Testing aldicarb as a bird repellent in a sprouting sugar beet field

Abstract

Temik, the granular formulation of aldicarb [2-methyl-2(methylthio) propionaldehyde 0-(methylcarbamoyl) oxime], was ptaced together with sugar beet seeds during sowing along the rows, at a rate of 1.4 g/m, in a 1.5-ha experimental area within a 6-ha sugar beet field in an arid area with a long history of bird damage. Thirty-three chukar partridges, a major pest of sprouting crops, were observed foraging in the experimental area throughout the 4-week period between sowing and assessment of damage. Damage was restricted to the borders of the field, with a significant difference in level of damage between treated and control plots located along the borders; the size of damaged areas was about five times smaller in the treated plots than in the control plots. The results were interpreted as reflecting the repellent effect of aldicarb absorbed by the sprouts, and as establishment of a conditioned aversion by the chukars to sugar beet sprouts. The high toxicity of the treated sprouts was demonstrated when adult Japanese quail were fed sprouts coUected from treated plots.

Availability of pesticide‐treated seed on arable fields

“…Some bird species, such as the partridge, prefer to forage on the edges of the field,23, 24 while other birds like the skylark prefer ‘open land’ and are most likely to forage at the centre of the field. Because of the high number of surface seeds on the headland, birds foraging on field edges will probably be exposed to a higher number of surface seeds than birds foraging at the field centre and therefore run a higher risk.…”