Status of rat infestation and recent control strategies in oil palm plantations in Peninsular Malaysia

• Main Authors: M. N., Hafidzi, M. K., Saayon
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Universiti Putra Malaysia Press 2001
• Subjects: Rattus rattus
• Online Access: http://psasir.upm.edu.my/3370/; http://psasir.upm.edu.my/3370/1/Status_of_Rat_Infestation_and_Recent_Control_Strategies_in_Oil_Pahn.pdf; http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/Pertanika%20PAPERS/JTAS%20Vol.%2024%20(2)%20Sep.%202001/05%20JTAS%20Vol.24%20(2)%202001%20(Pg%20109-114).pdf

A survey was carried out to establish the status of rat infestation and recent rat control practices in oil palm plantations in Peninsular Malaysia. Rattus tiomanicus (Miller) constitutes a major rat species (68 %), followed by Rattus argentiventer (Robinson and Kloss), (46%) and Rattus rattus diardii (L.), (28%). Although 75% of estates did not consider rats as a serious problem, the damage estimated ranges from 0.01 to 0.1 t/ha. The barn owl Tyto alba (Scopoli) is now an important rat control component in oil palm i.e. 82% of estates that participated in the survey. In some estates (21.4%) control is achieved entirely with T. alba, without baiting. In most estates (60.7%) baiting was done in combination with T. alba, whereby the latter reduced baiting cost from RM2.64 to RM30/ha/year.