Abstract
In order to compare the efficacies of conventional (cholecalciferol and bromadiolone) and new (sodium selenite) rodenticides, applied in the grain bait formulation on the whole-grain of wheat (Triticum aestivum) and triticale (Triticasecale) in alfalfa crops, experiments were conducted at two sites near Belgrade, Serbia, in the spring of 2009, using a standard EPPO method. The presence of rodent populations, their spatial distribution and density indices were evaluated by pretreatment census and rodenticide efficacy by counting active holes, 14 and 28 days after treatment. The average Microtus arvalis numbers of 158/ha and 184/ha were found to cause 7.4% and 9.6% alfalfa green biomass yield decreases, respectively. Twenty-eight days after treatment, the average efficacy of grain bait formulation (on wheat and triticale grains) of sodium selenite and cholecalciferol was 81%, while bromadiolone which had a higher efficiency, 85%, in the control of the common vole in alfalfa crops. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the origin of active substances, bases and associated interactions a.s x based on the efficacy-investigated grain baits did not have a statistically significant impact on the expression efficiency of the tested baits. Triticale grains can be used as carriers of active substances, sodium selenite, cholecalciferol or bromadiolone in preparation baits. Control of M. arvalis with the new rodenticide, sodium selenite, gave efficacy results about equal to that of cholecalciferol and bromadiolone and, therefore, provided a possible alternative rodenticide for vole control in alfalfa.
Highlights
In Serbia, several rodent species inhabit and cause yield losses in alfalfa crops simultaneously, primarily the common vole Microtus arvalis (Pallas, 1778), striped field mouse Apodemus agrarius ( Pallas, 1771) and hamster Cricetus cricetus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Ružić, 1971; Jokić et al, 2007, 2010; Vukša et al, 2009)
Three small rodent species were detected at the Belegiš site: common vole, striped field mouse Apodemus agrarius and steppe- or mound-building mouse Mus spicilegus, while the common vole and steppe mouse were found at Stari Tamiš (Table 1)
Damage caused by the common vole in parts of the alfalfa crops ranged from 3% to 12%
Summary
In Serbia, several rodent species inhabit and cause yield losses in alfalfa crops simultaneously, primarily the common vole Microtus arvalis (Pallas, 1778), striped field mouse Apodemus agrarius ( Pallas, 1771) and hamster Cricetus cricetus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Ružić, 1971; Jokić et al, 2007, 2010; Vukša et al, 2009). Because of its exceptional adaptability to different environmental conditions, and the yield losses to plant production it causes, common vole has become the most important species of small rodents (Mackin-Rogalska, 1981; Jacob, 2003). Voles prefer the plant parts with high protein content (White, 1978; Bergeron and Jodoin, 1987; Hartley et al, 1995), and their need for food rich in protein becomes pronounced in the winter, when the green part of plants are unavailable
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