Agri official's Helping Hand to Control Rat Menace in FieldsHome

Agricultural department officials in Alanganallur in Madurai district have resolved to control the rat menace in the region to pursue a method of using the 'predator against the prey'.

In Madurai the paddy crop in the region is ready for harvest and as the grain ripens, the rats are expected to surface.

To protect the fields, agricultural officials, with the help of Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) experts, have started educating farmers on luring owls to their fields. Some countries like Israel have successfully used barn owls as pest control agents.

Alanganallur agriculture officer T R Sridhan said field rats had always been present in agricultural fields as part of the food chain. But there were also predators like snakes to keep their population under control. But over the decades, snakes have disappeared from most fields, mainly owing to use of pesticides, especially granule pesticides. Once the predators disappeared from the fields, rats began to multiply at alarming rates.

At a meeting held recently to educate farmers on eco-friendly ways of checking the rat population. 60 farmers from in and around Alanganallur participated.T R Sridhan said "On an average, 20% of crop is reported to be lost in paddy fields owing to the rat menace. Hence, we have decided to re-introduce their predators, especially owls." Using owls would be the most affordable method for farmers.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/