Estimation of Wild Herbivore Damage to Field Crops in the Czech Republic in 2019

Abstract

Damage caused by free living herbivores to field crops has been a significant and long lasting, culminating problem which has not been solved yet. One of the reasons is missing methodologies and lack of precise data. The aim of our study was to estimate a total extent of damage caused by free living herbivores to field crops in the Czech Republic. We carried out a field research, determined the extent of the damage to main crops, and calculated the total extent of damage. Maize was the most damaged crop with a total of 8.8% of damaged area followed by oat with 6.4%. A significant gap occurred between awned and awnless wheat. While 6% of awnless wheat was damaged on average, it was only 1.5% for awned wheat. The least damaged crop was rape plant but due to its large sowing area and a relatively high market value, the loss cannot be considered low. The damage were affected by the distance of field from forests. Awned cereals seem to be suitable crops for places with a higher potential risk of damage. We estimated the damage in the Czech Republic in 2019 as high as 58 433 thousand EUR.