Rat Control in Pineapples on Rota

Project Overview

FW03-017
Project Type: Farmer/Rancher
Funds awarded in 2003: $5,969.00
Projected End Date: 12/31/2004
Region: Western
State: Northern Mariana Islands
Principal Investigator:
Lino Mendiola

Commodities

  • Fruits: pineapples

Practices

  • Pest Management: physical control, general pest management

    Proposal summary:

    The pineapples Lino Mendiola grows on his Rota farm are noted for their sweetness, providing a valuable edge for marketing his pineapple jam. But the sweetness has a drawback: local rats have acquired a taste. When snare traps failed to control the rats, he turned to commercial rat bait. The bait kills the rats, but land-based coconut crabs that scavenge on the rats are also killed by the poison. His pineapples also suffer from wind damage. Mendiola plans to attack both problems by planting a double windrow of trees around his property. The taller row will be a locally grown tree that produces a nut from which valuable oil is extracted. The inside row, which will also be planted as interior plot-dividing hedges, will be Gliricidia sepium, said to have rodenticidal properties, providing a natural rat bait.

    Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or SARE.