Field Evaluation of Certain Chemicals against the White-Bellied Rat, Rattus rattus frugivorus in Mango Orchards (Mangifera indica) at Qena Governorate, Egypt

Elrawy, Ahmed A. A.; Abd El-Wahed, Sahar I. M.; Abbas, Nada M. T.; Ibrahim, Hesham A. M.

doi:10.21608/eajbsz.2025.426417

Field Evaluation of Certain Chemicals against the White-Bellied Rat, Rattus rattus frugivorus in Mango Orchards (Mangifera indica) at Qena Governorate, Egypt

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Department of Agricultural Zoology and Nematology, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Assiut Branch, Assiut, 71524, Egypt.

² Department of Harmful Animals, Plant Protection Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Dokki, Giza, 12619, Egypt.

10.21608/eajbsz.2025.426417

Abstract

The white-bellied rat (Rattus rattus frugivorus) poses a significant threat to mango orchards, causing substantial damage to fruits, bark, and branches throughout the growing season. Effective rodent control measures are essential to minimize economic losses and maintain crop health. This study evaluated the efficacy of three compounds Zinc Phosphide, Methomyl, and Bromadiolone by analyzing their impact on bait consumption and rodent population reduction in mango orchards located in El-Nagahia village, Nag Hammadi district, Qena Governorate. Weekly bait consumption, both plain and poisoned, was recorded before and after treatment to assess the effectiveness of each rodenticide. Results indicated that before treatment, the highest weekly plain bait consumption was observed in the Zinc Phosphide group (305.68 g/week), followed by Methomyl (288.12 g/week), the untreated control (265.52 g/week), and Bromadiolone (235.53 g/week). After treatment, the untreated control group exhibited the highest weekly plain bait consumption (412.50 g/week), while treated groups showed a significant decline. Methomyl recorded the highest weekly poisoned bait intake (219.60 g/week in the second week and 145.77 g/week in the third week), followed by Zinc Phosphide and Bromadiolone. Population reduction rates were highest with Zinc Phosphide (81.24%), followed by Methomyl (74.13%) and Bromadiolone (44.90%). The findings highlight the severe impact of R. rattus frugivorus on mango production and underscore the effectiveness of Zinc Phosphide and Methomyl in controlling rodent populations. The highest bait consumption occurred in the first treatment week, suggesting that early intervention is critical for effective control.

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