Aloha, Eric. Welcome to Permies!
I'm over on Big Island and have attended numerous seed exchanges over here, and have run a couple. Rules tend to be set by the organizer. So someone on your end has objection to what they deem to be invasive species (and apparently experienced black rot, too). But as you pointed out, what one person deems invasive, another may term as an easy to grow successful crop. Personal example -- I call Bermuda grass an undesirable invasive, but my
cattle raising neighbors deem it to be a valuable forage crop in their pastures. Two options, two different points of view....because we have different goals. Another prime example is strawberry guava, deemed an invasive so serious that the State brought in an insect vector to help control it. But on my farm I purposely grow strawberry guava because it is my number one go-to for garden stakes, trellises, and making livestock hurdles. Plants become invasive because landowners don't want to do anything to steward their
land, especially land investors.
On my island, some seed exchanges at one time banned soil because of coquis. Then once coqui frogs had spread everywhere, the soil ban disappeared. Banning soil didn't do a lick of good in reducing the spread of coquis. Most exchanges don't scan for diseases or pests, and frankly, you simply can't prevent much by bans. If you garden
enough years, just about everything will find you anyway even without going to seed exchanges, bans or no bans.
I love seed exchanges. I normally arrive with a backpack full of bagged, labeled donations. I takes time and a little expense to prepare, but I dose out seeds into little snack baggies and label them using a sharpie pen. Cuttings go into larger baggies, gallon size if need be. Taro huli, sugar cane, and banana keikis I simply write the variety name right on the stalk. Then I take assorted baggies and sharpie pen along with me to put my gatherings into. This system works well for me.
I often find new material at the exchanges. Like today, though it wasn't an exchange, I found two new taro varieties at a local hula festival. How cool! I picked up Mama Ulu and Mana Opelu. Great additions.
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