Abstract
The feasibility of Clostridium botulinum toxin type D as a novel biological rodenticide to control plateau zokors was explored. In this study, Horn’s method was used to determine the gavage LD50 of C. botulinum toxin type D to plateau zokors. Modified Karber metho was employed to determine the oral LD50 of granular and wheat baits. Results showed that the gavage LD50 was 5840 MLD/kg (the reliable line is 3430–9950 MLD/kg) and the oral LD50 values of granular and wheat baits were 0.8339 and 1.319 g/kg, respectively, which indicated that plateau zokors are sensitive to this toxin. The palatability of wheat and homemade granular baits to plateau zokors was measured. Selective feeding coefficients were 1.33 and 1.10, whereas nonselective feeding coefficients were 0.81 and 0.60, respectively. A plot experiment of different toxin concentrations to kill zokors showed that homemade granular bait (10000 MLD/g) had the best effect. The average efficiency rate was 89.83%. This study showed the feasibility of controlling plateau zokors by using botulinum toxin type D.
Highlights
The Qinghai–Tibet Plateau pastoral area of China plays an important role in water conservation and global climate regulation [3]
Guoluo, and Huanhu Lake in Qinghai Province were the most endangered areas and formed a large area of “black soil beach.” and the farm rats are found in 130000 hm2 of Qinghai Province, and approximately 67000 hm2 harm area is caused by zokors
A sublethal dose of wheat bait was fed to the plateau zokors
Summary
The Qinghai–Tibet Plateau pastoral area of China plays an important role in water conservation and global climate regulation [3]. With the change of the ecological environment and the overuse of grassland resources by humans in recent years, many types of harmful rats, such as Eospalax fontanierii, have severely damaged the grassland, and the damage is worsening [5]. Eospalax fontanierii is a species of the genus Mole. The population of plateau zokors has increased dramatically. Such increase caused serious negative effects on the ecological area, and the affected area is expanding. This event poses a serious threat to grassland ecological environment and the sustainable development of local livestock husbandry. The largest density is 662 per hm, and the damage is serious [8]
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