Methods for evaluation of rodenticides in oil palm plantations [Malaysia]
1990
Chia, T.H. | Visvalingam, M. (Agriculture Research Centre ICI, Bemban, Malacca (Malaysia)) | Buckle, A.P. | Fenn, M.G.P. (Public Health ICI, Fernhurst, Surrey (United Kingdom))
Rodents are important pests on oil palm estates, inflicting losses of about 5 % if control measures are not implemented. Extensive programmes of field trials have therefore been conducted by a number of agencies to develop cost-effective control strategies. The evaluation methods used in these studies are varied but fall into two main categories. Firstly, direct assessments of rodent numbers have been obtained using capture-mark-recapture regimes. These methods are time-consuming but the data derived from them has the benefit of being expressed directly in terms of the numbers of target animals. A second approach commonly employed involves assessments of rat activity, usually based on estimates of rat damage to fruit bunches. These techniques are simple, inexpensive and provide information on the parameter which is the objective of the treatments to reduce, oil palm damage, but one which is not obviously related to rat numbers. This paper reviews these techniques, particularly with respect to their practicality and reliability. The paper also describes a series of field trials, conducted to compare baits based on brodifacoum, bromadiolone and warfarin, in which these techniques were used as well as the novel one of attaching miniature radio transmitters to animals to study directly their survival in treated and untreated plots. The trials clearly demonstrated the superior performance of brodifacoum ('Matikus') baits, both in terms of efficacy and cost
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