Current Status of Bird Damage on Crop and Four New Countermeasures

Abstract

Many scaring devices have been used to manage bird damage, using sounds, light and objects, on agricultural land. However, the effect is temporary because the birds become to learn that there is no danger. A reliable method is a bird-proof netting, but there are problems such as labor and cost for installation. Therefore, NARO developed 4 techniques: " Rakuraku Secchi 2.0" and "Rakuraku Secchi 3.5" that enable to set up bird-proof netting easily; regarding crows "Kuguren Tegusu Kun" for orchards and "Hatasaku Tegusu Kun" for upland crops, using lines that provide effective physical barrier. After describing the characteristics of agricultural damage by birds in Japan and the practical difficulty of countermeasures, we explain the 4 techniques above. Lastly, we discuss bird damage countermeasures in future.