Rodent outbreaks and rice pre-harvest losses in Southeast Asia

Abstract

There is momentous pressure on world cropping systems to provide more food in order to satisfy future demand. However, focus should not only be on increasing production but on reducing harvest losses too. Pests contribute to huge quantities of food losses every year and rodents are arguably one of the most damaging, causing annual losses globally of an estimated 77 million tonnes. Rice, which is the greatest food commodity produced for human consumption, is particularly vulnerable. The paper reviews the extensive amount of research on rodent outbreaks and chronic yield losses due to rodents in rice cropping systems, with particular focus on Southeast Asia. Rodent outbreaks are expected to become more serious and destabilizing for food security in this region in the future, but ecologically-based rodent management can act as an effective tool in addressing this issue.