April 24, 2006
MEDIA CONTACT: Caroline Witherspoon
or Jocelyn Collado
Becker Communications
(808) 533-4165
BISHOP MUSEUM’S AMY GREENWELL GARDEN HELPS TO PRESERVE
NATIVE HAWAIIAN AND FRUIT TREES
**Workshops Present Latest Information on Vegetative Propagation Techniques**
CAPTAIN COOK, Hawai’i – When seeds are in short supply or unavailable or when selective traits of trees need to be preserved, vegetative propagation is the often the best way to accomplish these tasks. What is vegetative propagation? It is an asexual means of starting new plans. Bishop Museum’s Amy Greenwell Garden will host two workshops focusing on Vegetative Propagation of Native Hawaiian and Fruit Trees for Domestication and Commercial Purposes on Saturday, May 20, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. and on Sunday, May 21, from 9 a.m. – 12 noon.
The workshops will present the latest information about propagating trees from leafy stem cuttings, and present techniques that can be applied to nearly any tropical tree. Highlights of the workshops include: techniques for propagating any tropical tree vegetatively; how to select the best cutting materials; establishing and managing stockplants for vegetative reproduction; optimizing the environment in the propagation unit; and improving success rates. Vegetative propagation is not always a high-tech process, so an effective and low-tech approach will also be shared.
The workshops are suitable for nursery professionals, farmers, foresters, conservations, gardeners – anyone interested in tree propagation. Participants will get hands-on experience in techniques presented during the workshops.
Dr. Roger Leakey, Professor of Agroecology and Sustainable Development at Australia’s James Cook University, will lead the intensive workshops. He specializes in tree improvement and domestication to enhance rural livelihoods, and has written a detailed study of the factors affecting rooting in leafy stem cuttings of tropical trees. Dr. Leakey has also undertaken projects with practical applications in vegetative propagation, genetic improvement of tropical trees, and tree domestication in the Pacific islands, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central America.
Registration is full for the Saturday workshop, though participants can call and be put on the waiting list. Registration fee for the Sunday workshop is $25 per person. Participants should make checks payable to: Permanent Agriculture Resources, P.O. Box 428, Holualoa, HI 96725. For more information and a registration form, call Permanent Agriculture Resources at 808.324.4427 or visit www.agroforestry.net.
The Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden is a Bishop Museum facility, located in South Kona on the Mamalahoa Highway. During the year, more than 9,000 visitors experience the Garden and explore the plants of traditional Kona. The Garden is a regular stop for school tours, and people of all ages enjoy workshops on traditional Hawaiian arts. Admission is a suggested donation of $4 per person and free for Bishop Museum members. For more information, call 808.323.3318.