A reprint of the classic 1939 bulletin by Whitney, Bowers, and Takahashi, this publication contains detailed descriptions of 84 varieties of taro found in Hawai'i. Appendices group the varieties into "finding lists" according to general descriptions. Eight pages of drawings and photographs illustrate the distinguishing morphological characteristics of the taro plant.

Tropical root crops—basic staples for millions of people—are highly perishable, and tremendous losses occur after harvest because of the lack of storage and processing technology. This book is the first to fully describe small-scale processing and storage methods for these root crops, particularly taro, sweet potato, and yams. The authors emphasize methods of handling and preserving the crops that require little in the way of energy or technology, and they discuss traditional methods of storage and processing in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. They also describe small machines suitable for processing and highlight examples of higher-level technology. The book is a milestone in the search for ways to appropriately modernize traditional agriculture and food systems.

This book in the series “Sustainable Development and Biodiversity” contains peer-reviewed chapters from leading academicians and researchers around the world in the field of horticulture, plant taxonomy, plant biotechnology, genetics and related areas of biodiversity science centered on genetic diversity. This book includes original research reviews (national, regional and global) and case studies in genetic diversity in fruits and vegetables, horticulture, and ecology from sub-tropical and tropical regions. It is unique as it covers a wide array of topics covering global interests and will constitute valuable reference material for students, researchers, extension specialists, farmers and certification agencies who are concerned with biodiversity, ecology and sustainable development.

Hawaii is a rare and special place, in which beauty and isolation combine to form a vision of paradise. That isolation, though, comes at a price: resources in modern-day Hawaii are strained and expensive, and current economic models dictate that the Hawaiian Islands are reliant upon imported food, fuels, and other materials. Yet the islands supported a historic Hawaiian population of a million people or more. This was possible because Hawaiians, prior to European contact, had learned the ecological limits of their islands and how to live sustainably within them. Today, Hawaii is experiencing a surge of new strategies that make living in the islands more ecologically, economically, and socially resilient. A vibrant native agriculture movement helps feed Hawaiians with traditional foods, and employs local farmers using traditional methods; efforts at green homebuilding help provide healthy, comfortable housing that exists in better harmony with the environment; efforts to recycle wastewater help reduce stress on fragile freshwater resources; school gardens help feed families and reconnect them with local food and farming. At the same time, many of the people who have developed these strategies find that their processes reflect, and in some cases draw from, the lessons learned by Hawaiians over thousands of years. This collection of case studies is a road map to help other isolated communities, island and mainland, navigate their own paths to sustainability, and establishes Hawaii as a model from which other communities can draw inspiration, practical advice, and hope for the future.

Seed Biology, Volume II: Germination Control, Metabolism, and Pathology is a part of a three-volume treatise, which aims to bring together a large body of important information on seed biology. Organized into five chapters, this book begins with a discussion on environmental control of germination and its biological significance. Separate chapters follow that discuss physiology and metabolism of seeds with specific dormancy and anomalous storage history, as well as those germinated under abnormal conditions. This work will be useful to various groups of research biologists and teachers, including agronomists, plant anatomists, biochemists, ecologists, entomologists, foresters, horticulturists, plant pathologists, and plant physiologists.

A unified account of the traditional Hawaiian cultural uses of plants based on scholarly literature and instruction from kupuna. The book is structured to demonstrate the link between the Hawaiian flora and Hawaiian culture.