15, 2006 earthquake. Users of the Waimea irrigation system were asked to voluntarily cutback irrigation water usage by 10 percent. Overall, recent weather conditions have had a variable effect on agriculture. Non-irrigated crops, those dependent on natural rainfall, were in fair to poor condition. Crops located in windward areas were faring better than those in the drier leeward areas of the island. Irrigated crops were in fair to good condition. Abundant sunshine and adequate irrigation was ensuring normal growth. Spraying for insects and disease continued on a regular schedule.

Agricultural Highlights

Fruits

Banana
Orchards in eastern sections of the island of Hawaii were in fair to good condition. Mostly sunny days facilitate field operations, but soil moisture was declining. Banana Bunchy Top virus incidences remain isolated in the Puna and Kona areas. Oahu orchards were in fair to good condition. Fields in windward areas remained in fair condition. Banana Bunchy Top virus continued to affect fields. Leeward and central Oahu fields made good progress, but were also slowed by light Banana Bunchy Top virus damage. Irrigation remained at moderate to heavy levels during the week due to the dry days.

Papaya

Big Island orchards were in fair to good condition. Soil moisture decreased and additional rain is needed to raise soil moisture to more satisfactory levels. Mostly sunny days dominated the week, but some light showers were beneficial. Fruit development and ripening were good on Oahu. However, mealy bugs and ring spot virus in some fields kept production lower than anticipated. Orchards on Kauai continued to make fair to good progress during the week. Spraying to contain the insect population was stepped up to contain the increased infestation.

Vegetables

Head Cabbage

The crop in the Big Island?s Waimea area was in generally good condition. Light insect damage on outer leaves was noticed. Irrigation ensured normal crop progress. The Volcano crop was experiencing slow progress due to dry conditions. Maui?s crop continued to make good progress. Warm temperatures stressed some lower elevation fields, but generally those fields were in good condition. Insect pressure and damage was light, but elevated in some fields. Head size was large. On Oahu, insect infestation was at light levels and mostly under control. New plants were in good condition.

Sweet Corn

Young planting in eastern sections of Hawaii County made slow progress. Newly seeded beds have gaps in the rows due to seedlings dying for lack of moisture. Light showers during the week provided some relief. Beneficial weather conditions allowed the plants to make good progress in central Oahu fields. Windward fields made good progress during the week and are expected to be harvested at moderate to heavy levels.

Cucumbers

Pickings from most Oahu fields were at moderate to heavy levels and anticipated to continue increasing as plants were in active harvest. Melon fly infestation and light pickle worm damage has affected crop yields in some areas during the week. Irrigation levels remained heavy as the dry weather continued in most crop growing areas.

Dry Onions

Maui?s crop benefited from the dry weather and regular irrigation. Growth and development was good in most fields, although the warm temperatures have started to detrimentally affect some fields by slowing growth. Quality of harvested bulbs has reportedly been very good.

June 3, 2007 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Hawaii Weekly Crop Weather Report

Here is the PDF file for the *Hawaii Crop Weather* (crop progress and condition) Report for the week ending *June 3, 2007*

current_hi-060407.pdf

Please visit http://www.nass.usda.gov/hi/ for more information.

USDA NASS Hawaii Field Office
1421 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96814-2512
1-800- 804-9514

Agricultural Highlights

Fruits

Banana

Orchards in eastern sections of Hawaii County were in fair to good condition. Very dry conditions reduced soil moisture in most orchards. Field activities such as spraying, leaf trimming and harvesting were active during the week. Fields in windward Oahu were in fair condition as Banana Bunchy Top virus continued to affect fields. Leeward and central Oahu fields made good progress, but were slowed by light Banana Bunchy Top damage. Irrigation levels remained at moderate to heavy levels during the week due to the dry days. Fruit development continued to make good progress with the longer sunny days and warmer temperatures. Orchards on Kauai were in fair to good condition. Moderate to heavy irrigation was necessary for normal crop development.

Papaya

Big Island orchards in the lower Puna area were in fair condition. Very light passing showers provided some moisture, but more showers are needed. Newly planted and young orchards made slow progress due to the hot and dry conditions. Harvesting was at moderate levels. On Oahu, fruit development and ripening were good, however, mealy bugs and ring spot virus in some fields kept production lower than anticipated. Orchards on Kauai continued to make fair to good progress. Spraying to contain insect populations was on a regular schedule.

Vegetables

Head Cabbage

Hot and dry conditions in the Waimea area of the Big Island required heavy irrigation for normal crop progress. Insect and disease losses were light. Head quality was generally good. The crop was in generally good condition. Maui?s crop continued to make good progress with the warming conditions. Insect pressure for most areas increased, but producers were able to keep damage to a minimum. Crop development was optimal and overall quality was good. Average head size has increased thereby contributing to higher yields. Producers were monitoring their fields closely and maintaining a timely spraying program to keep the insect pressure under control. On Oahu, insect infestations were at light levels and mostly under control. New plantings were in good condition.

Sweet Corn

On Oahu, beneficial weather conditions allowed the plants to make good progress with good market supplies from central fields. Windward fields made good progress during the week and are expected to harvest at moderate levels. Plantings in windward areas of Hawaii County were in fair to good condition. Soil moisture was decreasing and may soon affect crop progress. New plantings have increased.

Dry Onions

The dry onion Maui?s crop benefited from the past couple of weeks of warm growing conditions. Crop development has been very good. Overall average bulb size continued to increase and quality was good. Packing out of the Maui crop was expected to continue although there may be a slight temporary slow down. Overall, the Maui onion crop was in good condition. Miscellaneous

Ginger Root

The crop in east Hawaii Count was in fair to good condition. Prolonged dry conditions have slowed crop progress.

Coffee

Orchards on Kauai made fair progress during the week with most of the plants receiving limited irrigation as reservoir levels continued to decrease. Rainfall during the week was too sparse to provide any relief for soil moisture.