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RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
We are an agricultural research company operating in the pre-revenue stage of development. Our operations are privately funded by our members. Limited revenue is obtained from sales of plants and seeds. Our active research projects are focused on developing new cultivars of plants from several diverse genera for production of crops in renewable agriculture systems, and novel products to be made from plant derived materials. We have also conducted past R&D activities relating to environmental health and sustainable purchasing initiatives.
Overviews and status reports on our current research activities will be presented here and links will be provided to more detailed information.
Bambara Groundnuts – New Crop Introduction
Project Overview
Bambara groundnuts (Vigna subterranea) are a highly nutritious, multiuse and drought resistant legume crop grown in parts of Africa and Southeast Asia. Apparently they have never been grown as a crop in Hawai`i or the U.S. Mainland. The primary objectives of this project are to improve awareness of this crop, obtain a supply of seeds, test germination methods and rates, and supply viable seeds or seedlings from these tests for field trials in the U.S. These trials may include intercropping the groundnuts with other crops such as moringa and yield locally adapted seeds for additional trials. Data from these trials will be used to determine if further research on the potential introduction of groundnuts is warranted.
 Bambara Groundnuts, Assorted Colors |
Current Status (August 2022)
Several seed lots of groundnuts were obtained from Texas and imported from Africa. Initial tests of these lots indicated low germination rates. After changes were made to the test conditions germination rates of over 80% were found for most of the seed lots. Seedlings from our germination tests have been provided to one local farm and donated to a local school – the Ka’ū High & Pahala Elementary School (KHPES) for a supervised field trial and other educational purposes. This is for their new, innovative initiative called the Ka’ū Global Learning Lab (KGLL), Academy for Agri-Preneurship.
We are seeking additional research partners to participate in this project. Please contact us if you are interested.
Refer to this webpage for more detailed information about Bambara groundnuts. Germination tested seeds are now available for purchase through our online store.
 Seedlings of Bambara Groundnuts (Vigna subterranea) |
Euphorbia – Domestic Production of Resinferatoxin
Project Overview
The primary objectives of this project are (1) to identify species of Euphorbia with sap that contains economically extractable amounts of resiniferatoxin (RTX), an investigational drug for pain treatment and other purposes, (2) to develop methods of large scale plant propagation and cultivation of these Euphorbia species as a crop(s) in Hawai`i, and (3) also develop and test technologies for safe, efficient and sustainable collection and processing of the sap. These efforts are intended to provide a sustainable domestic supply of RTX for research and production of pharmaceuticals.
Propagation Studies
In 2021 we began accessions of plant specimens of the several species of interest from as many sources as possible to maximize genetic diversity of our collection. Numerous cuttings are now being produced from these to evaluate the efficiency of propagation methods and generate sap samples for future analyses. As of mid-2023 we had approximately 1000 cutting grown plants in cultivation at our facility. After completion of invasiveness evaluations these may be used to start the first field trials at our site on Hawai`i island.
The species we will be working with have not been previously introduced into Hawai`i. As a Plant Pono Endorsed Business it is our policy to not introduce new species unless their invasiveness has been evaluated and they have been determined to present low risk. These evaluations are requested from the Hawai`i-Pacific Weed Assessment (HPWRA) Project. All species evaluations completed so far all have indicated a low risk of invasiveness.
First Screening of Species and Cultivars Completed
Sap specimens from plants in our research collection were collected and submitted for analyses in 2023. The analytical results are proprietary and will be used to guide selection of species and cultivars for additional propagation research and our first field trials.
 Mass Propagation of Euphorbia makallensis |
 Sap from Euphorbia resinifera |
Land Purchased for Experimental Farm
In August 2023 we purchased land for development of our new growing area to named as “Moana Experimental Farm”. It will be primarily used for sustainable cultivation of selected euphorbia cultivars. The lot is located on a graded lava field area on a slope of Mauna Loa, in Ocean View, District of K’aū on Hawai’i island. In the fall of 2023 we completed security fencing, construction of a storage shed, removal of invasive species and other site improvements. Planting our first euphorbia crops was initiated.
 Moana Experimental Farm Site in Ocean View, K’aū District of Hawai’i Island
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Experimental Farm Now Operational
In late 2023 we moved several hundred potted euphorbia plants from our research nursery at Discovery Harbour and planted them at the Moana Experimental Farm site. Virtually of the plants appear to be doing well and by February 2024 many were producing new stem buds. We are awaiting installation of a water tank. The farm is fully operational.
Refer to this webpage for additional information about this project.
Euphorbia – Alternative Crops for Honey Production
Project Overview
Concurrent with the activities of our RTX production project we will be making observations and collecting data on flower production and visits by bees and other pollinators to evaluate the potential of the various Euphorbia species as bee forage.
Current Status
In the first year of our RTX project the major activities involved assembling a diverse collection of research specimens and producing many cuttings from them to test the feasibility and efficiency of propagation methods. While it is too early to make conclusions, initial observations indicate that there are wide variations in flower production among the Euphorbia species when grown under Hawaiian conditions. We have had small numbers of E. resinfera, the most widely used species for RTX production, in cultivation here for several years. Most of these have never bloomed when grown in the ground or in containers, and very few flowers were observed on the stems of plants that did bloom. In contrast, most of the E. echinus and several E. makallensis specimens have bloomed frequently and profusely, even as unrooted cuttings. No bees or other pollinators have been observed. We have not had most of the other species in our collection long enough to observe bloom frequency.
 Euphorbia echinus in Bloom |
 New Euphorbia makallensis Cutting in Bloom |
Hoodia – Development of New Cultivars for Sustainable Production
Overview
The succulent, bitter tasting, cactus-like plant endemic to southern Africa in the genus Hoodia have been used by the indigenous people of the area for appetite suppression for thousands of years. When awareness of this use came to the Western World there was great interest in development of hoodia based drugs and dietary supplements for weight loss and treatment of obesity. While many scientific studies support the use of hoodia as an appetite suppressant, attempts by major drug companies to develop hoodia extracts as licit drugs for weight loss failed, probably because the methods of administering hoodia were inappropriate and resulted in toxicity. At the same time companies began to offer a wide array of supplements, mostly of questionable formulations, safety and effectiveness. Some of these poorly regulated supplements were adulterated or did not even contain hoodia. During the same period wild populations of the plants were threatened by over harvesting and exports from Africa became restricted. Consumer confidence in hoodia waned and most of the market for it collapsed.
The initial objectives of this project, started in 2005, were to import a genetically diverse inventory of plants and from them to grow hoodia cuttings in sustainable, artificial cultivation as a certified organic crop. This would ensure a domestic supply and take pressure off of wild plant populations. We also planned to develop and sell novel, ethical and effective products to be derived from this crop.
Early in this project it became apparent that growing large amounts of hoodia in artificial cultivation would be very problematic. The plants were highly susceptible to root mealybug infestations that were difficult to control, and outbreaks of bacterial rot disease that would spread very rapidly and kill almost all of the plants. This caused us to change the emphasis of our work to developing cultivars with improved resistance to disease under artificial cultivation conditions.
 New Improved Cultivar of Hoodia macrantha |
 Hoodia parvifolia, Wild Type |
 Hoodia parviflora Hybrid Cultivar “Marvelle” |
Current Status (2023)
Since the inception of this project we have grown about 10,000 plants in the long tedious process of selective breeding of a slow growing plant. Almost all of the plants were lost to rot but from the few survivors and many generations of open pollination and cross breeding we now have many cultivars of five species with significantly improved resistance to bacterial rot and new, exceptionally productive tetraploid cultivars of Hoodia gordonii. These new cultivars can now be grown under greenhouse conditions with virtually no losses to rot. We have a large inventory of seeds from about 500 different plants and these can be used to start new crops.
After moving our operations to Hawai`i several years ago we began to lose many plants to fungal diseases when they were grown outdoors. We later determined that several types of fungi, apparently transmitted by rain drops cause these infections. Attempts to overcome this problem have failed. While we can grow very high quality plants in greenhouses, the economics are unfavorable so we will be looking for other suitable locations to grow this as an outdoor crop for large scale production of organic cuttings. We are seeking business partners for our move from research and development to production. Please contact us if you are interested.
Refer to the Hoodia Section of this website for detailed information about this research project.
 Hoodia gordonii Tetraploid Cultivar |
 Fresh Certified Organic Hoodia Cuttings |
Hoodia – Novel Consumer Products
Project Overview
We believe the largest potential market will be for fresh, organic hoodia cuttings for use as an appetite suppressant by people desiring to loose weight. However, since we began work on cultivars and methods to grow hoodia as a sustainable crop we have also been conducting research and development work on novel beverages and consumer products to be made from hoodia.
Current Status
Most of the initial research and testing for two novel proprietary products has been successfully completed. When sufficient supplies of hoodia cuttings have been grown and the necessary funds become available to complete measures to protect intellectual property we may disclose further information about these products and consider options to begin production.
Moringa – Biopesticide Development
Project Overview
The primary objectives of this project are to investigate, and potentially develop and register materials derived from moringa as biopesticides. These materials have multiple potential applications in treating agricultural pests and vectors of diseases of great contemporary importance in Hawai`i and other tropical regions of the world. Examples of target organisms include:
- Coffee berry borers (CBB).
- Fungi that cause Rapid Ōhià Death (ROD).
- Rodents, slugs and snails involved in transmission of rat lungworm angiostrongyliasis. Moringa has shown activity against other nematodes that affect livestock.
- Mosquitos that transmit arbovirus diseases such as dengue, zika and chikungunya.
Moringa based biopesticides may offer significant advantages over conventional pesticides:
- Most can be produced locally, near the point of use at low comparative cost.
- Biobased and may be compatible with organic certification.
- Low human toxicity, in fact they may consist of or be derived from edible materials.
- Low potential for adverse environmental impacts.
- Rapidly biodegradable.
- Pesticide registration process may be faster, less problematic and costly.
Current Status (September 2023)
Most of these applications remain at the conceptual phase of development as we have been unable to find research partners willing to assist with and fund this research. Two preliminary tests of our moringa derived materials for potential use as biopesticides have been completed:
Rat Lungworm Inactivation. In 2019, with the assistance of the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy at the University of Hawai`i at Hilo (UHH), we were able to get leaf extracts from three moringa species (Moringa oleifera, M. peregrina and M. stenopetala), and seed oil from Moringa oleifera screened for inactivation activity against motile larvae of Angiostrongylus cantonensis, the parasite that causes rat lungworm disease. The tests indicated that the leaf extracts were not effective. The seed oil appeared to render the larvae immobile, which was considered an indicator of inactivation in previous studies by others. A new test method for viability developed at the UHH indicated that the the immobile larvae were still alive. With these results a decision was made to discontinue further testing.
We would like to thank Dr. Susan I. Jarvi, Kathlene Howe and Lisa Kaluna of UHH for performing the inactivation testing.
Fungi that Cause Rapid Ōhià Death (ROD). In 2018 we submitted moringa leaf extract and seed oil samples to the USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center at Hilo, Hawai`i (SDA/ARS, DKI-PBARC) for testing against Ceratocystis lukuohia and C. huliohia, the two new species of Ceratocystis causing ROD. Test agar plates were inoculated with 500,000 conidia/ml of C. lukuohia or C. huliohia and spread uniformly on the plates with a sterile cotton swab. Three 10 microliter drops of the extracts or oil were then added per plate, three plates per treatment (Moringa Extract A, Morina Extract B, Moringa Oil). Zones of inhibition were measured on days two and seven. There were no zones of inhibition for any of the treatments tested. In other words, none of the extracts or oil inhibited growth of C. lukuohia or C. huliohia. These moringa derived materials do not appear to be effective against the fungi that cause ROD and further research on this was discontinued.
We would like to thank Dr. Lisa Kieth and her team at DKI-PBARC for carrying out this testing.
Moringa – Building an International Seed Bank
Project Overview
About 15 years ago, as we began our moringa research projects and assisting charitable organizations starting farms in Africa and Central America, the need for a reliable, easily accessible and economical source of a genetically diverse of array of seeds became apparent. After much searching no such source was found. A seed bank offering a genetically diverse inventory seeds was urgently needed to support moringa conservation efforts, plant breeding programs and our research. To meet these needs we decided to create the International Moringa Seed Bank (IMSB). Research on seed processing and preservation methods was conducted, the required permits and equipment was obtained, and we began to import seeds for the Bank.
Current Status (August 2023)
In the fall of 2018 limited operations of the IMSB and sales of seeds through our online store were initiated. Since then we have continuously added more accessions of seeds from all major growing areas. The IMSB now offers the largest known selection of moringa seeds in the world. Seeds from the bank have been used to produce thousands of seedlings for our field trials here in Hawai`i and donation to local food security initiatives. Leaf materials from the seedlings are being used for phylogenetics and biopesticide research. Seeds from the bank are used to start field trials under research agreements with our international partners and hundreds of small farms and consumers have purchased seeds directly from the bank via our online store for their needs.
In keeping with our sustainability commitments, in 2021, installation of an addition to our solar photovoltaic cell array, monitoring and alarms, and a battery back-up system was completed to provide green power, 24/7 remote monitoring and back-up for our six seed bank freezers.
Refer to this WEBPAGE for detailed information about this project.
Moringa – Field Trials for Identification and Development of Improved Cultivars
Project Overview
Moringa species and varieties have wide genetic diversity and this affects their adaptability to new environments and growing conditions. Most of the available cultivars and information on their performance comes from India and is only for varieties of Moringa oleifera. There is scant information from other growing areas and for other species.
The primary objectives of this research are to use the germplasm of our International Moringa Seed Bank to test the performance of a wide array of moringa species and varieties in field trials conducted in diverse growing areas and to compile and publish the data from these trials. This data will be used to help inform growers on the selection of seeds best suited for their areas and type of desired outputs e.g., leaf materials, edible pods, seed oil or biofuel. This is our largest ongoing research activity.
Current Status (August 2023)
We have now distributed or sold several hundred thousand seedlings or seeds of various moringa species and varieties from our seed bank for field trials. These are being conducted by individuals, small farms, research partners and farm businesses. Data on the performance of trees grown in these trials is being collected and we are now making it available on our website.
Currently there are field trials in progress at nine locations on Hawai`i island, in Arizona and Texas, and internationally in Australia, Cambodia, Mali, Senegal, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Most of these are in the early stages with the first plantings taking place in 2021 and 2022. Additional trials were planned with two major universities in 2023 but they were unable to secure the necessary grants.
We are continuing to have difficulties with communications and getting growers to routinely submit the data we need. An application to the USDA for a grant to assist us and provide stipends to growers for data collection was not funded.
Additional information on these trails will be provided in future updates of this website.
Moringa – Phylogenetic Studies
Project Overview
The phylogenetics (evolutionary history and genetic relationships) of the various moringa species and varieties are not well established. Phylogenetic data could be very helpful in developing plant breeding programs and to isolate genes involved in expression of desirable characteristics. The objective of this project, carried out in collaboration with Dr. Neng Wei of the Wuhan Botanical Garden (WBG), Chinese Academy of Sciences, is to provide seeds and leaf materials from a wide array of moringa species and varieties for DNA extraction, sequencing and performing the phylogeny analyses needed to establish the phylogeny.
Current Status
Our seed bank and moringa seedlings produced from it provided the largest known selection of specimen materials for this project. We began to collect and process many leaf specimens from seedlings generated by our ongoing seed germination testing and trees in local field trials on Hawai`i island. In December 2021 we shipped seeds of some rare species and 53 dried leaf specimens to the WBG. They are being analyzed there and some results are expected in late 2023.
 Moringa Leaf Specimens for Phylogenetics Research at the Wuhan Botanical Garden |
Moringa – Potential Uses for Treatment of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infections
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Project Overview
The primary objectives of this project were to improve awareness of the potential use of moringa for treatment of COVID-19 infections and promote research to investigate this. From our other research activities with moringa we had become aware of the antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive and antidiabetic activities of plant derived materials and their uses in traditional medicines for related diseases. This lead us to propose the potential use of these materials as a safe, multifunctional therapeutic agent for COVID-19 infections. In early April 2020, only about two weeks after the World Health Organization declared a pandemic, we published on this website, a draft literature review with extensive references supporting this use and began extensive and ongoing efforts to promote related research. When this publication was first made no U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drugs demonstrated safety and efficacy in randomized controlled trials for patients with COVID-19 and there was no definite and effective treatment for the disease.
Current Status (August 2022)
In June 2020 the first research was published indicating that compounds from moringa leaves strongly bind to and inhibit viral peptides of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, that they are effective antiviral agents and could be used in clinical trials. In July 2020 we were invited to submit information on moringa as a potential therapeutic candidate for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV) public-private partnership. This information was compiled and submitted to the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences on July 10, 2020. In 2021 and 2022 more than 15 additional studies have been published supporting the proposed use of moringa for COVID-19 infections. We are unaware of any clinical trials in progress or planned.
Refer to this webpage for more detailed information about this project and our draft literature review.
Moringa – Proprietary Pharmaceuticals
We have discovered one potential major application of a moringa derived material for treatment of multiple diseases affecting one organ system. It is currently undergoing preliminary assessment by a medical organization in Hawai`i under a confidentiality agreement. If the assessment is favorable we anticipate filing a related patent application. Additional information cannot be disclosed at this time.
Moringa – Production of Research Materials
We produce plant materials for others to use in their research.
 Bulk Leaves of Moringa stenopetala |
 Leaf Extract From Moringa stenopetala |
 Vial of Seed Oil from Moringa oleifera |
Native Hawaiian Plant Propagation
This section is under construction.
New Invasive Species (Hawai`i)
This section is under construction.
Brazilian Prickly Pear (Brasiliopuntia brasiliensis)
Fishbone Cactus (Selenicereus anthonyanus)
Micky Mouse Plant (Ochna thomasiana)
Ornamental Plant Introductions
This section is under construction.
Rare Madagascan Epiphyte (Kalanchoe gracilipes)
Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora)
Songosongo (Pachypodium ambongense)
This page was last updated on February 20, 2024.