Animal Sciences Commons^™

Population Dynamics Of Soft-Furred Field Rat, Millardia Meltada, In Rice And Wheat Fields In Central Punjab, Pakistan, Shaher Bano Lathiya, Abdul Rauf Khokhar, Syed Muzaffar Ahmed

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Data on the abundance, reproduction, diet and damage index of the soft-furred field rat Millardia meltada were collected during the rice and wheat seasons. The abundance of Millardia meltada remained high at the post-harvest stage of the rice and wheat crops. The ploughing of fields did not affect the abundance of Millardia. The mean annual prevalence of pregnancy was 50% and the mean embryonic litter size 6.2 ± 0.4. Millardia continued to eat wheat and rice grains over a long period even when there was no crop standing in the fields. The damage indices in rice and wheat crops were …