Rodent Pest Management in the Coconut Plantations of India and its Islands
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1985
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This communication deals with the results pertaining to eco-toxicological studies on rodents infesting coconut crop of South India, Minicoy island (Lakshadweep) and Car Nicobar. Extent of rodent damage and rodent species infesting coconut crop at its different growth stages are discussed. Mechanical, chemical and biological management of rodent pests of coconut has been suggested, keeping in view biological and behavioural patterns of rodents and cropping pattern Rodents are serious pests of coconut in almost all the seventy six coconut growing countries of the world including India and its islands. About 24 per cent /Toss to tender coconuts is inflicted by rodents in the coconut fields of Kerala and Karnataka (Advani; 1982), whereas, the rodent damage to coconut crop in Minicoy Island (Lakshadweep) and Car Nicobar reaches even up to 55 and 35 per cent respectively. In 1975, in Lakshadweep islands alone, the estimated loss to coconut crop was about 0 million nuts, costing about 35 lakh rupees (Shah and Subiah; 1975). Coconut being a perennial .crop provides a regular and abundant food and water supply to rodents all through the year. Its protective crown environment facilitates rodants to maintain their higher level of populations as ideal habitat is available to them for reproduction, nesting and rearing the young ones-This fact is further supported by the trap indices of rodent-populations (15.0-33.5; rodents /100 traps/24 hrs) which are much higher than rodent species infesting any other crop ecosystem or biome of India. This communication deals with the results;; obtained for .coconut-rodent species relationship and comparative efficacies of different types*of trap and rodenticides used to minimise , rodent pest problem in coconut crop of Kerala, Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar islands.
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Indian Coconut J. 1985 v-15 i-10 p-3-9