Hilly terrains, arid plains and inhospitable weather are the distinct features of Balochistan. As Balochistan lies between 20-33 N and 61-70 E it has got all types of climate, i.e tropical, sub-tropical, and temperate.

Thus suitable for growing variety of fruits viz: almond, apple, apricot, grapes, peach, plum, pear, pomegranate, cherry, pistachio, dates, mango, citrus, banana, guava, loquat, papaya, chiko, coconut, fig, etc.

However, among fruit crops, date-palm holds the largest acreage, i.e. 42,607 hectares of which 41,928 are bearing and 679 non-bearing areas.

In spite of the fact that Balochistan is the largest date-palm growing province, no adequate attention has been paid to the problems of date-palm growers at any level.

For example, a drought-like situation for the last couple of years has led to outbreak of field rats in the date-palm grove in Maskhel, Gualstop and Dalbandin in district Kharan causing widespread damage to both bearing and non-bearing date-palm trees.

According to a grower at Dalbandin, over 1000 date-palm trees have been destroyed within one year. A survey revealed that initially rats started eating from the fleshy root zone and then moved upward to the central pithy zone resulting into destruction of the entire tree. Besides, the young non-bearing trees between age of 10-15 years are still vulnerable to rat damage.

While visiting Sistan province of Iran, this writer came to know through an official of the agriculture department at Zahidan that a species of rat is causing damage to date-palm in Maskhel area of district Sarawan. On my request, the Director, Plant Protection, Zahidan, Mr Yousuf Rigiladez, arranged a briefing to this effect at rodent control centre at Sarawan. The officials engaged in rat control campaign said that rat species causing damage to date-palm trees has been identified as Electoga sp of the Family Dipodidde and the outbreak area is localised at Maskhel and restricted to unirrigated date-palm groves.

It would be proper to mention here that Maskhel date-palm grove area belongs both to Pakistan and Iran being situated at border of both the countries. Regarding the control measures, it was said that since the rat species is very much shy of bait in the trapping boxes and laying of poison bate around trees is the only method being applied to control the new menace.

In Pakistan when vertebrate pest control laboratory of the PARC at Karachi University was contacted about rat damage to date-palm in Balochistan, the rodent expert Muzaffer Ahmad visited Dalbandin in order to undertake a survey of the affected area.

But for want of a desert-worthy vehicle, the main affected area of Maskhel and Gualstop could not be surveyed. However, growers at Dalbandin were made acquainted with measures such as; trapping and poison-baiting. Some poison baits were also supplied to the affected growers free of cost by the PARC.

Regarding the control measures through poison bait and trapping, it would be proper to mention here that these methods of controlling rat problem may not be practicable as the outbreak area is almost desolate and inhospitable. Moreover, the use of poison-bait on large scale in open area may also boomerang. This is because an unintelligent use of poison may result in widespread destruction of the biodiversity of ecosystem and biotic factors, especially barn owl and snakes which predate upon rats.

Since rat was not known as a pest of date-palm in the country hitherto, present rat problem may be due to some change in the equilibrium of natural forces particularly because of prolonged drought-like situation in this arid region of the province.

It would be proper to mention here that barn owl is well known as a potent enemy of small mammals like rats and mice. Reportedly it has successfully been used to control rat menace in oil-palm plantation and paddy fields in Malaysia. According to Noor-un-Nisa, a research scholar of vertebrate pest control laboratory, Karachi University campus, a pair of owls can kill nearly three thousand rats in a year. There are nine genera and 19 species of owl in Pakistan but the barn owl is the best rodent controller according to Mis Nisa who has carried out extensive research on “barn owl” as a natural pest controller.

It is suggested that the Agriculture Department of Balochistan in collaboration with the wildlife department and Vertebrate Pest Control Laboratory (PARC) should launch barn owl augmentation programme in the rat outbreak area of Maskhel, Gualstop and Dalbandin. This is necessary in order to save the date-palm plantation in Balochistan from this new menace.

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