Use of Cassava Peels and Scarecrows to Control Rodent Damage in ‎Groundnut Fields

Abstract

Rodents are a big threat in groundnut production. This study was carried out at the Agriculture Unit, Mountains of the Moon University Western Uganda in 2020 to determine the rodent damage using cassava peels and scarecrows in groundnut fields. The experiment was designed in randomized complete block design with three treatments and five replications. Treatment 1 as cassava peels, Treatment (2) as scarecrows, and Treatment (3) as ‘no treatment applied (control)’ have been used. Data were obtained by collecting harvest of pods, numerous burrowing activities, injured pods, and plants. The GenStat 10th edition was used for data analysis. The results showed that number of rodent species within groundnut field was highly significant. The significant and the highest pod damage (103.33 pods) were observed in control plots and the lowest damage (65.33 pods) was observed in the plots of scarecrows. The highest plant damage was occurred in control plots (8.00 plants) and the lowest damage in scarecrow plot (4.42 plants). The highest harvest of ground nut seeds was obtained from scarecrow plots (2 kg/m²) and the lowest harvest in control plots (1.16 kg/m²). Control plots experienced the highest rodent burrowing every week at a rate of 7.11 activities per week per plot. While the scarecrow plot experienced the least rodent burrowing at a rate of 3.11 activities per week per plot. This study showed that use of scarecrows was found effective measure for control of rodent damage in groundnut field.