After the papaya ringspot virus threatened to destroy Hawai’i’s papaya industry when it first appeared in 1992, genetically engineered papayas were released in 1998 as an attempt to stop the potentially-devastating virus. The release of genetically-modified products has sparked controversy between organic farmers and those who opted to use genetically-modified seeds to save their crops.

Scientists, some at the University of Hawai’i, genetically engineered the »Rainbow« and »Sunup« papaya varieties to be resistant to the virus.