Pre and Post Emergence of Maize (Zea mays) Versus Rodents; Challenges and the Ways Forward

Background and Objective: Maize farmers are often faced with numerous challenges which are caused by rodents. These attacks by rodents occur both on the field and in the store rooms. The attacks in this study focus on field ones that cause serious losses to farmers, thereby leading to food insecurity. This study was conducted to obtain information about farmers’ challenges with rodents and their attacks on maize plants in Benin City. Materials and Methods: The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire. The instrument was validated by three experts and a reliability test was carried out using Cronbach Alpha which yielded a coefficient of 0.84. The instruments were administered to the respondents made up of farmers (n = 190) and extension workers (n = 20) from the Benin Metropolis were randomly selected and used as respondents and the data collected were analyzed using statistical mean and standard deviation. Results: The findings of the study revealed some of the challenges faced by maize farmers which include: Causing damage to seeds and seedlings, picking up seeds from the soils immediately after sowing, uprooting seedlings and eating up the cotyledons, destruction of the embryo of maize seeds and eating up of maize seedlings once they shoot out among others. The findings of the study also showed some of the ways farmers can combat the problem of rodents to have maximum yield. The solutions identified by the study include: spraying seedlings with rodenticides, soaking maize seeds in chemicals before planting, early planting, crop rotation, use of scarecrows at different locations and with different colors, setting traps and use of poison bait amongst others. Conclusion: The study concluded that farmers should seek consultations from experts on effective rodent management strategies for maize at both pre and post emergence stages.