The breadfruit collection at the National Tropical Botanical Garden is completely mapped and labeled. An extensive computerized database containing locations, accession numbers, names, provenance information, and general descriptions has been developed. Systematic evaluation and description of the collection is essential to using and sharing this unique resource. A 10-year study of seasonality, production, and yields showed that year-round production of breadfruit is possible. Twenty varieties have been selected for further evaluation and research is underway to make these available for testing at other locations in the tropics.

Some of the research projects undertaken by the Breadfruit Institute and collaborators include:

• Developing in vitro (tissue culture) propagation methods for conservation and distribution of breadfruit varieties in collaboration with Dr Susan Murch, University of British Columbia, Okanagan, and Dr Mary Taylor, Secretariat of the Pacific Community, Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees (SPC/CePaCT).
  
  
• Nutritional composition and fruit quality sensory evaluation for 20 breadfruit varieties in collaboration with Catherine Cavaletto, University of Hawaii.
  
  
• Developing morphological descriptors, to help identify and describe breadfruit varieties.
  
  
• Collecting, documenting, and conserving traditional breadfruit cultivars in Micronesia and Polynesia. Videographic documentation of cultural practices in Oceania in collaboration with Jim Wiseman, DigitalMedia Hawaii/Pacific.
  

Research on the National Tropical Botanical Garden breadfruit collection has also included: Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and isozyme analyses and chromosome counts, to assess genetic diversity and taxonomic relationships

Research initiatives are underway in the Pacific, Caribbean, Africa, and elsewhere to develop breadfruit's potential.