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Killer fungi spread to Dandan, Rapugao Hill
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Posted on Apr 12 2005
You can now add Dandan and Rapugao Hill to the growing list of villages infected by the bud rot disease that threatens to wipe out the entire betel nut industry of the CNMI.
Agriculture consultant Isidoro Cabrera of the Northern Marianas College-Cooperative Research Extension and Education Service said the killer fungi, Pythopthora meadii, has already spread to more than 250 betel nut trees in Dandan and more than 150 betel nut trees in Rapugao Hill.
The two villages join As Lito, As Mahetog, Capitol Hill, Donne, Kagman, Papago, Tanapag, San Vicente and Mt. Tapochao among areas that are infected by the killer disease.
Cabrera, in earlier interview, said the infestation is expected to get worse with the coming of the rainy season.
To make matters worse, the permit to use the recommended fungicide to stop and prevent the spread of the disease took awhile to be approved.
A concerned farmer said the trees in his plantation are already dying every day and if the delay in the permit continues, the entire betel nut population in his plantation would be wiped out.
Cabrera said once a particular tree gets afflicted by the disease, it only takes—at the very least—six to 14 days before the entire tree is totally infected and soon starts to die out.
The permit to use the chemicals Kocide 4.5L and Fosphite has already been approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Division of Environmental Quality.
Cabrera said betel nut farmers have been calling him almost everyday to follow up on the permit, and now that it has been approved, he is hopeful they could move on with helping betel nut growers save their farms.
“Be patient,” said Cabrera referring to the farmers. He said CREES is doing its best to expedite the solution to the bud rot infestation.
There are over 100,000 betel nut trees on Saipan alone. Rota has 15,000 and Tinian has about 10,000. Earlier reports said that an estimated 30 percent has already been lost to the betel nut infestation on Saipan alone. The dollar amount would be greater if the problem persists.
