Farmers have been urged to adopt early, synchronized, and community-based strategies to prevent severe yield losses caused by rat infestation in rice fields.
The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) said that rats are among the most destructive pests in rice production, capable of damaging around five percent of crops and up to 90 percent in worst-case scenarios.
Damages incurred from rat infestation are usually higher in farms near dikes, irrigation canals, and vacant lots, said the agency.
The agency said that rodents destroy rice at all growth stages, from seedling establishment to harvest.
Rat populations rapidly increase when food and shelter are available, with a single female potentially producing up to 510 offspring within 10 months under favorable conditions.
Infestation intensifies during the rice reproductive stage, as the crop’s aroma and natural hormones attract rodents and trigger their breeding cycle.
PhilRice urged farmers to monitor early warning signs such as rat footprints during land preparation, visible burrows along field dikes, and yellowing or cut rice tillers that later turn brown, adding that effective rat management should begin during land preparation through field sanitation, destruction of burrows using compacted mud, and proper timing of baiting before crops are established.
“Farmers must exercise caution when using rat poison, as it can also be dangerous to humans, and should apply it only during land preparation or before planting, when rats have no other food sources and are more likely to consume the bait, while clearing dikes to expose rat burrows and sealing them with thick mud to prevent rats from escaping or reusing their nests,” the agency said.
Farmers are cautioned against unsafe practices such as electric fencing and improper use of rodenticides, citing serious risks to human safety and the environment. Integrated and community-wide approaches, including synchronous planting, intensified hunting during the onset of breeding, and coordinated action among neighboring farms, are more effective than isolated efforts.
“Effective rat management must be done collectively, as efforts by one farmer will be undermined if neighboring fields do not participate, since rats can move within a 150-meter radius, making community-wide, barangay-led programs—especially during the onset of the breeding season, with possible incentives or bounties—essential,” PhilRice said.