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Animals
Several vertebrate pests cause serious
damage to our crops. It thus becomes
absolutely necessary to protect our
crops against their ravages.
Animal pests include:
Primates: Rhesus macaque, Bonnet
macaque and Hanuman langur
Ungulates: Antelopes, Deer, Blue bull,
Boar and Elephant
Rodents: Porcupine, squirrel, and rats
and mice
Lagomorphs: Hares and Rabbits
A. PrimatesAmong primates, lemurs and monkeys
(macaques and langurs) are largely
vegetarian, eating leaves, buds and
flowers, fruits etc. Vegetarian nature
of their diet makes them potentially
destructive to crops and orchards.
Three species, which live in the
vicinity of human habitations in India
are important in this respect. These
are, the rhesus macaque (Macaca
mulatta) mostly in North India, the
bonnet macaque (Macaca radiata) in
South India and the Hanuman langur
(Presbytis entellus) all over India. The
damage caused by them to crops,
vegetables and orchards is
considerable.
a. Rhesus macaque (bandar),
Macaca mulatta
It is stout, olive-grey pink faced
monkey with a relatively short tail
about one-half the length of head
and body. It is distributed all over
North India. It lives in small to large
groups comprised of about 5-180
individuals. Though essentially a
plain dwelling species, it goes up to
about 1500 m altitude in the
Himalayas. Throughout its range, it
raids cultivated farmlands,
vegetable fields and orchards,
causing considerable damage.
Rhesus macaque
b. Bonnet macaque, Macaca
radiata
It is relatively small monkey with
along tail and longish, pink face,
and its body is olive to grey
brown. It is distributed all over
peninsular India. It live sin small
to medium-sized groups of about
3-76 individuals. It raids
farmlands and causes
considerable damage to
vegetables, tubers, fruit trees.
Bonnet macaque
c. Hanuman langur, Presbytis entellus
It is large, agile, graceful, long-
legged animal with black
faceand long tail and , which
is somewhat longer than head
and body. It is distributed all
over India. It lives in small to
large groups of about 3-90
individuals. It is highly
adaptable and lives in varied
habitats including vicinity of
towns, cities, farmlands and
orchards but never roosting in
human habitations, unlike the
macaques.
Hanuman langur
B. Ungulates
a. Elephants
Among the mammalian pests of
cultivated crops, the elephant
(Elephas maximus) is potentially
one of the most destructive
animal. Elephants eat a wide
variety of plants including ragi,
sorghum, paddy, sugarcane,
coconut, banana, mango and jack
fruit. Large scale removal of the
elephants’ natural food plants
such as bamboo, tall grasses and
Acacia for industrial use, may
force them to seek food from
cultivated crops.
Elephant
b. Blue bull
Blue bull, Boselaphus
traqocamelus has become major
destroyer of crops in several
states. It is called ‘Nilgai’ but is
not relative of cow. These animals
trample the fields at night and pull
down the standing crops, feeding
on the foliage part of the plants.
The crops damaged include wheat,
millet, pulses, sweet pea, carrot
and tomato. In certain areas
farmers have stopped cultivation
of pulses owing to presence of this
pest. With increasing damage by
this pest, there is wide spread
resentment among farmers
against wild life.
Blue bull (Nilgai)
c. Antelopes
Among antelopes, the black
buck, the chinkara and the
four-horned antelope damage
browsing crops, fruit trees and
forest transplants.
Considerable damage to bark
of trees is also caused during
the process of rubbing the
horns against the stem.
Black buck
d. Wild Boar
The Indian wild boar causes
damage to crops and forestry by
destruction of nursery beds,
uprooting of young plants and
stripping of bark of trees. They
have become agricultural pests
due destruction of their natural
habitats.
e. Fox
Foxes also damage crops like
maize. They feed on maize cobs
and also breaks plants.
Wild Boar
Fox
C. Rodents
a. Porcupine
Indian porcupine, Hystrix indica
causes damage to field crops
crops by digging them up. It
also debarks and girdles at the
base of young trees in
plantations and regeneration
areas, which results in outright
killing of plants.. They also cut
and devour the roots of
seedlings, saplings and
transplants.
Porcupine
b. Squirrel
Squirrels cause damage in
agricultural fields and in
plantations. They have been
observed damaging maize
cobs and young seedlings in
nurseries. Red flying squirrel
occurs in large large forests in
Himalayas. It is nocturnal in
habit and feeds primarily on
fruits and nuts of various
crops.
Squirrel
c. Rats and mice
Rats cause severe damage to crops
and domestic commodities, thereby
requiring to be controlled
effectively. The atmosphere and
surroundings of human habitations
are fouled by them to the extent
that it becomes intolerable for man.
Several types of diseases are
known to be transmitted by rats.
Besides consuming considerable
quantity of food, they contaminate
much more by urine, faeces, and
hairs and sebaceous secretions.
Religious sentiments of some
people come in the way of rat
control.
Mus booduga
Rat managementMechanical ControlTrapping, smoking and flooding of rat burrows and hunting help in reducing rat population.
Cultural controlRats can also be controlled by maintaining sanitation, properstorage of food materials, rodent proofing of buildings and cutting of bamboos.
Biological controlCats and dogs kill and eat rats. Likewise, owls also predate upon rats.
Chemical controlPoison baiting with 2% zinc phosphide is used to control rats. Anticoagulants like warfarin also proved effective against rats.
Bandicoot
D. Lagomorphs
a. Hare and rabbit
Hares and rabbits are one of the
best known wild mammals and of
considerable economic
importance. They are nocturnal
and graze mainly on grass,
herbs, scrubs, bulbs, roots, bark
etc. Instances of their becoming
pests on agricultural crops are
widely known throughout the
country. They do considerable
damage to crops like wheat,
barleygram, maize, jowar, bajra,
pea, mustard, bean, cabbage
and others. They are browse on
young fruit trees and forest
plants.
Hare
Rabbit
Let’s Sum UpAnimal pests include Primates, Ungulates, Rodents and Hares.
These animals have becomes serious pests of agriculture due to destruction of their natural habitats.
Among primates, rhesus macaque, the bonnet macaque and the Hanuman langur are important from agriculture viewpoint.
Ungulates comprise of elephants, antelopes, wild boar, blue bull.
Blue bull has become major destroyer of crops in several states. With increasing damage by this pest, there is wide spread resentment among farmers against wild life.
Rodents like rats, porcupine, squirrel etc. also cause considerable damage to agricultural commodities.
Rats should be managed through integrated approach involving mechanical, cultural, biological and chemical methods.
Lagomorphs like hares also damage agricultural commodities.
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