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Genetics and Genomics of Papaya pp 115–142Cite as

Hawaii’s Transgenic Papaya Story 1978–2012: A Personal Account

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Part of the book series: Plant Genetics and Genomics: Crops and Models ((PGG,volume 10))

Abstract

In May 1998, papaya ring spot virus (PRSV)-resistant transgenic “Rainbow” and “SunUp” papaya were released to growers and helped save the papaya industry in Hawaii. This review provides a personal account of the Hawaii transgenic papaya story from 1978 to 2012. It traces the general technical development of the papaya, but more importantly, it provides a personal account of the events in the story. These events include the rationale to proactively develop control methods in the event the PRSV would enter Puna, where 95 % of Hawaii’s papaya were being grown in 1992; the formation and motivation of the research team; the coinciding of the transgenic papaya development with the invasion of Puna by PRSV; the deregulation and commercialization of the transgenic papaya in the US; and the long road to its deregulation and commercialization in Japan. And it describes activities in the “red zone” of translational biotechnology.

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Acknowledgements

I am fortunate to have been associated with many people that contributed to the papaya story. They are too many to name and I undoubtedly missed a number of them in the text of the story. I thank all of you as I complete my involvement in the Hawaii transgenic papaya story and wish good fortunes to those that will continue. I specifically thank Carol my wife who has been with me throughout this entire story. Most importantly, Rickie Deniz, a true friend that I had for such a short time, showed me how to really get things done in the “red zone.”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center, 64 Nowelo Street, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA

    Dennis Gonsalves

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  1. Dennis Gonsalves
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Correspondence to Dennis Gonsalves .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champai, Urbana, Illinois, USA

    Ray Ming

  2. Hawaii Agriculture Research Center, Kaneohe, Hawaii, USA

    Paul H. Moore

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Gonsalves, D. (2014). Hawaii’s Transgenic Papaya Story 1978–2012: A Personal Account. In: Ming, R., Moore, P. (eds) Genetics and Genomics of Papaya. Plant Genetics and Genomics: Crops and Models, vol 10. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8087-7_7

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