Permit for second chemical to fight bud rot finally arrives

The second chemical that would help prevent—if not eradicate—the spread of the deadly bud rot disease, which has killed thousands of betel nut trees in the CNMI, has finally been approved for purchase.

Northern Marianas College-Cooperative Research Education and Extension Service agricultural consultant Isidoro T. Cabrera said he received a notice from the Division of Environmental Quality that the permit to purchase the chemical, Kocide LF45, has been released by the Environment Protection Agency Region 9 office Monday.

Cabrera said the chemical would help them save betel nut trees, especially the seedlings that could not be injected with the first chemical, Fosphite, which has cured adult trees.

“The seedlings are too small to be injected with Fosphite,” he said, adding that CREES will purchase Kocide as an alternative cure to Fosphite.

The campaign against bud rot, which entails the injection of the fungicide Fosphite directly to trees infected by the disease, started only last month. Cabrera earlier said it would take another four to six months before the campaign against Pytophthora Meadii could be declared a success or not.

“It’s too early to tell,” he said although more than 6,500 betel nut trees have been saved from the dreaded bud rot disease,

Cabrera said they still could not ascertain the health of Saipan’s betel nut industry and it may be until April or June before they could come out with their findings, but he remains positive about the campaign. He said based on what had happened on Guam last year—when the same disease attacked the territory’s betel nut farms—the island also did the same treatment and the production of betel nut improved tremendously.

Betel nut growers on Saipan reportedly have lost an estimated $2.25 million during the first quarter of this year, when 30 percent of about 100,000 betel nut trees on the island died from the bud rot disease.

Cabrera earlier said the government would have lost 4 percent, or $90,000, of its gross revenue from the farmers if the problem persisted. Cabrera said there are over 100,000 betel nut trees on Saipan alone. Rota has 15,000 and Tinian about 10,000.

He said the agency has been very aggressive in stopping the further spread of the disease. NMC-CREES continuously injects the cure to more trees every week. He said more farmers have been cooperating with the agency to salvage what is left of their betel nut farms.

Affected betel nut trees include those in Dandan, Rapugao Hill, As Lito, As Mahetog, Capitol Hill, Donne, Kagman, Papago, Tanapag, San Vicente, Mt. Tapochao, and Gualo Rai.

Cabrera said farmers and growers who need his office’s assistance to combat the disease could reach him through his mobile phone at 287-0571.