Integrated management to reduce rodent damage to lowland rice crops in Indonesia

Rice yield can be estimated by farmers directly or by quadrat samples, the former being on average 20% lower than the actual yield. Integrated rodent management increased rice yields more when rats were common, in both dry and wet season crops. For every 1% increase in tiller damage by rats, there was a decrease of 58 kg/ha in rice yield. Wet season crops benefited more from a trap-barrier system (TBS) than dry season crops at the same rat abundance index. The benefit-to-cost ratio for all seasons and years averaged 25:1 but varied considerably from year to year between a low of −2:1 to a high of 63:1. The economic benefit of integrated rodent management was equal to or better than that achieved by conventional management based on synthetic rodenticides.