Artigo Publicado em Periódico
Are camouflaged seeds less attacked by wild birds?
Fecha
2010Registro en:
0103-9016
v.67,n.2
Autor
Almeida, Alexandre de
Couto, Hilton Thadeu Zarate do
Almeida, Álvaro Fernando de
Almeida, Alexandre de
Couto, Hilton Thadeu Zarate do
Almeida, Álvaro Fernando de
Institución
Resumen
Wheat, corn and rice crops in Brazil use seeds treated with systemic insecticide/nematicide carbofuran, mixed to rhodamine B red dye. Carbofuran is toxic and rhodamine B is attractive to wild birds that eat up these seeds, resulting in notable mortality during planting. A field experiment was performed in southeast Brazil to evaluate if camouflaged seeds would be less consumed by wild birds in comparison to commercial seeds with red-colored rhodamine B and aposematic blue seeds. Camouflaged seeds were less removed than seeds with rhodamine B and natural colors. The camouflaging was more effective in the presence of irregularities and litter. There was no removal of blue-colored seeds. As legislation requires treated seeds to receive a different color to avoid accidents with humans, camouflaging may be used as replacement of rhodamine B to reduce mortality rates of wild birds.