Farmers’ knowledge, attitudes and practices towards rodent pests and their management in rural Pothwar, Pakistan
| Autor: | Surrya Khanam, Muhammad Mushtaq |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Community based
Integrated pest management education.field_of_study Rodent biology business.industry Materials Science (miscellaneous) fungi Population food and beverages Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering respiratory tract diseases Crop Agricultural science immune system diseases Agriculture biology.animal Business and International Management business education Constraint (mathematics) Management practices |
| Zdroj: | Pure and Applied Biology. 10 |
| ISSN: | 2304-2478 |
| DOI: | 10.19045/bspab.2021.100125 |
| Popis: | Rodents are important constraint in the agricultural systems of Pakistan. Farmers’ knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) towards rodent pests and their management was assessed through a survey. A structured questionnaire was administrated to farmers (n=114) in four villages of Pothwar, Pakistan. Farmers considered high prices of fertilizers as the major constraint in crop production. This study revealed that rodents were perceived as the major pests in both crop fields (62%) and storage (61%). Farmers identified wheat crop as the most susceptible to rodent attack. The harvesting stage was considered the most critical stage to rodent damage, due to high rodent population. Farmers practiced rodent management individually and considered rodenticides as the most effective way to control rodents (88%). The majority of farmers belief that the crop production is affected due to rodent pests and in order to decrease rodent losses farmers should work together. A large portion of respondents (77%) indicated that they lacked assistance in managing rodents. Overall, the results indicated that farmers were aware of rodent damage to crops, but lacked training on control strategies. For successful rodent pest management in Pothwar, farmers’ education and training focusing on community based rodent management practices are required. In order to reduce the use of rodenticides and minimize pre- and post- harvest losses due to rodents, ecologically based management practices are highly recommended. Keywords: Crop damages; Farmers’ beliefs; Pothwar; Rodent management; Rodent pests http://dx.doi.org/10.19045/bspab.2021.100125 |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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