House sparrow (Passer domesticus) damage assessment to wheat crop in farm forestry area
2001
Shafiq, M.M. (Pakistan Forest Inst., Peshawar (Pakistan)) | Khalid, U.
House sparrows (Passer domesticus) are considered the most destructive avian pest inflecting heavy damage to wheat and millet crop. In order to confirm this a general survey of Agricultural fields around Pakistan Forest Institute, Agriculture University, Peshawar and village Serdheri (Charsadda) was conducted in the month of April-May 1998. 1x1 m2 quadrate sample was taken after every 10 m length and 2 m inside the plots with plots without trees, plot having trees on one side, trees in the whole field and trees in whole field with barbed wire/fence. The damage was observed in the plots with trees on two sides and in plots with trees and fenced sides. The damage observed was very minor i.e. 0.09% to 1.07%. It is concluded that damage to wheat crop by house sparrow is negligible and the trees around the field or inside the whole field do not pose any threat to the crop. Frequent visits of house sparrow to the wheat field in the month of April-May is mainly due to the presence of large population of army worm, Heliothis armigera which they collect to feed their young ones in the breeding season.
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