Relative effectiveness of individual sunflower traits for reducing red-winged blackbird depredation

Strategies for Evading Blackbird Damage

“…The search for bird-resistant crops peaked in the 1980s, when a concerted effort was made to discover and develop bird-resistant corn and sunflower varieties (Dolbeer et al 1982(Dolbeer et al , 1984(Dolbeer et al , 1986a(Dolbeer et al , 1986bSeiler and Rogers 1987;Mah et al 1990;Mah and Nuechterlein 1991). The efficacy of bird-resistant crops and many other bird management techniques (e.g., mechanical and chemical repellents) is largely contingent on the availability of quality alternative food sources, a practice encouraged by Dolbeer et al (1984) and Avery (2003).…”

Growth, Yield and Quality of Bird-Resistant Sunflower Cultivars Found in Genetic Resources

“…Mah et al (1990) reported that the development of bird-resistant sunfl owers may represent a cost-effective strategy for reducing blackbird depredation. We propose that, in Japan, reducing bird damage by greenfi nches might also be costeffective for sunfl ower production.…”