Submitted to the Punjab Agricultural University in partial fulfillment of the requirements
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Date
2010
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PUNJAB AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY
Abstract
Commensal rodents, especially house rat (Rattus rattus Linnaeus) causes extensive losses
by feeding and contaminating the food products and also plays a role in spreading several
diseases of health importance. House rats were trapped from various commensal situations and
were fed for 5 days in no-choice on standard baits of bromadiolone (0.005%) and cholecalciferol
(0.075%) and their combinations having different concentrations mixed in WSO-mix bait. Male
and female house rats showed 81.30% and 95.80% average acceptability of standard bait of
bromadiolone over plain bait respectively. Hundred per cent mortality of male house rats was
observed within 3-6 days, while all female rats died on 4th day of feeding of 0.005%
bromadiolone. Both the sexes showed a significant increase in blood clotting time (sec) after 48
hours of feeding as compared to that of 0 hour. The acceptability of standard bait of
cholecalciferol (0.075%) over plain bait was 40.10% and 35.30% in male and female house rats,
respectively and 100% mortality was observed within 4-10 days in male and 7-14 days in female
house rats. Feeding of standard bait of cholecalciferol resulted in stop feeding action in the form
of significantly less consumption of this bait from 3rd day onward. Serum calcium level (mg/dL)
was found to be significantly high in 0.075% cholecalciferol fed male and female rats after 48
hours of its feeding as compared to 0 hour. R. rattus when fed on four formulated baits having
different concentrations of bromadiolone and cholecalciferol i.e. combination-I (0.0025%
bromadiolone+0.05% cholecalciferol), combination-II (0.001% bromadiolone+0.05%
cholecalciferol), combination-III (0.0025% bromadiolone+0.01% cholecalciferol) and
combination-IV (0.001% bromadiolone+0.01% cholecalciferol). Out of these four tested
formulated baits, combination-IV (having the lowest concentration of bromadiolone and
cholecalciferol) showed efficient rodenticidal potential because of synergistic effect of
bromadiolone and cholecalciferol in this combination. It was able to produce 100% mortality and
showed a significant delay in blood clotting time (sec) and rise in serum calcium level and was
cost effective also. R. rattus L trapped from commensal situations of Ludhiana area showed no
resistance towards standard bait of bromadiolone (0.005%) as both male and female house rats