Conventional/Traditional Method

In Hawaii, papayas were commercially grown and

exported mostly to Japan. At its peak in 1984, Hawaii
was growing 80 million pounds of papayas per year.
Normal crop growing was sustainable and accepted until
1992, when the Papaya ringspot virus infected most
papaya trees.
Benefits
Papayas grown without genetic modification were
considered safe, organic, and were welcomed by the
European and Asian countries who rejected GMOs.
They were considered delicacies and often
given as gifts, increasing their value.
Drawbacks
The ringspot virus destroyed the papaya industry,
withering trees and dotting the fruit with ring-shaped
spots. By 1998, production had been cut in half and
most trees were infected. Many farmers no longer
had jobs due to the lack of healthy plants, and Hawaiis
$17 million dollar papaya industry was struggling to survive.

Works Cited
http://modernfarmer.com/2013/12/battlegroundhawaii-tiny-island-state-leading-battle-gmos/
http://hawaiitribune-herald.com/sections/news/
local-news/papaya-gmo-success-story.html
Pictures:
ttp://weknowyourdreams.com/papaya.html
h
http://www.michaelochs.com/detail/photo/papayatrees-in-an-orchard-valle-del-cauca-high-res-stock
-photography/126161164

Genetically Engineered Method

Dr. Gonsalves, working with the University of Hawaii, created
a new transgenic species immune to the ringspot virus,
which was called the Rainbow Papaya. The Rainbow
Papaya was a hybrid cross between the yellow-flesh
Kapoho Solo variety and the red-flesh SunUp. The scientists isolated
the gene for the ringspot viruss protein coat, or its capsid
protein, and used tiny DNA-coated projectiles to shoot the
gene into papaya cells. These cells added the new gene to
its own DNA, and this was incorporated into a new papaya variety.
The capsid protein injected gives these new papayas an immune
effect towards the virus.

Benefits
The new rainbow papaya was resistant to the ringspot virus,
which allowed it to be cultivated even when the virus was around. Tests have shown
that the GMO papaya is just as nutritious as ordinary papayas
and have no allergens or toxins. Today, rainbow papayas cover 75% of
Hawaiis papaya growth and have made the virus less prevalent in nature, helping
protect non-GMO papayas. The rainbow papaya helped the papaya
industry in Hawaii live on.
Drawbacks
Hawaiis papaya industry never truly came back, with only
30.1 million papayas being harvested in 2010. Many former importers of
papayas who are wary of GMOs didnt accept the new papaya,
cutting exports to a fifth of what they once were.
South Korea and Europe stopped importing from Hawaii, and Japan required
tests to certify organic papayas, rejecting GMO ones. In addition, there has
been massive pollen cross-contamination between organic and GMO papaya
plants. Many supposedly organic papayas turned out to have some of the rainbow papayas
genes,causing many organic farmers to quit. Many local Hawaiians have protested against
GMO papayas, and due to their unpopularity, acts of ecoterrorism have occurred like
chopping down rainbow papaya trees.

Works Cited:
http://www.gmo-compass.org/eng/grocery_shopping/fruit_vegetables/14
.genetically_modified_papayas_virus_resistance.html
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~doisteph/Papaya/rainbow.html
http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/biotechinfocus/images
/bulletinpdf/Bulletin_Issue21.pdf
http://www.hawaiiseed.org/local-issues/papaya/
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/genetically-modified-hawaii/
Pictures:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papaya_ringspot_virus
http://butterbeliever.com/trouble-in-paradise-gmo-papayas-from-hawaii/