Critical timings of rodenticidal application for rodent pest management in mixed crop of bajar, moth and gaur

Abstract

Arid Zone being perpetually scarcity biome has low productivity. Bajra, moth and cluster bean (guar) are the major crops grown under rainfed situation in of arid zone. These crops suffer severe infestation of rodents at all stages from sowing to harvest. Critical timing for application of rodenticides to control pest rodents, when the crop suffers more infestation/damage due to population increase is the need of time. Two trials on the field efficacy of zinc phosphide (2%) and bromadiolone (0.005%) as solo and combined treatment was evaluated in mixed rainfed crops at farmers’ field at two different crop growth stage. The pest population consisted of six major rodent species viz., Merions hurrianae, Tatera indica and Millardia meltada, Golunda ellioti, Funambulus pennanti and Rattus rattus. In trial one single treatment with test rodenticides was given at vegetative growth stage. Bromadiolone (0.005%, an anticoagulant rodenticide) yielded 78.67% control success, whereas with the acute Zinc phosphide the success was 68.57% on 14th day after treatment. The combination treatment involving application with zinc phosphide (2%) followed by bromadiolone (0.005%) provided over 60% protection from rodent pests from fourth day and reached upto 82.81% on 14th day. In the second trial two treatments with test rodenticides was given, one at vegetative growth stage and another at flowering stage. The solo treatments recorded significantly higher reduction in pest population with zinc phosphide treatment (71.23%) as compared to the bromadiolone (25.37%) on 4th day after treatment. However, on 14th day bromadiolone registered higher control success (82.09%) over zinc phosphide (72.6%). The combination treatment of zinc phosphide (2%) followed by bromadiolone yielded 84.81% control success on 14th DAT. Second treatment at flowering stage yielded a significantly higher reduction in pest population with bromadiolone (85.71%) as compared to the zinc phosphide (31.57%), whereas, combination treatments proved most effective recording a control success of 90% even upto harvesting stage. Results therefore revealed significantly higher reduction in rodent activity with double treatments, than single treatment. Further when second pulse of treatment administered at flowering stage proved most effective (90% success) in suppression of the pest rodents’ even up to harvest of the crops.