Betel nut fungi spread to San Vicente

The deadly fungus that has already killed hundreds of betel nut trees on Saipan has now spread to over a hundred trees in San Vicente, according to a local expert.

Northern Marianas College–Cooperative Research Extension and Education Services agricultural consultant Isidoro Cabrera said yesterday that his group discovered another outbreak of the fungus Phytophthora meadii in San Vicente during a regular routine surveillance of the area.

San Vicente now joins other areas whose betel nut trees have been infected by the fungus, including As Lito, As Mahetog, Capitol Hill, Donni, Kagman, Papago, and Tanapag.

Cabrera said that, at the moment, NMC-CREES has no updates on the efforts to the control the spread of the disease. “We’re still waiting for the approval of the special permit for the chemicals [needed to control the outbreak],” Cabrera said.

NMC-CREES had initially asked the Division of Environmental Quality for approval to use the pesticide Kocide 4.5LF to counter the growth and kill the fungi. However, Dr. George Wall, a plant pathologist from the University of Guam who visited the island early this month, said that other chemicals would be needed to solve the problem.

Cabrera said that up to now they have yet to receive any response from DEQ.

The agency must obtain permission from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in California before it can give approval for the use of the chemical. He said that NMC-CREES executive director Anthony Benavente has been following up on the approval.

Wall said during his visit that Kocide 4.5LF is not enough to cure the trees. He recommended the use of two other chemicals—Foshpite and Agri FOS—which he said would be injected into the trees.

Cabrera said that they couldn’t do much right now because they are still waiting for the chemicals. The approval, he said, might take another four to six weeks.

Budget is not a problem now, Cabrera said, since the Office of the Governor has already approved $10,000 for the acquisition of these chemicals.

Early reports said that DEQ had asked NMC-CREES to submit further application documents to justify the need for the all the fungicides needed to control the outbreak.

Cabrera said several other villages might soon be infected without these chemical controls.

Wall said earlier that policies should be enforced to contain the outbreak in the infected areas. He said that actions should be immediately taken before the rainy days and that acquiring the necessary fungicides would greatly help stop the spread.