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- Bird repellent testing continues in Puerto Rico
Ana Iverson, Schultz, Bruce, Gould, Frances I.
Testing continues on a potential product to protect matured rice from bird predation.
The material, AV-4044, is a modified version of AV-1011, the seed-treatment material made by Arkion Life Sciences to prevent rice seed from being eaten by birds. It was tested last year at the LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
This year, testing is being done in Puerto Rico, and AgCenter rice breeder Steve Linscombe said the island is an ideal testing location. “The bird pressure around our nursery in Puerto Ricco is pretty severe,” he said.
Netting is usually required to prevent birds from eating rice grown on small research plots at the Puerto Rico facility.
The testing will compare yields from different concentrations of the material with untreated rice.
Linscombe also said the need continues for DRC-1339, a bait material used in spring to control blackbirds, which is undergoing re-registration.
The LSU AgCenter and the LSU College of Agriculture