FIELD RATS AND MOUSE IN MALAYSIA (PART 3)

RAT or TIKUS (in Malay) was a medium-sized and long-tailed rodents. Rat species are found throughout the order Rodentia. Stereotypical rats are found in the genus Rattus in which it includes some of the better-known species of rat such as the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) and the black rat (Rattus rattus). As I know the Rice-field rat or known as the Malayan wood rat, the T greater bandicoot, greater bandicoot, the lesser bandicoot and the rice-field mouse are serious pests of ricefields, oil palm plantations and other field crops in Malaysia. These same five species are distributed throughout Southeast Asia. The ricefield rat and the Malaysian wood rat used to be treated as subspecies of Rattus rattus and were known as Rattus rattus argentiventer and Rattus rattus jalorensis. They are now recognized as separate species (Rattus argentiventer) and Rattus tiomanensis respectively. The bandicoots are large ground rats that build extensive burrows. In Malaysia two species occur they are the greater bandicoot (Bandicota indica) and the lesser bandicoot (B. bengalensis). The fifth species is the field mouse (Mus caroli) similar to the house mouse (Mus musculus) in size. In the question of what rat does in rice field usually the rats cut or pull up transplanted plants. They also chop down the young seedlings. At booting stage, they feed on rice panicles. On the other hand, during ripening stage, they feed on developing rice grains. Rats are found in lowland irrigated rice crops. Both the wet and dry seasons are favorable for rat reproduction and crop damage. In rainfed rice crops rodents have their greatest impact in the wet season. The availability of food, water, and shelter are the factors, which provide optimum breeding conditions. The presence of grassy weeds also triggers their development. Rice field rats feed at night with high activity at dusk and dawn. At daytime, they are found among vegetation, weeds, or maturing fields. During fallow period, they utilize major channels and village gardens as prime habitats. At tillering, 75% of time they are in burrows along the banks and after maximum tillering, 65% of time they are in rice paddies. Rat damage in the rice crop can be observed by the following symptoms such as missing germinating seeds, missing hills chopped young seedlings, missing plants, irregular cuttings of stem, chewed developing buds or ripening grains, tillers cut near base at 45° angle, retillering of stems, delayed grain maturity, missing grains and missing panicles. The feeding damage on the stem caused by the rice field rats may resemble insect damage although rat damage is usually distinguished by the clean cut at 45° of the tiller. The damage on the grains is similar to bird damage. Check muddy areas for runways, active burrows, and footprints of rice field rats. These are usually near the damage they have created. Check for presence of rice field rats: cut tillers and active holes on the bunds that surround the fields. When possible, catch rats to identify the species. Place traps along runways or dug the rats from their burrows. This technical article in "Anim Agriculture Technology" I wrote about field rats and their species that found in Malaysia as a source of agronomic practices for all.

On issue of the reproductive capacity that reported in local media in which in Selangor and Negri Sembilan for the period 1948 - 1952 about 250 mature females of the ricefield rat and the Malaysian wood rats were examined. The pregnant females made up 14% of the ricefield rat and 12.5% of the Malaysian wood rat. in all quarters of the year, without significant seasonal variation in number. Litter size was 5-8, mean 7 for the ricefield rats, and 4-10, mean 6 for the Malaysian wood rat. Similar to the house rats (Rattus rattus diardii, R. norvegicus, R. exulans) in which the sexual maturity of young ricefield and Malaysian wood rat is reached in about 90 days of age, and the rats are reproductive by the fourth month. Studies by local universities indicated a mean length of life in the wild for R. argentiventer of 6.2 months and for R. tiomanicus of 3.6 months. Pregnant females of Bandicoota indica from Kedah and Perlis (three instances), were found to have litter size of 5 -10. The litter size of B. bengalensis (four instances) from Penang was 7 - 11. B. indica in Vietnam 3 - 8, Thailand 4 - 9. B. bengalensis in Vietnam 2 -12 and Burma 6-11. Males attain sexual maturity at body weight of 284 gram, females at 186 g for B. indica. Pregnant females of Mus caroli have been recorded with litter size 5-6 in Vietnam.

Do you know there are people eating rats as sources of food?.
During World War II reported that when meat was not easily available in a large forest and field rats of 250 g and above were trapped for food. Among the field rats are the greater bandicoot rat (Bandicota indica) in the ricefields were the prime choice for consumption by some ethnic groups in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, China and India. In the study conducted by experts in listed country reported that they tasted some properly boiled meat of the forest giant rats including the greater bandicoot rat and found the meat to be bland in contrast with that of domesticated mammals.

Talk about rats related to rodent-borne diseases. Reported that the four species of field rats with the exception of the field mouse, like the house rats, are reservoir hosts of diseases to man; such as waterborne diseases (leptospirosis), bacterial diseases (plague), rickettsia diseases (scrub and murine typhus), helminthic diseases (angiostrongyliasis, echinostomiasis , hymenolepiasis, trichninellosis) and viral diseases (haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, rat-bite fever). Among these diseases, leptospirosis is the most prevalent among the field rats. As for the field mouse, information of its public health importance is not available. In Malaysia, the ricefield rat (Rattus argentiventer), greater bandicoot rat (Bandicota indica) and the ricefield mouse (Mus caroli) are habitat-specific and major rice field pests. The latter two species B. indica and M. caroli are confined to the northern parts of Peninsular Malaysia only, thus damage to rice production is restricted. R. argentiventer known is widely distributed through all the states of Malaysia, and the destruction to the productivity of rice is thirteen fold that of the other two species. The Malaysian wood rat (R. tiomanicus) is non habitat-specific, but with preference for oil palm and is a major pest in oil palm estates. This rat and the house rats, like Rattus rattus diardii, R. norvegicus and R. exulans are also intermittent visitors to ricefields. The lesser bandicoot rat (B. bengalensis), on the other hand, is restricted to Penang island. It is an outdoor resident in urban and suburban areas, and has yet been trapped in ricefield plots despite several fauna inventories by IMR in the 60’s and 70’s, and DWNP (Department of Wildfile and National Parks) in the 1990s. During the period 1950-1970, bio-ecological studies on the house and field rodents were conducted in Peninsular Malaysia (then Malaya) by four research organizations. The Institute for Medical Research (IMR) hosted two research units: the Scrub Typhus Unit headed by Professor J.L. Harrison, and the U. S. Army Medical Research Unit headed by Colonel R. Traub of the Walter Reed Medical School, U.S.A. These two units were working on the scrub typhus disease of which house and field rodents are reservoir hosts. In the latter part of this period, Mr. Brian J. Wood of the Sime Darby organization carried out studies on rodent pests in oil palm plantations, while the Agriculture Department in Serdang under Dr. W.P. Ting worked on rodent pests in rice fields, orchards and plantations. These pioneer researchers developed various control methods on rodent pests particularly in oil palm estates, and also paved the way for bio-medical studies on rodent-borne diseases by research scientists in the universities. Since the late 1960s, deforestation has been rampant for the expansion of oil palm. At the same time, large plots of rice and rubber have been converted to oil palm. This has resulted in changes in the behavior of fauna. A good example is the common tree-shrew (Tupaia glis), once confined to forest and forest fringe habitats, now well-adapted to plantations. It has also become a common animal in urban parks and gardens. Similar adaptation by some rodent species (rats, squirrels, small carnivores) and other vertebrate species such as amphibians and reptiles to plantations, particularly oil palm plantations, is to be expected. This article devided in three segments namely Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 respectively. Thanks...all.

By,

M Anem,

Senior Agronomist,

Putrajaya,

Malaysia.

(January 2024).

FARMERS SUFFER RM111 M LOSES DUE TO FLOODS

IN MALAYSIA RECENTLY farmers suffer RM111 million losses due to recent flood in late 2023 and early 2024. Reported that the damages covered 24,500ha of land involving some 12,000 farmers and breeders nationwide. The country's agriculture and agro-food sector suffered about RM111.95 million in losses following the recent monsoon season this year. Agriculture and Food Security reported that the damages covered 24,500ha of land involving some 12,000 farmers and breeders nationwide. It was informed that the recent flood was among the worst in the history after 2014 and many farmers and breeders have suffered huge losses. Also a total of 350 ministry staff were also affected and despite that, some of them have continued their duty as usual. However, to help the farmers the ministry has provided various types of assistance via its 'Prihatin Programmes' and this includes 'ready to cook and ready to eat' kits. More than 10,000 kits worth about RM1 million were provided for the purpose in Kota Bharu Kelantan during the launching ceremony. The government would ensure sufficient food supplies in the country in which the government did not face any problem in the food supply after the monsoon season. In case of the shortage of eggs is almost recovered when we started importing it recently while the price of chicken is also back to normal. In the blog I am ready to write in "Anim Agriculture Technology" the effect of floods in Malaysia inccured losses to farmers a reported by local media.

Bernama reported that 'Setiu paddy farmers in dire straits after floods wipe out crops' in which chief spokesman for the paddy farmers of Kampung Buluh Hilir and Kampung Buruk, Che Aziz Che Hami (centre) with Mohammad Khairul and Daud inspecting crops destroyed by the recent monsoon floods at Setiu, Terengganu. The recent monsoon floods destroyed the crops of 26 paddy farmers at two villages here with total losses amounting to approximately RM52,000. Chief spokesman for the paddy farmers of Kampung Buluh Hilir and Kampung Buruk, Che Aziz Che Hamid, said that the losses cover 80 acres out of the 300 acres of crops which could not be harvested in time. This is due to the earlier-than-expected rainfall which flooded the paddy fields, destroying the crops which had yet to be harvested in time. It has caused a lot of hardship for the affected farmers. He added that the farmers had anticipated the torrential rain, but could not finish harvesting the affected area before the floodwaters came.  Some of them had begun harvesting their crops since Nov 11 when their paddy had matured, but they did not manage to complete their job before the monsoon hit. Aziz blamed several other factors which have added to the farmers’ misery. Among them are pathways that were damaged by the floods; and the unsystematic mobilisation of harvesting machines which have disrupted the harvesting process. Additionally, the farmers faced difficulty in marketing their harvested crops owing to complicated procedures and inadequate buyers. This had an effect on sales and revenue for the farmers. Many of the affected farmers are desperately trying to harvest their flooded fields in the hope of salvaging some of their crops. The farmers are attempting to salvage whatever they can after putting in a lot of work planting the paddy. Some lucky farmers may be able to push their lower-quality harvest at lower prices on the market, rather than suffer total loses. They also fear the second wave of monsoon flooding, which may lead to heavier consequences and losses. Farmers hopes the authorities will step in to offer some form of compensation to reduce the financial burdens of the paddy farmers.

On news.nst.com reports 'More than nine hundred farmers apply for assistance following RM17 million in losses due to floods in Johore' are relevant to this article.  A total of 929 farmers in the state have applied for flood relief aid following losses of over RM17 million due the floods last March, the Johor state assembly was told today. A total of 929 farmers in the state have applied for flood relief aid following losses of over RM17 million due the floods. The allocation for the flood relief aid is under the ministry's programme of Agro-Food Project Redevelopment Programme (PPSPA) about the issue on 704 flood relief applications involving the cultivation of crops, vegetables, fruits, honey bees, mushrooms and Agro-Based Industries (IAT) and losses were estimated at RM10.3 million. Based on the applications, Segamat suffered the highest amount of losses at RM2.363 million, followed by Tangkak RM2.156 million; as Batu Pahat incurred losses of RM1.844 million. All these applications have been raised during the state-level Disaster Technical Committee Meeting in April for confirmation and were then referred for state and federal resource allocations. A total of 60 operators in the fishery sector were affected by the floods involving losses of about RM5.234 million. The Johor state assembly sitting was adjourned until a date to be determined.  Thanks...

By,

M Anem,

Putrajaya,

Malaysia.

(January 2024).

PRICE CONTROL - RELATION TO FOOD SECURITY

IT THAT TRUE that price controls hinder achieving food security? However, reported that one factor contributing to the urgency to be food secure is the rising cost of food. Food security is a global agenda. and one factor contributing to the urgency to be food secure is the rising cost of food. No doubt, the factor of supply chain disruption through the flare ups of conflicts around the world has contributed much to the price rise. The bigger concern is the ready availability and the affordability of food itself. For Malaysia, the over dependence on import has become a national concern. Not to mention the ballooning of the food import bill which creates more stress on the economy. We have for years resorted to price control to cushion the impact of high food prices on the population. Price controls, while well-intentioned normally are generally not the most effective way to achieve food security. Reported that the announcement in budget 2024 to phase out the price control on eggs and chicken is viewed as a positive sign to boost local production. This article in "Anim Agricuture Technology" I will discuss on the proce control hinder achieving food security

The economists agree that price controls can create market distortions. When prices are fixed below the market equilibrium actually the producers are discouraged from producing because of low margin and can lead to shortages as later the consumers buy more due to lower prices. This imbalance can disrupt the supply chain and lead to inefficiencies. Price controls can reduce the incentives for farmers to produce more food. When they are not able to fetch fair market prices for their products, they may reduce their output or shift to other more profitable crops. This, in turn, can lead to reduced overall food production. In some cases, price controls can lead to a focus on quantity over quality. Producers may cut costs and compromise on safety and quality standards to maintain profitability when prices are constrained. This is bad for health and nutrition. It is no secret that price controls can lead to black markets or illegal trading. When prices are artificially low, a parallel market with higher prices can emerge, which can exacerbate supply chain issues and hinder government efforts to ensure food security. Price controls do not address the root causes of food insecurity, such as logistical challenges, post-harvest losses, and poor infrastructure. These structural issues need to be addressed separately to improve food security.  Price controls can lead to the misallocation of resources. When the government intervenes in the market to set prices, it may be diverting resources that could be better used in other sectors, such as agriculture infrastructure or technology improvements. It is not rocket economics that price controls often provide short-term relief but do not address long-term food security concerns.

Sustainable food security requires investment in agriculture, research, infrastructure, and education. Implementing and enforcing price controls can be administratively challenging. It requires significant government resources and can be prone to corruption. Market participants may react to price controls by reducing investments, innovations, or production. This can have long-term negative effects on the food supply. Price controls may not account for global market dynamics. Food prices are often influenced by international factors such as weather, trade policies, and global demand. Local price controls may not effectively shield consumers from these global influences. Instead of relying solely on price controls, a more comprehensive approach to achieving food security should include measures like, supporting farmers with infrastructure, technology, and training to increase production and efficiency, and creating efficient and transparent markets that allow supply and demand to determine prices.  Implementing targeted social safety nets that provide assistance to those most in need, rather than trying to control prices for everyone is also an option. Additionally, we can encourage diversified food production and sustainable agriculture practices. Not to mention implementing risk management strategies to address the impact of external factors on food prices. Other measures include investing in research and development to improve crop yields and resilience, and improving transportation, storage, and distribution infrastructure to reduce post-harvest losses and enhance food availability. While price controls may be tempting as a short-term solution, they are not a sustainable strategy for achieving food security in the long run. A combination of market-oriented policies and targeted interventions is generally more effective in addressing the root causes of food insecurity. In fact, price controls hinder food security. Thanks....

SELAMAT HARI RAYA 1 SYAWAL 1445H/ 2024...

By,

M Anem,

Putrajaya,

Malaysia.

(January 2024).

Posted from,

Taman Cendana Melaka.

(2 syawal 1445H)

BOILER ASH - A QUALITY ORGANIC COMPOST

OIL PALM BOILER ASH (OPBA) can be used as an econom- ical and environmentally friendly filler. OPBA is ash derived from shells and fruit fibers which have been ground and later burned at a temperature of 500 to 700∘C in a boiler furnace. As I know in which an oil palm industry is one of the most prosperous agriculture industry in Malaysia for msany years. The first layer of by-products from oil palm industry are such as mesocarp fibre, palm kernel shell or empty fruit bunch has been used as biomass commodity for heat generation. Boiler Ash is the second layer by-product or agro waste obtains from the biomass boiler. Boiler ash is the residue after the palm kernel shell and empty fruit bunch burnt in the boiler. As now in which boiler ash product considered as a CH Biotech product. It was informed that in CH Biotech, the boiler ash will go through a sieving process for removing the unwanted impurity as well as maintain an uniform size of palm ash. There are several variety of boiler ash and this is segregated by factors such as difference source and such as the boiler ash from bunches or palm kernel shell. The palm ash originated from empty fruit bunch (EFB) also name as bunch ash. Bunch ash is the substance with high level of Potassium. There are difference sellers who name after the bunch ash as fly ash. Actually, they all refer to the same substance. Bunch ash is a demanding organic fertilizer which act as a supplement besides the NPK fertilizer. However in some cases, I refer the palm ash is the ash originated with palm kernel shell or it was a mixture. The palm ash comes black in colour as solid particle. This article in "Anim Agriculture Technology'' blog I would like to share an information of biboiler ash as source of best information.

Reported that the application of Palm Ash was a new finding from a minimum research by local scientist. The research and application study of palm ash is still an on-going progress by many institutes and universities or in selected oil palm estates in Malaysia. The palm ash from CH Biotech is mainly supply for 3 categories namely as for Agriculture Industry in which the Potassium (K) content and alkaline base characteristic is the advantageous for palm ash. Palm ash was spread on peat soil or acidic soil to improve the acidity soil. Boiler Ash known as a better raw material for Zeolite. The rich criteria of silica and alumina are both character of palm ash which could be converted to Zeolite. The challenge which we are facing now about the process cost. The last criteria ablot boiler ash according ti report as a Cement Pigmentation Material. The palm ash normally will go through a specific sieving process before it could become one of the cement raw materials. From many research reported that it shows palm ash could become a supplement cementing material in order to replace up to 20% cement in a concrete. For commercialization actually the packing of Boiler Ash as a CH Biotech in which in Malaysia palm ash are sieved and could deliver to customer under these 3 standard packing method in which it was pack according to customer needs. There are two tyoe of packaging known as in the Loose Form or in Jumbo Gag (55 kg/bag). There are not many local farmers purchase the boiler as product for vegetablu gorwing activity untik today.

For me in which there are many organic fertilizer products available in the Malaysia market but how could we determine the product quality.  How could we differentiate the fertilizer is suitable for our crops or not should be cleared. Actually even though there are many factors affecting an organic fertilizer quality, however there are a few areas we could always consider before we make a purchase. An example in which the development of the internet and social media the are easier knowing the manufacturer background for any organic product compost. Via the manufacturer name or product brand most farmers could perform a search at the internet to understand the manufacturer background. Farmers could even go to social media in which it was even easier for you to understand the remarks given by their follower. As an example in which the CH Biotech is an organic fertilizer manufacturer in which many farmers happy to statt using thie product. The details about Organic Compost Product for CH Biotech many able to locate valuable information and products knowledge for agriculture sector. A report stated that an experience organic compost manufacturer should be able giving some guidance in using their organic fertilizer for respective crop. The guidance may not be the ultimate or getting optimize planting result but at least showing our reader the relevant organic fertilizer has been tested in relevant field with proven result. As fair review or testimonial even the better for our user to gain more and better confident about our organic fertilizer products. Many farmers could easily see the progress and development of a remarkable organic fertilizer manufacturer. CH Biotech does not has widen products line but we keep on upgrading our products to suit latest planting needs. CH Biotech is an organic fertilizer manufacturer in Malaysia. We manufacture our own organic compost products, formulate the fortified fertilizer for dedicate crops in Malaysia. We are selling our own organic fertilizer products, on the other hand, we are also doing OEM for any distributor. CH Biotech has comprehensive process setup for quality organic compost and also product quality monitoring system which maintain a consistent product quality. Meanwhile, we are also setting up our online store. In near future, our reader canbuy compost online. You are always encouraged to leave us a message or contact CH Biotech if you have any comments about organic fertilizer products, and we are here to serve you better. Thanks you...

By,

M Anem,

Senior Agronomist Expert,

Impiana Hotel, Senai,

Johor Bahru, Johor,

Malaysia.

(March 2024).

FIELD RATS AND MOUSE IN MALAYSIA (PART 2)

RAT or TIKUS (in Malay) was a medium-sized and long-tailed rodents. Rat species are found throughout the order Rodentia. Stereotypical rats are found in the genus Rattus in which it includes some of the better-known species of rat such as the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) and the black rat (Rattus rattus). As I know the Rice-field rat or known as the Malayan wood rat, the T greater bandicoot, greater bandicoot, the lesser bandicoot and the rice-field mouse are serious pests of ricefields, oil palm plantations and other field crops in Malaysia. These same five species are distributed throughout Southeast Asia. The ricefield rat and the Malaysian wood rat used to be treated as subspecies of Rattus rattus and were known as Rattus rattus argentiventer and Rattus rattus jalorensis. They are now recognized as separate species (Rattus argentiventer) and Rattus tiomanensis respectively. The bandicoots are large ground rats that build extensive burrows. In Malaysia two species occur they are the greater bandicoot (Bandicota indica) and the lesser bandicoot (B. bengalensis). The fifth species is the field mouse (Mus caroli) similar to the house mouse (Mus musculus) in size. In the question of what rat does in rice field usually the rats cut or pull up transplanted plants. They also chop down the young seedlings. At booting stage, they feed on rice panicles. On the other hand, during ripening stage, they feed on developing rice grains. Rats are found in lowland irrigated rice crops. Both the wet and dry seasons are favorable for rat reproduction and crop damage. In rainfed rice crops rodents have their greatest impact in the wet season. The availability of food, water, and shelter are the factors, which provide optimum breeding conditions. The presence of grassy weeds also triggers their development. Rice field rats feed at night with high activity at dusk and dawn. At daytime, they are found among vegetation, weeds, or maturing fields. During fallow period, they utilize major channels and village gardens as prime habitats. At tillering, 75% of time they are in burrows along the banks and after maximum tillering, 65% of time they are in rice field or paddies. Rat damage in the rice crop can be observed by the following symptoms such as missing germinating seeds, missing hills chopped young seedlings, missing plants, irregular cuttings of stem, chewed developing buds or ripening grains, tillers cut near base at 45° angle, retillering of stems, delayed grain maturity, missing grains and missing panicles. The feeding damage on the stem caused by the rice field rats may resemble insect damage although rat damage is usually distinguished by the clean cut at 45° of the tiller. The damage on the grains is similar to bird damage. Check muddy areas for runways, active burrows, and footprints of rice field rats. These are usually near the damage they have created. Check for presence of rice field rats: cut tillers and active holes on the bunds that surround the fields. When possible, catch rats to identify the species. Place traps along runways, or dug the rats from their burrows. This technical article in "Anim Agriculture Technology" I wrote about field rats and their species that found in Malaysia as a source of agronomic practices for all.

(3) THE GREATER BANDICOOT (Bandicota indica)

This species is a very large rat with HB length 200- 350 mm, T 180-290 mm, and dark brown with relatively large scales. HF 40-60 mm, blackish with long whitish claws. Weight (Wt) 350–600 g. Upperparts blackish-brown with long black guard hairs. Underparts dark brownish grey, giving a shaggy appearance. Mammary tits 12. Distribution and status: In Malaysia, this rat was first recorded as pests in rice fields of Kedah and Perlis in 1946. In Southeast Asian countries it is found in Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Loas, Cambodia, Indonesia (Java, Sumatra) and the Philippines. The species was introduced to Southeast Asia from East Asia. Ecology and Habitat: Nocturnal, terrestrial and omnivorous. The natural diet is plant material, insects, earthworms, mollusks and crustaceans. Some individuals have been found with remnants of skeletons, probably tiny lizards, and scales of fish. It builds extensive burrows, leaving piles of earth mounds on the surface. Sometimes, the burrow is occupied by several pairs of adults and young together. Nests have also been found in termite moulds. It has a habit of a hoarder, storing young rice plants and other food materials inside its burrows. It lives near human activity and swims well.

(4) THE LESSER BANDICOOT (Bandicota bengalensis)

This is a medium sized rat with HB 150-210 mm, T 110-160 mm uniformly brownish, HF 34–38 mm brownish, Weight 200-350 g. Upperparts of body brown intermixed with long dark guard hairs, giving a shaggy appearance. Underparts grayish-white to brownish. The mammary tits vary from 12-20 and arranged in a continuous row down each side of the body, and not always the same number on each side. The description of this rat is based on specimens collected in Pulau Penang. Distribution and status: In Malaysia, the lesser bandicoot rat is found in Pulau Penang. It is also present in Myanmar, Thailand and Indonesia. The species was introduced into the Southeast Asian countries from East Asia. Ecology and habitat are as Nocturnal, terrestrial and omnivorous. In Pulau Pinang this rat is associated with human surroundings and is found as an outdoor resident in towns and villages. It is a scavenger like the Norway rat (Rattus novegicus) wherever food is available. It builds an extensive burrow system like the greater bandicoot rat, sometimes with large families living together and it often stores food. It lives outdoors probably because of competition with the common house rat (Rattus rattus diardii) in which it dominates indoors.

(5) THE RICEFIELD MOUSE (Mus caroli)

This species is a tiny mouse with HB 60-85 mm, HF 15-19 mm, Tail length 60-95 mm with body weight 8-15 g. Hairs short and smooth. The tail is bicolored, dark gray above and whitish below. Upperparts of body brownish gray with the underparts whitish. Feet dark gray to whitish. In size and structure, it is similar to the house mouse (Mus musculus), but differs by coloration. Mammary tits 10. Distribution and status found in Malaysia and it is an introduced species found in rice fields in Kedah. Among the Southeast Asian countries, the species is known in Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Indonesia. The species is common in East Asia. Ecology and habitat: Nocturnal and terrestrial. It inhabits rice fields and grasslands adjacent to rice fields. It digs small holes in mud banks for nests. Its diet is mainly planting material but also includes insects. This article devided in three segments namely Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 respectively. Thanks...

By,

M Anem,

Senior Agronomist,

Putrajaya,

Malaysia.

(January 2024).

Posted from:

Hotel Impiana, Senai,

Johor Bahru, Johor.

FIELD RATS AND MOUSE IN MALAYSIA (PART 1)

RAT or TIKUS (in Malay) was a medium-sized and long-tailed rodents. Rat species are found throughout the order Rodentia. Stereotypical rats are found in the genus Rattus in which it includes some of the better-known species of rat such as the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) and the black rat (Rattus rattus). As I know the Rice-field rat or known as the Malayan wood rat, the T greater bandicoot, greater bandicoot, the lesser bandicoot and the rice-field mouse are serious pests of ricefields, oil palm plantations and other field crops in Malaysia. These same five species are distributed throughout Southeast Asia. The ricefield rat and the Malaysian wood rat used to be treated as subspecies of Rattus rattus and were known as Rattus rattus argentiventer and Rattus rattus jalorensis. They are now recognized as separate species (Rattus argentiventer) and Rattus tiomanensis respectively. The bandicoots are large ground rats that build extensive burrows. In Malaysia two species occur they are the greater bandicoot (Bandicota indica) and the lesser bandicoot (B. bengalensis). The fifth species is the field mouse (Mus caroli) similar to the house mouse (Mus musculus) in size. In the question of what rat does in rice field usually the rats cut or pull up transplanted plants. They also chop down the young seedlings. At booting stage, they feed on rice panicles. On the other hand, during ripening stage, they feed on developing rice grains. Rats are found in lowland irrigated rice crops. Both the wet and dry seasons are favorable for rat reproduction and crop damage. In rainfed rice crops rodents have their greatest impact in the wet season. The availability of food, water, and shelter are the factors, which provide optimum breeding conditions. The presence of grassy weeds also triggers their development. Rice field rats feed at night with high activity at dusk and dawn. At daytime, they are found among vegetation, weeds, or maturing fields. During fallow period, they utilize major channels and village gardens as prime habitats. At tillering, 75% of time they are in burrows along the banks and after maximum tillering, 65% of time they are in rice paddies. Rat damage in the rice crop can be observed by the following symptoms such as missing germinating seeds, missing hills chopped young seedlings, missing plants, irregular cuttings of stem, chewed developing buds or ripening grains, tillers cut near base at 45° angle, retillering of stems, delayed grain maturity, missing grains and missing panicles. The feeding damage on the stem caused by the rice field rats may resemble insect damage although rat damage is usually distinguished by the clean cut at 45° of the tiller. The damage on the grains is similar to bird damage. Check muddy areas for runways, active burrows, and footprints of rice field rats. These are usually near the damage they have created. Check for presence of rice field rats: cut tillers and active holes on the bunds that surround the fields. When possible, catch rats to identify the species. Place traps along runways, or dug the rats from their burrows. This technical article in "Anim Agriculture Technology" I wrote about field rats and their species that found in Malaysia as a source of agronomic practices for all.

(1) THE RICEFIELD RAT (Rattus argentiventer) 

A medium sized rat with head and body (HB) 140-220 mm, hindfoot (HF) 35-38 mm, tail (T) 130-220 mm and uniformly dark. Its fur is coarse but not rough. Upperparts (dorsum) olive brown with black hairs intermixed among the brown; underparts (belly) silvery grey with or without a darker streak in the middle. One of the best characters is found in the pads on the soles of the hind feet (HF). Those of R. argentiventer are generally smaller and only slightly raised above the surrounding surface and the lamellae on the plantar pads are weakly developed in constrast to those of R. tiomanicus. These differences are presumably associated with the original habitats: grassland for R. argentiventer and scrub and plantation forest for R. tiomanicus. R. argentiventer has larger HF and 12 mammary tits. Distribution and status: The ricefield rat is widespread throughout Malaysia and present in all Southeast Asian countries except Singapore where it has yet to be discovered. Ecology and habitat: R. argentiventer is confined to grassland and rice fields. Before the 1960s, lalang (Imperata cylindrica) fields large and small, and rice fields were common sights throughout Peninsular Malaysia. The country was then self-sufficient in food-production for a population of about seven million people In the early 1950s, the Scrub Typhus Team at the Institute of Medical Research (IMR) Kuala Lumpur, were trapping commensal rodents (field rats) in lalang, scrub, oil palm plantations and secondary forest habitats in Selangor and the nearby states of Negri Sembilan and Malacca for the recovery of the vector mites (Leptotrombidum spp.), the causative agents of the scrub typhus disease. Our trapping results revealed that Rattus argentiventer was the predominant rat species in both lalang and rice field habitats. By 1965, the lalang habitat was reduced to scattered small plots due to development of highways and introduction of agricultural cash crops such as tapioca, sugar cane and banana that resulted in the mass migration of the rats to rice fields, rice itself being a grass. Nocturnal, terrestrial and omnivorous, with a natural diet of insects (termites and grasshoppers) in the lalang habitat, it caused tremendous damage by feeding on young rice plants in rice fields. In oil palm estates it feeds on insects, snails and slugs and young oil palm. It nests by digging burrows in well-drained soil or in the bunds between flooded puddles in rice fields.

(2) THE MALAYSIA WOOD RAT (Rattus tiomanicus)
This species is slightly smaller than the ricefield rat. The head and body length is 80-160 mm, Tail 85-170 mm and uniformly dark, HF 27-34 mm and uniformly dark. Upperparts olive brown; hairs smooth intermixed with spines which are not prominent. In the underparts it is usually pure white with occasional specimens dull white or yellowish white. It is distinguished from the ricefield rat by coloration of the silvery grey belly, shorter hindfoot length and 10 mammary tits Distribution and status: Widespread throughout Malaysia. It is also found in Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and Singapore. Ecology and habitat: Nocturnal and semiarboreal. On the mainland in Malaysia, this rat is found more in oil palm plantations. It is also found in scattered communities in other habitats ranging from grassland, gardens, orchards to scrub and disturbed secondary forest, but not in primary forest. On some islands (e.g. Pulau Tioman) it ranges from lowland to hill forests. It climbs well and being semi-arboreal spends much of time in trees during the day and on the ground at night. In oil palm plantations it shelters in piles of cut palm fronds and in the crowns of palms. In scrub and woodland forest, its nest is built in holes in tree stumps, fallen logs and in thick bushes. It is omnivorous and its diet generally includes insects, land molluscs, roots, and fruits. It has become a very serious pest in oil palm estates. This article devided in three segments namely Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 respectively. Thanks...

By,

M Anem,

Senior Agronomist,

Putrajaya,

Malaysia.

(January 2024).

A REPORT ON BREBES SHALLOT STUDY

THE USING of a high-quality seed is very important for a successfully cultivation and an increasing of vegetable production in Brebes, Jawa Tengah, Indonesia. The vegetable productions, including for bima brebes shallot are much more affected by seed varieties. Previous studies showed that production rate, shape, colour, resistant to pest and disease, number of bulbs and demanding by market were factors that influence farmers to choose shallot variety. The aim of the study is to observe determinant factors that influence shallot farmers to change their shallot varieties and persist to use certain varieties. A report from a study was conducted in June to December 2022 in Wanasari, Tanjung, Kemukten and Limbangan villages, Brebes District in Jawa Tengah. Brebes was selected as this area it is the biggest shallot production in Indonesia. Data were collected from 35 shallot farmers through survey by using the structural questionnaire. The data then analysed with the descriptive statistic. This article in "Anim Agriculture Technology" share a finding of this study regarding some factors affecting seed quality as a reference. The study is to observe determinant factors that influence shallot farmers to change their shallot varieties and persist to use certain varieties until currently. The study is expected could provide a contribution to shallot breeders, especially when they create new shallot varieties. These determinant factors should be considered by the breeders in which the farmers would like to adopt the varieties.

Actually the using of a high quality seed is very important for a successfully cultivation and an increasing of vegetable production including for shallot. Vegetables ‘production are much more influence by seed. In selecting seed varieties, farmers consider various aspects such as seed produces high yield, resistant to pest and disease, and growth well. Moreover, it is fit with its environment, the price is affordable and it is favoured by market. In the regard with the shallot, previous studies showed that farmers decided certain shallot varieties to be planted was affected by several factors such as production, time planting, a resistance of shallot to pest and disease, shape, colour, flavour (aroma), number of stems and market demand toward shallot varieties. Indonesian government through Indonesian Vegetables Research Institute (IVegRI) have conducted some efforts to produce new and high qualities shallot varieties so that farmers could adopted the varieties. For shallot, until currently IVegRI has releases 11 shallot varieties known as Bima Brebes, Maja Cipanas, Kramat 1, Kramat 2, Kuning, Sembrani, Katumi, Mentes, Pancasona, Pikatan and Trisula. Meanwhile reported that in shallot farmer itself develops various local shallot varieties for instance Lembah Palu from Central Sulawesi, Medan from Samosir-North Sumatera, Maja Cipanas from CipanasWest Java, Sumenep from Madura, Kuning and Gombong from Brebes- Central Java. Nevertheless until currently, majority of shallot farmers in Indonesia use Bima Brebes and Bima Curut varieties. Almost 95% of the farmers use the varieties for their farms.

The conclusion of this study found that there are various excellency aspects of shallot variety such as high production, able to be planted during the year, ease to be seed, number of stems is higher, resistant to pest and disease and longer age store that cause farmers change their shallot variety to new ones and persist until today. For farmes in Wanasari, Tanjung, Kemukten and Limbangan Brebes, they choose Bima Brebes and Bima Curut varieties. Based on the study, for the breeders who want to release new shallot varieties, it is needed to concern with those aspects. The breeders also are necessity to looking for other excellences of new shallot varieties. Hence, when they are introduced to farmers, the farmers would like to use the new shallot varieties. Thanks...

By,

M Anem,

Royal Hotel, Bogor,

Jawa Tengah, Indonesia.

Mac 2024.