Department of Entomology, C.S.A. University of Agriculture & Technology, Kanpur-208 002, Uttar Pradesh (India).
*A part of approved Ph.D. thesis submitted by A.S. Bhadauria to Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture & Technology, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh (India).
Out of six cereals, viz, rice, maize, wheat, barley, jowar and bajra, and two pulses, viz, gram and pea, fed separately in the laboratory to Indian gerbil (Tatera indica indica Hardwicke) and bandicoot rat, (Bandicota bengalensis Gray), wheat was the most preferred food, followed by rice, gram, maize, bajra, jowar, pea and barley for bandicoot rat, B. bengalensis. In the case of T. indica indica, the order of preference of different food was: rice, wheat, bajra, maize, jowar, gram, barley and pea. Thus, wheat and rice can be successfully used as bait materials for both the species of field rats. Also, gram and bajra can be used as alternative food for them.
