The Effectiveness of 9, 10 Anthraquinone as a Repellent to Protect Oilseed Sunflower from Blackbird Depredation

Across the Prairie Pothole Region of North America, blackbirds (Icteridae) cause millions of dollars in damage to sunflower crops annually, but effective methods to prevent or limit blackbird damage to sunflower crops are lacking. I tested two repellents (Avipel and AV2022, both with active ingredient 9, 10 anthraquinone) under application conditions that would be appropriate for large-scale, sunflower farming in two consecutive years. In 2012, I conducted daily avian point counts and weekly crop damage surveys to assess blackbird use of, and damage to, plots of sunflowers were sprayed with Avipel or left unsprayed (i.e., control). In 2013, I placed six netted enclosures (each containing three male red-winged blackbirds, Agelaius phoeniceus, approximately 40 mature sunflowers and trays with cracked corn and water) in a plot of sunflower treated with AV2022 applied by a ground sprayer, and six netted enclosures (each containing three male red-winged blackbirds approximately 40 mature sunflowers and trays with cracked corn and water) in an adjacent plot of sunflower left untreated (i.e., control). Results from 2012 indicate that blackbird use of, and damage to, sunflower plots did not vary with treatment of Avipel. Results from 2013 indicate that enclosures in the AV2022 treated plot had sunflower plants with significantly more seed loss and significantly less cracked corn consumed from food trays than enclosures in the untreated (i.e., control) plot. I conclude that 9, 10 anthraquinone does not significantly reduce blackbird damage to sunflower crops when applied using typical methods for pesticides in large-scale, commercial agriculture.National Sunflower AssociationU.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services? National Wildlife Research CenterNorth Dakota State University (NDSU