Economic Importance and Control of Vertebrate Pests in Legumes

One of the constraints to crop production across the world is vertebrate pests. They have been implicated as the most destructive pests which inflict both pre-harvest and post-harvest damages on agricultural production. Legumes are one of the crops usually attacked by vertebrate pest species, though the degree of depredation varies from one crop type to another. Meanwhile, there has been a misconception among farmers, especially in some of the developing countries, that vertebrate pest species belonging to the order Rodentia are very difficult to control. This is evident in their crop cultivations whereby two rows are planted in addition to every eight rows of crop, for rodent pest species that may come and inflict damage on the cultivated crop. Some of the rodent pest species that cause economic damage to legumes on the field include Arvicanthis niloticus, Xerus erythropus, Cricetomys gambianus, Rattus rattus, R. norvegicus, and Mus sp., while avian pest species include Francolinus bicalcaratus, and Ploceus cucullatus. There is a need to effectively manage these vertebrate pest species. Some of the rodent pest management approaches include the use of sanitation measures, exclusion of the vertebrate pest species, and modification of their habitat, and Trap Barrier System, while some of the avian pest management approaches include cage, nets or synthetic fibres, bird scarers, chemical repellents, sound-making devices, chemical poisoning, and trapping. 

Keywords: Legumes, Rodent pests, Pre-harvest damage, Post-harvest damage, Avian pests, Management approach