Efficacy of nets and fibres for protecting crops from grain-eating birds in Africa

Abstract

Birds cause extensive losses to cereal crops in Africa and damage to research or seed production fields is often acute. Physical barriers such as nets or acrylic fibres can block the access of birds to these fields and provide almost complete protection. Although the use of properly mounted and maintained nets is expensive, costing from US $1000 to over US $3000 per ha, nets have effectively protected fields at eight trial sites in five African countries between 1975 and 1980 and compare favourably with the cost of employing people as bird scarers. The use of nets to protect crops is, therefore, becoming increasingly popular for high-value crops at research centres and in production schemes in many countries in Africa.