THE IMPACT OF PTEROPUS MEDIUS ON GUAVA (PSIDIUM GUAJAVA) ORCHARD: EXAMINING DAMAGE AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES - Mudasar Hussain; Waqas Ali; Christoph F.J. Meyer; Arshad Javid; Muhammad Imran (Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences, 2025)
The present study was conducted in district Kasur, Pakistan to assess the guava fruit damage by Pteropus medius during summer and winter fruit ripening seasons in 2023-24. Artificial LED (AL) lights of 12W and 30W were used as a management strategy. Damage guava fruits by bats were collected for thirty days during both ripening seasons of guava (Psidium gujava) from three randomly selected acres in orchard, with and without artificial lights. After counting and weighing the collected damaged fruits, economic loss was calculated. The data indicated that on daily basis (WADF) of 1.97 ± 0.17 kg per acre (p < 0.0001) of actual fruit damage was observed in the winter season, while summer season faced 1.27 ± 0.09 kg per acre (p < 0.0001). Seasonal yield loss of 2.6% in summer and 16.14% in winter was estimated. The use of 12W and 30W LED lights as management strategy significantly reduced the fruit damage and economic losses. During winter season, 30WAL and 12WAL showed reduced damaged fruit per acre (0.36 ± 0.03 kg and 0.59 ± 0.05, respectively) as compared to orchard (4.97 ± 0.17 kg) with no artificial light (NAL). The yield loss (%) was significantly lower when the orchard was exposed to LED lights. The lowest yield loss was recorded with 30WALs during both summer (0.13 ± 0.01%) and winter (0.17 ± 0.01%) as compared to yield loss (1.30 ± 0.04%) in summer and (2.32 ± 0.08%) in winter with no artificial lights (NAL). The initial cost of light installation was considerable but the reduction in fruit loss made it economically worthwhile. In terms of cost-effectiveness, the 12WAL lights provided a higher return on investment, with a noteworthy positive net economic return during the winter season. It can be concluded that the installation of artificial lights is a practical and effective solution to manage bats related damage in guava orchards. The 12W AL lights offer a good balance between cost and effectiveness, making them a smart choice for orchard owners looking to minimize damage and maximize their profits without harming the bat population.
Keywords: journal article; Artificial Lights; Indian Flying Fox; Pteropus medius; Fruit damage; Conservation