Anyone with questions on how to grow breadfruit has a new guidebook to reference, thanks to the Breadfruit Institute of the National Tropical Botanical Garden and Agroforestry Net.

“Breadfruit Agroforestry Guide: Planning and Implementation of Regenerative Organic Methods” blends tips from modern horticultural techniques with traditional growing methods similar to those used by Pacific Islanders.

“Breadfruit has been grown sustainably since humans began cultivating it thousands of years ago,” said Diane Ragone, director of the Breadfruit Institute, who authored the new book with Craig Elevitch, director of Agroforestry Net.

She continued: “It’s vital that we revive centuries of indigenous knowledge and traditional methods into a modern context. Doing so will help breadfruit thrive and support communities for many generations.”

Ragone and Elevitch have teamed up before to write The Breadfruit Production Guide with Ian Coal, which is a ground-level guide to breadfruit cultivation.

On Kauai, The Breadfruit Institute formed in 2003 and promotes using breadfruit for a sustainable food crop and reforestation under Ragone’s direction.

After years of collection, the institute has about 150 varieties of breadfruit — the largest collection of breadfruit varieties in existence and works to micropropogate the plants.

Working with Global Hunger Initiative, The Breadfruit Institute has distributed more than 73,000 trees to 37 countries to promote food security and environmental conservation.

“Ulu” in Hawaiian, breadfruit is a starchy canoe plant that once grew in larger numbers on Kauai.

It’s gotten popular in the gluten-free markets as it can be made into flour, it’s similar to a potato or a yam and can be used for main dishes, deserts, baked goods and beverages.

Ulu has a high nutritional value, moderate glycemic index and high levels of potassium.

The new breadfruit guide includes tips to sustain productivity over long periods of time, while regenerating land degraded by erosion, compaction, overgrazing and loss of organic matter, according to NTBG.

It covers subjects like recognizing breadfruit varieties, agroforest planning, planting, maintenance, sustainable accompanying crops, value-added products and economic evaluation.

The guide targets a range of growing scenarios from backyard gardens to large farms.

“This is a crucial time for the future of breadfruit and island agriculture in general,” said Elevitch.

He said the agroforestry guide will help growers capitalize on breadfruit agroforestry’s high production potential while also regenerating land that has been degraded by previous agriculture activities.

“Given that the single-crop plantation model with high chemical inputs leads to declining soil fertility and plant health, growers are now developing models fro breadfruit production rooted in traditional methods,” he said.

A free pdf version of the 64-page, fully illustrated book can be downloaded from www.breadfruit.org and www.breadfruit.info. Hard copies are for sale from online retailers such as Amazon.com.

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Jessica Else, environment reporter, can be reached at 245-0452 or jelse@thegardenisland.com.