Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Location
North Carolina Stare University
Start Date
22-9-1985 12:00 AM
Description
In response to a need for a safe and effective method of reducing rodent damage to newly planted corn in conservation-tillage fields, two chemicals, thiram (tetramethylthiuramdisulfide) and methiocarb (3,5-dimethy l 1-4-[methylthio] phenol methylcarbamate), were coated on untreated seed corn for evaluation as repellents and agents for conditioned aversion. Results of field-enclosure and other studies indicate that 1.25% thiram by weight repels thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus) and causes no phytotoxicity. Lower thiram rates tested (0.08, 0.4, 0.8%) were ineffective. Methiocarb rates of 2.5 and 5.0% repelled thirteen-lined ground squirrels, but these rates may significantly reduce corn stand counts under some conditions. Methiocarb at 0.5% appears ineffective. Although this rate was highly repellent on dry unplanted seeds, it lacked repellency with planted corn, possibly because of the way that ground squirrels attack water-soaked, germinated seeds. Preliminary laboratory trials, evaluating the response of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) to repellent treated corn seed, indicate that thiram (0.31, 1.25%), methiocarb (0.031, 0.5%), and a combination of the two, all repel deer mice, but that repellency does not persist when treated seeds are replaced with untreated. The negative-experience cue apparently was the treatment itself; no lasting aversion to untreated corn was produced. However, continued repellency was achieved using a methiocarb (0.125%)+odor treatment. With further development, repellents may provide an effective and safe solution for rodent damage to newly planted corn, an emerging problem for conservation-tillage agriculture.
Recommended Citation
Johnson, R. J. (1985). Repellents for rodents in conservation-tillage agriculture. In Bromley, P. T. (Ed.), The Second Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conference (pp. 66-72). Raleigh, NC: North Carolina State University.
Included in
Repellents for Rodents in Conservation-Tillage Agriculture
North Carolina Stare University
In response to a need for a safe and effective method of reducing rodent damage to newly planted corn in conservation-tillage fields, two chemicals, thiram (tetramethylthiuramdisulfide) and methiocarb (3,5-dimethy l 1-4-[methylthio] phenol methylcarbamate), were coated on untreated seed corn for evaluation as repellents and agents for conditioned aversion. Results of field-enclosure and other studies indicate that 1.25% thiram by weight repels thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus) and causes no phytotoxicity. Lower thiram rates tested (0.08, 0.4, 0.8%) were ineffective. Methiocarb rates of 2.5 and 5.0% repelled thirteen-lined ground squirrels, but these rates may significantly reduce corn stand counts under some conditions. Methiocarb at 0.5% appears ineffective. Although this rate was highly repellent on dry unplanted seeds, it lacked repellency with planted corn, possibly because of the way that ground squirrels attack water-soaked, germinated seeds. Preliminary laboratory trials, evaluating the response of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) to repellent treated corn seed, indicate that thiram (0.31, 1.25%), methiocarb (0.031, 0.5%), and a combination of the two, all repel deer mice, but that repellency does not persist when treated seeds are replaced with untreated. The negative-experience cue apparently was the treatment itself; no lasting aversion to untreated corn was produced. However, continued repellency was achieved using a methiocarb (0.125%)+odor treatment. With further development, repellents may provide an effective and safe solution for rodent damage to newly planted corn, an emerging problem for conservation-tillage agriculture.