The golden apple snail, a creature that prowled through the research interests of many scientists is finally bound in CD-ROM.  Huge data and information on the “alien invasive pest” are neatly wrapped with the title “Scientific Information Database on Golden Apple Snail (Pomacea spp.)”  complete with ISBN 971-92558-7-0.

The golden apple snail (GAS), Pomacea spp. CD-ROM provides a quick and easy access to about three decades of literature on ecology, damage, management options and utilization.

GAS is classified as an alien invasive pest of rice, taro, and other plants that grow in aquatic environments.  It includes over 400 articles, and over 100 images from sources and experts around the world.

The CD-ROM is designed as a reference tool or a resource package for agricultural technicians, researchers, advisers, students, and those engaged in GAS research, extension, and training.

Users can take the CD-ROM and study while on travel.  It is easy user-friendly as all the software needed is supplied on the disc. The information is easily accessed through Adobe Acrobat Reader and is searchable by author, title, year of publication, journal title, and keywords.

Developers of the CD-ROM said future plans include developing web wizards, establishing mirror sites for web page and translating the CD contents into Spanish, Chinese, Thai, Khmer, Vietnamese, Indonesian, and other languages. 

“We envisage that the cooperation between the GAS collaborators and institutions now contributing will continue to improve and strengthen in future as well”, the developers said.

Scientists and researchers working on GAS-related studies that would cite information on the CD-ROM may use the suggested citation below:

Joshi, R. C., Baucas, N.S., Joshi, E. E. and Verzola, E. E. 2003. Scientific

Information Database on Golden Apple Snail (Pomacea spp.) CD-ROM. Baguio:

Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Unit-Cordillera Administrative Region

(DA-RFU-CAR) in collaboration with Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice

Research Institute (DA-PhilRice), Agricultural Librarians Association of the Philippines (ALAP) and The Department of Agriculture-Cordillera Highland Agricultural Resource Management Project (DA-CHARMP).

And for those interested to get copies, they can contact:

Ms. Salome Ledesma

President, Agricultural Librarians Association of the Philippines (ALAP)

University of the Philippines at Los Baños, Main Library, College, Laguna 4031, Philippines.

Each CD-ROM is priced at 500 Philippine Pesos (local purchase) and 50 US Dollars (foreign purchase exclusive of postage and handling; E-mail: omecledesma@yahoo.com; ejoshi@philrice.gov