Abstract
This study on the distribution and seasonal changes in the density of rats and mice populations in a lOO-acre block of the wheat-sugarcane based cropland of central Punjab extended from August 1993 to June 1994. Four species of rodents viz. the lesser bandicoot rat, the house mouse, the field rat, and the Indian gerbil were recorded from this block. These rodents achieved high prevalence of pregnancy and produced larger litters during the spring season and ceased to reproduce during the winter season. In the study block, where multiplecropping was practised, food and shelter conditions changed abruptly and frequently. As a result, there took place frequent dispersals and concentrations in the rodent populations. The concentrations of these pest populations in only the sugarcane fields which form 15% to 20% of the total farmlands, offered an excellent opportunity in October and January for protecting the cane and wheat crops from the rodent depredations at a relatively low cost and with a little ecologicaldisturbance. Key words: abundance of rats and mice, control, distribution, wheat-sugarcane based cropland
