Mr. Mark J. Bonin

"They were absolutely astounded" by the slug population, said Mark J. Bonin, a tropical horticulturist with Northern Marianas College's Cooperative Research, Education and Extension Services.

Although there's been no damage estimate calculated, Bonin said the population of the two-striped slugs is "exploding to extremely high numbers."

Bonin said the problem with the slug is that it eats any plant and can reproduce by itself.He said farmers have been pointing out the problem every day.

"They eat just about anything -- any plant," he said."There are certain plants that they prefer more than others, but they are largely indiscriminate."

Bonin said the slug is native to the Caribbean and may have been brought to the Marianas through shipments of ornamental plants.

Local horticulturist, Mark Bonin, told the PACNEWS agency the population outbreak is a cause of alarm because it's destroying crops and trees.Mr Bonin says there is a need for immediate assistance from the government.

Northern Marianas College Horticulturist Mark J. Bonin says the slugs will eat trees and vegetables and thrive in wet areas.Bonin is asking the Department of Lands and Natural Resources to assist Rota residents control the outbreak of the Cuban slug.

Heading the workshop is tropical horticulturist Mark J. Bonin of the Rota NMC-CREES.

Earlier, Bonin disclosed that millions of slugs, including a harmful species from the Caribbean called the Cuban slug, have invaded and grown to epidemic proportions on Rota.

There's a need for immediate assistance from the government," said tropical horticulturist Mark J. Bonin of Rota's Northern Marianas College-Cooperative Research Education and Extension Service.

Bonin, who was on Saipan last week for a scheduled workshop that was cancelled due to the typhoon, said the Cuban slug, scientifically known as Vernicella cubenis, is a two-striped slug.

"It has an amazing range of color from milky white which is the one present on Rota, [to] stripe, brown, and black," he said.

So far, he said the Cuban slug has not been found on Saipan and Tinian.

"That's good and we should keep it that way, which means we should strengthen our quarantine efforts.Likewise, there's a huge need for public awareness," he said.

Based on initial accounts, he said the Cuban slug on Rota came from Hawaii and Guam.The species is believed to have reached Hawaii through importation of ornamental plants about 15 years ago.

"It's not sure when it reached Guam but it's there and it's on Rota, most likely through containers," he said.

Bonin related that in a recent survey on Rota, he and his group spotted a slimy area underneath a papaya tree that was hosting some 200 to 300 slugs.

"It's a very serious pest.It attacks almost all kinds of plants using its razor-sharp tongue," he said.

Bonin said his office has discussed the problem with the Department of Land and Natural Resources."We're working in coordination with DLNR.DLNR's assistance is most needed to carry out a serious suppressant program."

So far, he said, the most effective method to contain the slugs is by using baits.

With the level of outbreak on Rota, he said the government's assistance is needed to purchase enough slug baits.

"Individual farmers can buy their own bait but it's limited.If we want to get rid of it altogether, the government should come in [now]," he said.
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Bonin, Hollingsworth and another colleague, David Robinson from the USDA-Animal Plant Inspection Services, visited Saipan to hold a survey and workshop on slugs and snails.
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Bonin said the two may drop by the CNMI when they do the survey and workshop in nearly island states.

During that time, tropical horticulturist Mark J. Bonin of Rota's CREES said that no Cuban slug has been found yet on Saipan and Tinian.Bonin urged the government to strengthen quarantine efforts.

Bonin said the Cuban slugs on Rota are believed to have come from Hawaii and Guam.The pests are believed to have reached Hawaii through importation of ornamental plants about 15 years ago.

In one of the field surveys on Rota, Bonin said his team spotted about 300 slugs on a papaya tree.He said the most effective way to contain slugs is the use of baits.

Tropical horticulturist Mark J. Bonin of Rota's CREES stressed the need for the government to strengthen quarantine efforts.

Bonin said the Cuban slugs on Rota are believed to have come from Hawaii and Guam.The pests are believed to have reached Hawaii through importation of ornamental plants about 15 years ago.

"Farmers across Rota are cultivating these trees and intercropping them with other trees and root crops like taro," says Mark Bonin, a tropical horticulturist with Northern Mariana College and a technical adviser to the Calvo family farmers.

Calvo also raises as many as 13 different types of fruit in addition to his three main vegetables: chili peppers, taro and cassava.He sells his harvest at a farmers market and local retail stores, and plans to target tourist-frequented areas such as the airport.His offerings include value-added products created by his wife, Julie, who processes chilies, makes banana chips and pickles mangoes and papayas.Finally, Calvo uses papaya discards as animal food at his zoo.

Economics and Profitability Calvo anticipates that adding the three trees - coffee, noni and da'ok - to his fruit and vegetable mix will help even out and add to his income stream.

The main purpose of intercropping with trees, said Bonin, is to achieve economic sustainability."If one crop fails, another can back it up," he says.

Calvo's goal of revitalizing the coffee industry in the Northern Mariana Islands was furthered by a SARE farmer/rancher grant in 2001.
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"I would encourage anyone who is trying the same thing to prepare your da'ok trees to protect your coffee trees," says Bonin."Intercropping and strategically planting the trees can also protect other crops like taro."

To underscore the importance of planting such trees in the mercurial climate of Rota, Bonin reported that a majority of Calvo's windbreak trees survived the August 2004 typhoon, a testimony, he said, to good planning for sustainability.

The Future Calvo plans to integrate weeder geese into his sustainable farming cycles once he can sort through import restrictions arising from the avian flu scare.He hopes the geese will tackle all of his pests - weeds, insects and slugs - leaving a layer of manure behind to fertilize the plants and trees, a cycle that will eliminate costly pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.

"On top of that," says Calvo, "the feeder geese make good watch dogs," frightening away crop-feeding deer and other intruders. In addition to the geese, Calvo's next venture is to intercrop vanilla with his coffee trees.He plans to market the vanilla through the same channels as his coffee.