Birds particularly parrot and sparrow cause heavy losses to pomegranate fruits after 2-3 month of fruit set when aril start developing. The type of control method will depend on a number of factors like crop stage, damage patterns and species behaviour etc. For small orchard and isolated trees, netting with anti-bird net is the most effective way to reduce bird damage. In most cases, netting is spread directly over the plants through support by iron frame. It has a high initial cost, but effective in pomegranate due to high cost of produce. Bird scaring ribbon and noise makers also used to keep birds away from crops. Noise making devices such as cannons, exploders, sirens are also available. These devices work best when the sound is presented at irregular intervals and the sound source is moved frequently. Covering of fruit with bags is also found effective against bird damage.
When and how birds cause damage in pomegranate crop?
