Research Guides: Traditional Pacific Island Crops: Betel Nut

Key Web Resources for Betel Nut (Areca catechu)

The scientific name for betel nut, sometimes spelled betelnut, is Areca catechu. It is currently only found in cultivation so the exact origin of the species is unknown. South Asia, southeast Asia, and the Philippines have been suggested as areas of origin.

The kernels of both green and ripe fruits (often called “nuts”) are chewed as an astringent and stimulant, often in combination with the leaves or fruit of betel pepper (Piper betel) and lime. Betel nut was introduced to New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and the western Micronesian islands by early indigenous voyagers. Since then, its use and cultivation has spread eastward to Fiji, Samoa, and other Pacific islands. It is a major commercial crop in south Asia where it is widely used, but in the Pacific it is generally grown for local consumption or for interisland trade.

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Areca catechu
(World Agroforestry Centre, AgroForestryTree Database) Briefly covers botany, ecology, propagation and management, uses, and pests and diseases; includes references. (530 Kb PDF file)
Areca catechu (Betel Nut Palm)
(G.W. Staples and R.F. Bevacqua. 2006. Species Profiles for Pacific Island Agroforestry) Comprehensive monograph on betel nut in the Pacific. Covers botany, genetics, growing conditions, propagation, uses and products, and agroforestry applications; includes references. (1 Mb PDF file)

Specific Topics for Betel Nut (Areca catechu)

No free, full-text resources have been found for this specific topic.

In many cases, the documents linked in the Key Web Resources section above will provide some information on this topic. Additional information may also be available by searching the resources in the Databases tab.

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Betel-Nut Palm Care
(Victor T. Artero and Vincent M. Santos. 2000. University of Guam Cooperative Extension, Fruit Production Publication FR2000_12) Betel nut production including varieties, propagation, fertilization, harvesting, insect pests and diseases. (2.5 Mb PDF file)
Propagation Protocol for Production of Container Areca catechu Plants
Craig R. Elevitch and Kim M. Wilkinson. 2004. Native Plant Network) This protocol covers propagation of betel nut palm from seed.

The Pacific Islands Pest List Database
(Secretary of the Pacific Community) This database contains records of pests and diseases that are currently known to affect agriculture, forestry and the environment in Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs). Country pest lists are currently available for Samoa, Tonga, Niue, French Polynesia, Fiji, American Samoa, Cook Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, FSM, Palau and Marshall Islands. The database can be also be searched by crop; use either English common name or botanical name. The database contains records for all of the crops covered by this Web site.
Plant Pests and Insects Publications (Agricultural Pests of the Pacific)
(ADAP Project. 2000) Leaflet series with color photographs of insect pests and crop damage. Includes pests of banana, betel nut, breadfruit, cassava, coconut, kava, pandanus, sugarcane, sweet potato, and taro. All available in PDF format.

No free, full-text resources have been found for this specific topic.

Please email us if you know of resources for this page.

Betel Nut (Areca Nut)
(Hawaii AIDS Education and Training Center, John A. Burns School of Medicine, UH Manoa) Links to full text of articles on the health problems caused by the use of betel nut.
The Pacific Islands Food Composition Tables, 2nd ed.
(Cecily Dignan, Barbara Burlingame, Shailesh Kumar and William Aalbersberg. 2004. FAO) Food tables for a large variety of foods consumed in Pacific Islands. There are 22 nutrients in the main body of the tables, which are presented in a fixed format for each record. The order of presentation is based on major nutrient categories and convention.

No free, full-text resources have been found for this specific topic.

Please email us if you know of resources for this page.

Federated States of Micronesia - Merchandise Trades Statistics
(Federated States of Micronesia, Division of Statistics) Provides dollar value of exports for banana, kava, betel nuts, copra, and root crops for 2000 through 2006.
U.S. Census of Agriculture - 2007 Census Publications
(USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service) The "Outlying Areas" section has links to the 2007 reports for Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. There are links to previous Census of Agriculture publications which also include American Samoa. Generally, the reports include harvest figures for banana and plantain, betel nut, breadfruit, cassava, coconut, sweet potato, taro, and yam.

Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) - Kerala, India
CPCRI's mission includes the development of appropriate production, protection and processing technologies for coconut and arecanut (betel nut) through basic and applied research. It also acts as a national repository for the genetic resources of these crops. They have both free and for-sale publications.

AgEcon Search
(University of Minnesota and Agricultural and Applied Economics Association) AgEcon Search collects, indexes, and electronically distributes full text copies of scholarly research in the broadly defined field of agricultural economics including sub disciplines such as agribusiness, food supply, natural resource economics, environmental economics, policy issues, agricultural trade, and economic development.
PubAg
(National Agricultural Library, USDA) PubAg is a portal to USDA-authored and other highly relevant agricultural research. At launch, it delivered over 40,000 full-text journal articles by USDA staff and includes nearly 450,000 citations. Open access; no login required.
ScholarSpace - UH Manoa
(University of Hawaii at Manoa Library) ScholarSpace is UH Manoa's institutional repository. It provides free Web access to many of the University's publications. It includes both legacy publications and current research papers, journal articles, books, and conference proceedings. All are available in full text as PDF files. Try using the Advanced Search and enter the English common name or the botanical name.
AGRICOLA: 1970 - present
(National Agricultural Library, USDA) Citations, most with abstracts, to journal articles, books, theses, technical reports, and other publications in agriculture and related areas such as nutrition, biotechnology, and botany. Use the Keyword Search and enter the English common name or the botanical name.
AGRIS: 1975 - present
(FAO) International database covering agricultural sciences and technology containing citations for conventional and non-conventional ("grey") literature. Search using the English common name or the botanical name.
PubMed (Medline): 1946 - present
(U.S. National Library of Medicine, NIH) Citations with abstracts for journal articles in biology and medicine including botany and nutrition. Citations may include links to free full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites. Search using the English common name or the botanical name.
Sorting Areca Names - Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database
(Snow Barlow. 2003. University of Melbourne) Lists approved botanical names and synonyms and provides common names in a number of languages.

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