Northern Marianas College-Cooperative Research Extension and Education Service agricultural consultant Isidoro T. Cabrera said Saipan may have an oversupply of betelnuts.
Most of the betelnut trees treated for budrot disease were in the Capital Hill, Papago and San Vicente areas, he added.
Since the island is experiencing continuous rain, a close monitoring of these trees will be conducted by NMC, Cabrera said.
The disease spreads during the rainy season, especially after a typhoon, he added.
According to Cabrera, high humidity, wind and heavy rains can “rejuvenate” the fungus.
Symptoms of Phytophthora meadii, or betelnut budrot, include lesions on the leaves and deterioration of the green part of the plant at the base of the leaves.
Cabrera said since the disease control program started in 2005, the production of betelnut on Saipan has increased.
The island usually imports about 50,000 betelnuts a week from Yap and Pohnpei from January to June every year, he added.
“Since we started the control program, the disease has become dormant in many areas on island,” he said, adding that the injection of the fungicide Fosphite “really helps prevent the disease.”
He said the trees injected have dark green leaves and may even produce more betelnuts.
Fosphite also acts as a fertilizer, according to Cabrera.
There are over 100,000 betelnut trees on Saipan. Rota has 15,000 while Tinian has about 10,000.
Betelnut growers on Saipan lost an estimated $2.25 million during the first quarter of 2006, when 30 percent of the betelnut trees died from the budrot disease.
Farmers who want their betelnut trees treated pay NMC-CREES only 15 cents per injection per tree.
A local law has appropriated $10,000 for the program and this amount has served as a revolving fund for NMC-CREES since 2005.
Cabrera said the project is in collaboration with the Department of Lands and Natural Resources.
For more information, you may call him at 287-0571.
