ALL INDIA NETWORK PROJECT ON VERTEBRATE PEST MANAGEMENT (RODENT CONTROL) PROGRESS REPORT 2012-13 to 2014-2015 NETWORK COORDINATING UNIT ALL INDIA NETWORK PROJECT ON VERTEBRATE PEST MANAGEMENT ICAR-CENTRAL ARID ZONE RESEARCH INSTITUTE JODHPUR-342 003 1 COORDINATOR’S REPORT I am extremely happy to present the Progress Report of the Rodent control component of All India Network Project on Vertebrate Pest Management. This period has proved quite historic as the scope of the AINP was broadened by merging two AINPs, i.e., Rodent Control and Agricultural Ornithology, besides including a component of higher vertebrates in the ambit of new AINP on Vertebrate Pest Management from 2014-15. Besides the existing centers four new voluntary center centers viz., Bhubaneswar and Thrissur (for rodent control) and Trichy and Dapodi (for Agril. Ornithology) and six voluntary centers for higher vertebrates (three at Bangalore, one each at Hyderabad, Solan, Jodhpur and Delhi) were added. I feel immense satisfaction that the project scientists have strived hard to achieve the mandates allotted to their centers during the Guwahati Meeting in 2013. The Project registered steady progress in identifying the rodent pest scenario in selected agro-ecological regions of the country, evaluation of newer strategies of rodent pest management and transfer of rodent management technologies. Survey and surveillance activities undertaken in different agro-climatic regions revealed that lesser bandicoot rat, Bandicota bengalensis continued to be the number 1 rodent pest in most of the crops and cropping systems at national level. The species has shown its further spread in hot arid regions and Arunachal Pradesh and has established its populations in rice fields of Andaman & Nicobar Islands. And this a matter of great concern to us as the species is highly aggressive and colonial. Besides being highly destructive, it can replace the native rodents as we have observed in other areas. In hot arid regions, the two gerbils, Tatera indica and Meriones hurrianae maintained their predominance in rainfed as well as irrigated croplands. In Northeastern, Southern dry and hilly zones of Karnataka besides the predominance of B. bengalensis other species reported were T. indica, Milardia meltada, Mus playthrix and Mus booduga in varying proportions. In the coastal zone of Karnataka, Funambulus palmarum B. bengalensis, M. booduga and R. rattus were the major problem species. However in the Krishna Zone (AP) only two species viz., B. bengalensis and M. booduga were reported from rice fields, but in Northern Telangana Zone B. bengalensis, B. indica, R. rattus, M. booduga, M. musculus, M. meltada and T. indica were reported. Though B. bengalensis was predominant in in rice- wheat-sugarcane cropping system and in rice-wheat-maize cropping system in Punjab, the second most prevalent species was M. booduga in wheat-sugarcane cropping system and T. indica in rice- wheat-maize cropping system. In the NEH region, R. rattus, R. sikkimensis and B. bengalensis were major problem species in rainfed crops in East Siang, West Siang, Lower Dibang valley and Lohit districts of Arunachal Pradesh whereas B. bengalensis, B. indica, R. sikkimmensis, R. rattus, Mus musculus and Dremnomys lokriah were reported from North Bank Plain Zone and Lower and Central Brahmaputra Valley Zone in Assam In recent years, the project has reported rodent diversity in new areas like Andaman and Nicobar Islands where three new species viz., Cremnomys cutchicus, M. booduga, and B. bengalensis were reported. Likewise from cold arid regions of Leh Ladakh, four species were reported from crop fields, grasslands and stores & godowns situated at different altitudes. They were Rattus turkastinicus, Pitymus lecurus, Marmota himalayana and M. booduga. Of this occurrence of M. booduga was reported from the region first time. In the Kargil areas crop fields were observed to be infested with mole rats (either B. bengalensis or Nesokia indica). 2 If we see the extent of damage to various crops, Sugarcane and groundnut reported as high as 14 and 29 % damage by rodents in Assam and AP, respectively, whereas ground nut crop registered 12-17% damage in western Rajasthan. Maize and sorghum in southern transitional zone of Karnataka recorded 3.2- 3.8% plant damage by rodents. In Punjab, with a tiller damage of about 2%, rice suffered a yield loss of 15-90 kg/ha due to rodent infestation in the less irrigated zone of the State. In Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Andaman and Nicobar islands this crop registered up to 7.2, 12.3, 10.3, 2.2 and 22% percent tiller damage respectively. Wheat and cumin recorded 16.2 and 7.56% damage due to rodents in Narmada canal areas of western Rajasthan. Pulses, like cowpea, mung, bengal gram, pea, soybean etc registered 4-9% damage in different regions. Vegetable crops suffered rodent depredation of 4-13% in NEH region. Coconut in coastal Andhra recorded a nut damage of 8.35%, whereas in Andaman and Nicobar Islands it was 12-27% nut damage. Rodent infestation rates in coconut plantations in A.P. were maximum in the month of October – November. In generals, peaks in nut damage were notice in the months of September and January during all the three years. In case of cocoa rodent infestation and pod damage varied throughout the season and peak rodent infestation was noticed during July (7.2 to 9.2%), September (7.8 to 7.9%) and December (6.2 to 6.5%) in coastal A.P. Similarly in pineapple rodents inflicted 1.5- 8.87% damage in Arunachal Pradesh. In storage, rodents caused 2-5% damage. In Assam, the traditional storage structures like, Duli and Mer showed 22.2 and 14.3% loss in terms of spillage and structural damage. In Arunachal Pradesh rodent infestation reached maximum in October months and remained high in November to December (3.33 to 11.33 live burrows/ha). The damage to rice crop was up to 6.47% in East, West and Upper Siang districts. Some very interesting observations on B. bengalensis from AP indicated their higher seasonal productivity during kharif season (>26 young ones/ female) as compared to the rabi season (>13 young ones/ female). In Assam, the infestation levels shoots quickly at harvesting stage (33.7 LBC/ha) as compared to that at maximum tillering stage (7.95 burrows/ha). Likewise, in A.P. the house rats inhabiting poultry farms breed @ 3.67 & 2.62 times in monsoon and winter seasons with an annual productivity of 53.1 young ones per female. We all know that the fossorial rodents inhabit bunds. A simple but very useful observation revealed that more number of bunds (10/ 25 ha) with 0.6m size harbor more bandicoots as compared to less (4/ 12 ha) and smaller bunds of 0.30 m. Thus management of bunds alone can reduce 50% rodent infestation and therefore bund manipulation can be integrated with other rodent control techniques. UAS Bangalore and CIARI Port Blair center has initiated works on eco-biology of the largest rat of the country, i.e. Bandicota indica and Andaman rats, respectively. Burrowing behavior of M. booduga, M. platythrix, T. indica and B. indica has been completed. Similarly, CAZRI, Jodhpur attempted to understand burrowing patterns of Himalayan marmot inhabiting grasslands in Ladakh region. Studies on botanicals have confirmed the anti-rodent properties in neem leaf powder, neem kernel powder, Vitex nigundi and Polygonum leaf powder against R. rattus and B. bengalensis. The baits containing Polygonum showed highest antifeeding index (66.6%) followed by neem (49.3%) and castor (47.2%). Similarly the application of ecodon solution @ 1 liter/burrow at maximum tillering stage and just before PI stage (rice) + sherman trap (30 traps/ha) after 10 days recorded the highest reduction (87.5%) in rodent population. 3 Studies at Ludhiana revealed a good potential of eucalyptus oil and citronella oil as repellents. Eucalyptus oil when applied as spray, paint and as encapsulated wax blocks @ 5, 10 and 20% at different intervals showed repellent action against house rats. Citronella oil also at 5, 10 and 20%, as paint, encapsulated wax blocks and spray, each with three modes of application i.e. daily, once a week and alternate days has revealed significant repellent effects on R. rattus. A few chemicals were also evaluated as antifeedents against rodents by Punjab center. For example, exposure of R. rattus to baits containing 1, 2.5 & 5% cinnamic aldehyde for 3 days in bi-choice feeding test and then again after a gap of 7 and 14 days showed antifeedant effects. This effect was more pronounced with 5% concentration in both sexes. Similarly, the bioactivity of trans-Anethole essential oil compound of bitter fennel fruits also showed anti-feedant effects against B. bengalensis and R. rattus at concentration of 3% in bait. The anti-feedant index was strongest (69-77%) on first two days. Such results can be of great value in devising safer rodent management strategies. Likewise, ziram, a fungicide also showed repellent action against house rats. The scientists have attempted antifertility studies with triptolide and Imidazole. The results indicated that feeding of triptolide in baits at 0.15, 0.20 and 0.25% to B. bengalensis for 15 days had male sterilant effects as was evident in significant reduction in weights of reproductive organs; sperm density, motility and viability with higher sperm abnormality even after 30 and 60 days of treatment. Similarly, intake of Imidazole treated baits @160 mg/kg for three days revealed fairly good palatability and sterility effects on male house rats. Considering the limited number of registered rodenticides in India this house approved evaluation of new rodenticide molecules/ formulations. Therefore the Project evaluated two new anticoagulants viz., flocumafen (0.005%) and difencoum (0.005%) as wax block formulation as a part of coordinated trials.