Impacts of rainfall and rainfall anomalies on the population dynamics of rodents in southeast Asian rice fields.

Background: The mechanisms that regulate multi-annual population dynamics of rodent pest species of cereal crops is often unknown. Better knowledge of such aspects can aid pest management and in turn improve food security and human health. The patterns and processes of the population dynamics of Rattus argentiventer, in rice fields of Indonesia, and Rattus tanezumi, in rice fields of the Philippines were assessed in this article.

Ecology and distribution of Leptospira spp., reservoir hosts and environmental interaction in Sri Lanka, with identification of a new strain.

Leptospirosis is a neglected zoonotic disease and one of the leading causes of zoonotic morbidity and mortality, particularly in resource-poor settings. Sri Lanka has one of the highest disease burdens worldwide, with occasional endemic leptospirosis outbreaks (2008, 2011). Rodents are considered the main wildlife reservoir, but due to a scarcity of studies it is unclear which particular species contributes to bacterial transmission and reservoir maintenance in this multi-host multi-parasite system.

Rodent management and cereal production in Asia: Balancing food security and conservation.

Rodents present a major problem for food security in Asia where smallholder farming families are particularly vulnerable. We review here recent developments in the biology and management of rodent pests in cereal cropping systems in Asia. The past decade has seen a strong focus on ecologically-based rodent management (EBRM), its adoption in field studies significantly increased rice yields (6-15%) and income (>15%) in seven Asian countries.

First Detection of spp. in Small Mammals from Rice Storage and Processing Facilities in Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

(1) Background: spp. are zoonotic bacteria with small mammals as main reservoirs. spp.

Assessment of post-harvest losses and carbon footprint in intensive lowland rice production in Myanmar.

This paper examines how a move from traditional post-harvest operations of smallholder rice farms in the Ayeyarwaddy delta, Myanmar, to improved post-harvest operations affected income, energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE). Harvest and post-harvest losses were investigated in a field experiment with 5 replications per scenario. A comparative analysis on energy efficiency and cost-benefits was conducted for different practices of rice production from cultivation to milling.

Interactions between rodents and weeds in a lowland rice agro-ecosystem: the need for an integrated approach to management.

Rodents and weeds are important pests to rice crops in Southeast Asia. The interaction between these 2 major pests is poorly documented. In temperate cereal systems, seeds of grass weeds can be an important food source for rodents and weed cover along crop margins provides important refuge for rodents.

Post-harvest impacts of rodents in Myanmar; how much rice do they eat and damage?

Background: We undertook studies on post-harvest losses by rodents in two townships in the Ayeyarwady Delta, Myanmar. Farmers harvest their monsoon rice crop and then stack it on levee banks to await threshing 4-6 weeks later. After threshing and drying, paddy rice is stored in granaries.

Can rodent outbreaks be driven by major climatic events? Evidence from cyclone Nargis in the Ayeyawady Delta, Myanmar.

Background: Massive rodent population outbreaks occurred in the Ayeyarwady Delta, Myanmar, in July 2009, 15 months after cyclone Nargis. Satellite imagery with high temporal frequency was used to identify the area and planting time of rice at a landscape scale of > 80 000 ha, and household surveys of farmers were conducted to validate the mapping and to quantify losses.

Results: Farmers did not have problems with rodents in 2007-2008; rodents were the principal problem in the 2009 summer and monsoon rice crops.