{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T03:01:28Z","timestamp":1787022088765,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,12]],"date-time":"2021-08-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1628726400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    This study was conducted in Farta district, south Gondar from 2019 to 2020 cropping years to identify rodent pest species and estimate damage caused on barley crops. Four independent barley crop fields (40 x 40 m each) were sampled randomly to estimate the loss. Two were located near Alemsaga Priority State Forest and the other two were away from the forest. Four (2 x 2 m) rodent exclusion plots were established at 10 m interval as control units in each selected experimental barley fields using fine wire mesh. Rodent pest species were collected using both Sherman and snap traps throughout the different crop growing stages. The damaged and undamaged barley tillers by pest rodents were counted on five 1 x 1 m randomly sampled quadrats for each selected experimental fields. Variations on pest rodent population between cropping years and sites were analyzed using Chi square test. The mean crop damages between cropping years and experimental field sites were analyzed using two way ANOVA.\n                    <jats:italic>Arvicanthis abyssinicus<\/jats:italic>\n                    ,\n                    <jats:italic>Mastomys natalensis<\/jats:italic>\n                    ,\n                    <jats:italic>Arvicanthis dembeensis<\/jats:italic>\n                    ,\n                    <jats:italic>Mus musculus<\/jats:italic>\n                    ,\n                    <jats:italic>Lophuromys simensis<\/jats:italic>\n                    ,\n                    <jats:italic>Tachyoryctes splendens<\/jats:italic>\n                    and\n                    <jats:italic>Hystrix cristata<\/jats:italic>\n                    were identified as pest rodents in the study area. A total of 968 individual rodents (427 in 2019 and 541 in 2020) were trapped during the study period. There was a statistical variation (\u03c7\n                    <jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup>\n                    = 13.42, df = 1 and P&lt;0.05) between trapped individuals of the two successive years. The crop fields near the forest were more vulnerable than away from the forest during both cropping years. Statistical variations was observed on mean crop losses between cropping years and experimental barley crop sites. The highest crop damage was seen at maturity stage and the lowest during sowing in all experimental plots and cropping years. The percentage of barley yield loss due to rodent pests was 21.7 kg ha\n                    <jats:sup>-1<\/jats:sup>\n                    . The monetary value of this yield loss was equivalent to 4875 Birr (121.9 US$ h\n                    <jats:sup>-1<\/jats:sup>\n                    ). Alemsaga Forest as shelter and conservation strategies like free of farmland from livestock and terracing for soil conservation have great role for the high rodent pest populations in the study area. Field sanitation, trapping and using restricted rodenticides like zinc phosphide are the possible recommendation to local farmers against rodent pests.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0255372","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,12]],"date-time":"2021-08-12T15:04:37Z","timestamp":1628780677000},"page":"e0255372","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":17,"title":["Assessment of crop damage by rodent pests from experimental barley crop fields in Farta District, South Gondar, Ethiopia"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Bewketu Takele","family":"Wondifraw","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7245-9177","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Mesele Yihune","family":"Tamene","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Afework Bekele","family":"Simegn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0255372.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"565","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pt.2016.04.007","article-title":"Global Patterns of Zoonotic Disease in animals","volume":"32","author":"BA Han","year":"2016","journal-title":"Trends in Parasitology"},{"key":"pone.0255372.ref002","unstructured":"Happold DCD. Mammals of Africa. Vol. III: Rodents, Hares and Rabbits. Bloomsbury Publishing, London. 2013;84p."},{"key":"pone.0255372.ref003","first-page":"39","article-title":"Farmers\u2019 perceptions of rodents as crop pests: Knowledge, attitude and practices of farmers about rodent pest management in Southwest Ethiopia","volume":"3","author":"T Gadisa","year":"2016","journal-title":"J Agric Ext Rural Dev"},{"key":"pone.0255372.ref004","first-page":"19","article-title":"Population of African Rodent Models and the Real World","author":"H Leirs","year":"1999","journal-title":"Ecologically Based Rodent Management"},{"key":"pone.0255372.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"287","DOI":"10.1080\/03946975.1997.10539343","article-title":"Forest blocks and altitude as indicators of Myomys albipes distribution in Ethiopia","volume":"10","author":"A Bekele","year":"1997","journal-title":"Trop Zool"},{"key":"pone.0255372.ref006","first-page":"1","article-title":"A systematic review of rodent pest research in Afro-Malagasy small-holder farming systems: Are we asking the right questions?","volume":"12","author":"HS Lourens","year":"2017","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"pone.0255372.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"61","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cropro.2013.10.016","article-title":"Rodent abundance, stone bund density and its effect on crop damage in the Tigray highlands, Ethiopia","volume":"55","author":"m Yonas","year":"2014","journal-title":"Crop protection"},{"key":"pone.0255372.ref008","first-page":"301","article-title":"The rodent density-damage function in maize fields at an early growth stage","volume":"96","author":"LS Mulungu","year":"2003","journal-title":"Aciar"},{"key":"pone.0255372.ref009","first-page":"502","article-title":"Pest Rodent Species Composition, Level of Damage and Mechanism of control in Eastern Ethiopia","volume":"4","author":"M Kasso","year":"2013","journal-title":"Int J innov res appl sci"},{"key":"pone.0255372.ref010","first-page":"159","article-title":"Pattern of damage by rodent (Rodentia: Muridae) pests in wheat in conjunction with their comparative densities throughout growth phase of crop","volume":"3","author":"M Sarwar","year":"2015","journal-title":"Int J Environ Sci"},{"key":"pone.0255372.ref011","first-page":"223p","article-title":"Field Methods For Rodent Studies in Asia and the Indo-Pacific","author":"KP Aplin","year":"2003","journal-title":"Aciar Monograph"},{"key":"pone.0255372.ref012","first-page":"39","article-title":"Farmers\u2019 perceptions of rodents as crop pests: Knowledge, attitude and practices of farmers about rodent pest management in Southwest Ethiopia","volume":"3","author":"T Gadisa","year":"2016","journal-title":"J Agric Ext Rural Dev"},{"key":"pone.0255372.ref013","unstructured":"Singleton GR. Rodent Impacts on Rice Production in Asia. International Rice Research Institute, Los Banos. 2001;65p."},{"key":"pone.0255372.ref014","unstructured":"Amera T, Abate A. (2008). An assessment of the pesticide use, practice and hazards in Ethiopian Rift Valley. USA, Africa Stockpiles Program (ASP). 2008."},{"key":"pone.0255372.ref015","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"532","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cropro.2009.12.006","article-title":"Farmers\u2019 perspectives of rodent damage and management from the highlands of Tigray, Northern Ethiopia","volume":"29","author":"M Yonas","year":"2010","journal-title":"Crop Protection"},{"key":"pone.0255372.ref016","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"351","DOI":"10.1002\/ps.1718","article-title":"The year of the rat ends-time to fight hunger!","volume":"65","author":"BG Meerburg","year":"2009","journal-title":"Pest Management Science"},{"key":"pone.0255372.ref017","first-page":"298","article-title":"Assessment of lives stock feed resources and its constraint in Farta Woreda","volume":"6","author":"L Gulilat","year":"2018","journal-title":"J Food Process Technol"},{"key":"pone.0255372.ref018","first-page":"153","article-title":"Farmer\u2019s perception of rodents as crop pests: knowledge, attitude and practice in rodent pest management in Tanzania and Ethiopia","volume":"135","author":"RH Makundi","year":"2003","journal-title":"Belg J Zool"},{"key":"pone.0255372.ref019","first-page":"63","article-title":"Distribution and bundance of rodents in farmlands: A case Study in Alleltu Woreda, Ethiopia","volume":"29","author":"M Shenkut","year":"2006","journal-title":"SINET: Ethiop J Sci"},{"key":"pone.0255372.ref020","first-page":"109","article-title":"Feeding ecology of pest rodents from Arbaminch forest and farmlands, Ethiopia","volume":"30","author":"D Datiko","year":"2008","journal-title":"SINET: Ethiop J Sci"},{"key":"pone.0255372.ref021","first-page":"157","article-title":"Pest Status of Rodents in Wonji Sugarcane Plantation, Ethiopia","volume":"34","author":"S Takele","year":"2008","journal-title":"Int J Environ Sci"},{"key":"pone.0255372.ref022","first-page":"187","article-title":"Influence of land preparation method and vegetation cover on population abundance of Mastomy natalensis in Morogoro, Tanzania","volume":"135","author":"AW Massawe","year":"2005","journal-title":"Belg J Zool"},{"key":"pone.0255372.ref023","first-page":"465","article-title":"Observations on the role of rodents in crop losses in Tanzania and control strategies","volume":"4","author":"R Makundi","year":"1991","journal-title":"Vet Med"},{"key":"pone.0255372.ref024","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1749-4877.2008.00078.x","article-title":"Response of small rodents to manipulations of vegetation height in agroecosystems","volume":"3","author":"J Jacob","year":"2008","journal-title":"Integ Zool"},{"key":"pone.0255372.ref025","first-page":"378","article-title":"Seasonal variation and pest status of rodents in Bir Farm Development, Ethiopia","volume":"2","author":"E Alemayehu","year":"2013","journal-title":"J Environ Manage"},{"key":"pone.0255372.ref026","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"315","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2028.2004.00530.x","article-title":"Microhabitat choice and diet of rodents in Maynugus irrigation field, northern Ethiopia","volume":"42","author":"W Gebreslassie","year":"2004","journal-title":"Afr J Ecol"},{"key":"pone.0255372.ref027","first-page":"345","volume-title":"Adaptation, Diversity and Ecology","author":"GA Feldhamer","year":"2007","edition":"3"},{"key":"pone.0255372.ref028","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"367","DOI":"10.1890\/1540-9295(2003)001[0367:MRAPTB]2.0.CO;2","article-title":"Mice and Rats: Mice, rats, and people: The Dynamics and Bioeconomics of Agricultural Rodent Pests","volume":"1","author":"NC Stenseth","year":"2003","journal-title":"Front Ecol Environ"},{"key":"pone.0255372.ref029","unstructured":"Rodriguez JE. Rodent Plague: A Permanent Problem in Latin America and the Caribbean. FAO, Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, Santiago, Chile.1993."},{"key":"pone.0255372.ref030","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"66","DOI":"10.1080\/00128325.1968.11662284","article-title":"An outbreak of rats in agricultural areas of Kenya","volume":"34","author":"KD Taylor","year":"1968","journal-title":"Afr J Agric"}],"container-title":["PLOS ONE"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0255372","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,12]],"date-time":"2021-08-12T15:05:10Z","timestamp":1628780710000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0255372"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Bi-Song","family":"Yue","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"editor"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,12]]},"references-count":30,"journal-issue":{"issue":"8","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,12]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0255372","relation":{},"ISSN":["1932-6203"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1932-6203","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,12]]}}}