A Comparison of Bird Damage Among Eleven Varieties of Corn in Haiti

Abstract

Because corn is the major food crop grown in Haiti, a study was conducted to compare bird damage among 11 nonhybrid varieties including the traditional corn preferred by Haitians. The effect of fertilizer on damage levels was also examined. Damage measurements analyzed were proportion lost by surface area and weight. No differences among variety, fertilization, nor variety by fertilization interaction, were detected statistically for either variable. Baseline damage levels were high (overall average of 9% versus less than 1% in midwestern U.S.) with much variation throughout the variety by fertilization combinations. We speculate that the patchy nature of bird damage may have decreased the sensitivity of the analyses to differences among the varieties. In any case, damage levels generally were high for each variety.