| dc.contributor.author | Kaiser, Brandon Amberg | |
| dc.description.abstract | Across North America, blackbirds (Icteridae) depredate high-energy crops, such as sunflower (Helianthus annuus), placing an economic burden on producers. Chemically-defended crops, in the form of human-applied repellents, may induce birds to forage elsewhere if a learned aversion can be established. However, repellent deployment must be feasible for producers at the scale of commercial agriculture. Thus, my main objective was to evaluate the efficacy of anthraquinone-based repellents applied to ripening sunflower for reducing blackbird damage. I conducted concentration response (no-choice) and preference tests (two-choice) to evaluate repellent efficacy on captive blackbirds using application strategies practical for agricultural producers. I evaluated field application strategies to assess the potential for broad-scale application using new drop-nozzle technology. Additionally, I describe behavior of captive blackbirds as they interact with ripening sunflower to further inform repellent application. Our results support the conclusion that application of anthraquinone-based repellents is not currently a feasible option for ripening sunflower. | en_US |
| dc.publisher | North Dakota State University | en_US |
| dc.title | Chemical Repellents for Reducing Blackbird Damage on Mature Sunflowers: The Importance of Plant Structure and Avian Behavior in Field Applications | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_US |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2019-05-24T20:42:39Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2019-05-24T20:42:39Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2019 | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10365/29793 | |
| dc.identifier.orcid | 0000-0003-3407-5273 | |
| dc.description.sponsorship | United States. Department of Agriculture | en_US |
| dc.description.sponsorship | Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service | en_US |
| dc.description.sponsorship | Wildlife Services | en_US |
| dc.description.sponsorship | National Wildlife Research Center (#7438-0020-CA; QA-2732) | en_US |
| dc.description.sponsorship | National Sunflower Association (Project #17-P01) | en_US |
| ndsu.degree | Master of Science (MS) | en_US |
| ndsu.college | Graduate and Interdisciplinary Studies | |
| ndsu.department | Biological Sciences | en_US |
| ndsu.program | Environmental and Conservation Science | en_US |
| ndsu.advisor | Klug, Page E. | |
