Animal and Bird
Pest Management in
Agricultural Land
The Author
Johnson Stanley is working in ICAR as Scientist at Vivekananda
Institute of Hill Agriculture, Almora, Uttarakhand. A student
of TNAU, Coimbatore, he obtained many medals/ awards and
scholarships both in M.Sc. and Ph.D. As a scientist, he is working
in various projects and published 30 research papers and book
chapters. Wildlife always being a fascination from childhood got
enhanced by working in hill station experiencing severe crop
damages by them.
Animal and Bird
Pest Management in
Agricultural Land
Author
Johnson Stanley
2015
Daya Publishing House®
A Division of
Astral International Pvt. Ltd.
New Delhi - 110 002
© 2015 AUTHOR
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Cataloging in Publication Data--DK
Courtesy: D.K. Agencies (P) Ltd. <[email protected]>
Stanley, Johnson, author.
Animal and bird pest management in agricultural land / author,
Johnson Stanley.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references (pages
) and index.
ISBN 9789351246589 (Hardbound)
ISBN 9789351306764 (International Edition)
1. Vertebrate pests--Control--India. 2. Agricultural pests--Control-India. I. Title.
DDC 632.660954
23
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Preface
Agricultural crop damage by vertebrate pests like deer, nilgai, blackbuck, wild pigs,
rabbits, elephants and monkeys apart from their attack on human beings have been
widely noticed in India. Though heavy crop damages realized, management aspects
are not properly studied or reported from India. The aim of this book is to review the
management aspects available for vertebrate pest management around the world and
to facilitate the pest management personals to have the information readily available
for selection and deployment according to their needs. The idea of writing a book
originated from a meeting on Hill Agriculture headed by the Vice-Chancellor, G.B. Pant
University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Dr. B.S. Bisht and the Director,
Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan (Indian Council of Agricultural
Research), Almora, Dr. J.C. Bhatt. The severity of vertebrate pest damage to agricultural
crops and the need for their management was felt by all and I have been given with
the task of reviewing the literature available on different aspects of vertebrate pest
management and come up with a book, which may be the base for further studies
in this aspect. The work was accomplished by the divine grace of God Almighty. The
help provided to me by my friends and relatives especially my wife, Dr. G. Preetha
are thankfully acknowledged. I hope the compilation made, will help the personals
working in this aspect to frame effective management methodologies which pave a way
for successful deployment for efficient vertebrate pest management.
This book titled Animal and Bird Pest Management in Agricultural Land
reviews the different methods for the repulsion and management of vertebrate pests
and is broadly divided into two sections. The first section explains the methods by
which these pests are waded off using repulsive or scaring techniques and the chapters
within this section are based on sensation and perception of the pest to these repellers.
The second section is on the management of vertebrate pests and further classified
in to chapters as mechanical, electrical, chemical and biological management with
vi
resistant or tolerant crops/varieties. For an effective vertebrate pest management four
‘knows’ are to be known. 1. know the pest, 2. know the damage potential, 3. know the
management and 4. know the cost economics.
Scarers can be effectively used to wade away vertebrate pests because they are
highly mobile in nature and flea from areas of danger. But a combination of different
scarers (visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile and gustatory) may be used for an effective
management. In case of pest control, poisoning can be a very easy and economic way
of killing and eradicating the pests, but should include environmental costs (chapter
8.4). Exclusion can be a good, cost effective and environmentally safer technique
(chapter 6.4). Trapping and relocation either using mechanical traps (chapter 6.5) or
using tranquilizers (chapter 8.3) may be carried out for animals with greater values.
Preventing birth rather than allowing it to born, grow and establish and then managing
can be a better option (chapter 8.2). Releasing predators, ‘cat for rat’, can be a practice
wherever feasible (chapter 9.5). Resistant varieties may not be available for all sorts of
pest problems but can be a viable option with a long term approach (chapter 10). With
all these background, one cannot directly go into the capture or kill of a pest animal
because of strict legislative laws on wild life. So, a chapter on regulatory measures
and wildlife act is also included (chapter 11). The last and the important chapter deals
with the integrated vertebrate pest management (chapter 12) with the combination of
available and effective techniques aiming damage reduction rather than pest control.
- Johnson Stanley
Foreword
Crop damage by vertebrate pests (mammals and birds) is widespread
in our country. Though the crop damage caused by these pests account for a
huge loss, management aspects of vertebrate pest has not been given proper
attention as that of insect pest management. The crop damages by vertebrate
pests are neither properly documented nor studied or reported elsewhere
in our country. This book comes therefore at an opportune time to enlighten
people about the different vertebrate pest management techniques which can
be adopted to minimize damages by them.
Vertebrate pest management, in-fact have a multidimensional approach. A
noxious pest for one group is some sort of a recreational species with aesthetic
value for some other. People who have strong animal welfare concern want better
management techniques with reduced suffering to the animal. Economists
argue spending on vertebrate pest management should give economic returns
and farmers like to sure that the expenditure incurred for pest management
is not wasted by rapid reinvasions from nearby areas. Thus the author had
a difficult task in considering all these contemporary views while preparing
this manuscript. I found the book is carefully written suggesting an integrated
vertebrate pest management emphasizing on managing the pest damage rather
than simply reducing the pest population.
The book is crammed with useful tips on vertebrate pest management.
The views were properly supported by taking details from scientific literature
published, formatted in two chapters as scarers and repellers and the second
one on management techniques. Of all the methods, a long term habitat
modification or management can be the best solution for vertebrate pest
problems. “Don’t destroy their habitat they will never destroy your farm” can
be the mantra for vertebrate pest management.
viii
Overall the management practices suggested is to reduce the vertebrate
pests below some economic levels and holding it there. No doubt, the book
is a knowledge tool to management personals and scientists working on these
aspects and also to the farmers and land managers to reduce the agricultural
losses by them. I congratulate the author for coming out with novel ideas in the
form of a book.
Dated:
D
ated:
27.10.2014
(J. C. Bhatt)
Ph: 91-5962- 230208 (O); 230130 (R); 231539 (F)
E-mail Office: [email protected]
Personal: [email protected]
Contents
Preface
v
Foreword
vii
List of Figures
xi
Introduction
1
Section I - Scarers and Repellers
1. Visual Scarers
7
2. Auditory Scarers
26
3. Olfactory Repellers
40
4. Tactile Repellers
46
5. Gustatory Repellers
50
Section II - Management Methods
6. Mechanical Scarers/ Protectants
57
7. Electrical Scarers
81
8. Chemical Management
86
9. Biological Management
114
10. Resistant or Tolerant Crops
130
11. Regulatory Measures
135
12. Integrated Vertebrate Pest Management
138
References
148
Index
193
List of Figures
1. Bird damage in various agricultural crops
3
2. Animal damage in various agricultural crops
4
3. VL WAR- A wild animal repellent by imitating fire at night
16
4. Reflecting ribbons in barnyard millet fields
23
5. Spotted munias feeding in fields with the reflecting ribbons
23
6. Reflecting surface illuminated with light to deter animals by night
23
7. Scare crow used in agricultural fields
23
8. Keeping dead bird to deter birds in rice field
23
9. Beating tins to wade off birds from millet field
23
10. Coils of barbed wires in tree trunks to discourage climbing of animals
61
11. Netting to deter animal damage in corn
61
12. Bagging of corn to prevent bird damage
61
13. Netting in peach to prevent animal/ bird damage
61
14. Electric fencing to deter animal entry into agricultural land
61
15. Manual wading of monkeys from agricultural land
61
16. Wheat landrace ‘Tank’ having long awns discourage animal damages
132
17. Aphyllus pea having tendrils discourage bird or animal feeding/ entry
132
Introduction
The old adage about sowing wheat,
“One for the rook and one for the crow, one to rot and one to grow”
is of very ancient origin, held true for centuries and shows the importance of
vertebrate pest and the damage caused by them. It is true that the bird damage starts
before the plant grows in the field and that too in some cases, double the portion of
the plant that emerges from seed will be taken away by pest birds. Birds damage fresh
sown (digging out seed/ seedling) to ripened crop of maize, lentil, pea, barley and
wheat (Brooks and Ahmed, 1990). Often, damages are more severe to cropping fields
near to their roosting sites. Some birds also damage soft fruits such as guava, orange,
mango and loquat (Hafeez et al., 2008).
In case of mammals the situation is still worse that they allow the plant to grow
and eat away the produce of economic importance and the damage is considerable.
Raiding by large mammals includes trampling, uprooting, eating whole plants or
their economic parts apart from direct human conflicts are well documented. Smaller
animals such as monkeys, baboons, porcupines and bush pigs also raid crops by
removing above ground (maize cobs) and below ground (potatoes, ground nuts etc.)
economic parts. Agricultural crop damage by deer, nilgai, blackbuck, goats and wild
pigs have been widely reported (Schultz, 1986). Crop depredation by elephants is very
heavy especially in areas near forest covers and mountains. Langur and monkey occur
commonly in forests interface agricultural fields, orchards, villages, townships and
cities. Both the species have adapted to human habitation and depend on agricultural
and horticultural crops and food handouts by local people. Sometimes their attacks
on human beings are also noticed owing to their aggression or adaptive behaviour.
In addition to damaging habitats, feral pigs, buffaloes, horses, cats, dogs and rats are
also prominent reservoirs for exotic and endemic diseases and parasites that can affect
2
Animal and Bird Pest Management in Agricultural Land
native wildlife, stock and humans (Dickman, 1996; Levett et al., 1998; Thumen et al.,
2002; Watts, 2002). Thus there is a need to control/ manage these vertebrate pests to
reduce crop damage and increase crop production especially in vulnerable areas viz.,
fields near woody forests and mountain terrains.
I. Scarers and Repellents
Mostly vertebrate pests are highly mobile and thus can be easily frightened off or
wade off from the area to be protected using scarers and repellents. Novel substances
in the field (neophobia), unnatural sounds (fear), predator like odour (instills fear in
herbivores), irritants (causes pain, making area less hospitable), distasteful substance
(changes the palatability of food items), food aversive substance (causes illness after
ingestion and thus rejected) are denoted as repellents. Repellent substances and devices
cause pest species to avoid otherwise attractive or palatable to them (Rogers, 1978;
Mason et al., 1989). On the basis of animal sensation and perception, repellents can be of
visual (flags, balloons, lights, scare crow), auditory (crackers, propane guns, biosonics),
olfactory (smoke, aerosols), tactile (clay coated seeds) and gustatory (ash dusting, non
preferred plants).
Frightening methods and devices/stimuli to prevent animal damage are useful
for some pest species and are most effectively used where crops need to be protected
for a relatively short period such as just prior to harvest. Further, it is well-documented
that the fear response in most animals includes a series of visual, acoustic and possibly
olfactory stimuli. So a combination of repellents has to be used to have effective
management strategy.
II. Pest Management
On the basis of mechanism of action, vertebrate pest management may be of
mechanical which in-turn as scaring (spines), trapping (various traps) and protection
(netting), electrical (electrical fence), biological (guard dogs) and chemical which in
turn as repellents, immobilizers, sterilants, toxicants etc.
Resistant crops/ varieties: Planting unattractive crops and growing resistant/
tolerant varieties for bird/ mammal pest damage is also an option. This forms the
basis for all the pest management approaches, but breeding a crop for vertebrate pest
resistance without compromising yield and quality is a huge task to be made with. Use
of unfavourable crop or varieties in the borders is a tactic to repel the pest animals.
Integrated vertebrate pest management (IVPM): Vertebrate pest management can
be aimed by using a combination of repellent and management practices to be more
effective. Surveying for pest damage potential, setting of threshold levels and use of
effective techniques are to be practiced in integrated vertebrate pest management
programmes. Integrated vertebrate pest management aims at reducing the damage
rather than reducing the population of the pest per se.