Effectiveness of invented squirrels repellent using traditional knowledge in coconut farm

Abstract

Squirrels are the main enemy of coconut growers in Malaysia. It also happens to coconut growers in the village of Pasir Puteh, Tumpat, Kelantan. Coconut growers here use non-destructive methods to repel squirrels in their gardens. This repellent is created using natural and waste materials found around the farm. Basically, this device is a tap (kertuk) that has a knock rod and is powered by wind flow. The tap is similar (kertuk) to the wooden plank used by the people in the villages in the past to mark the time of prayer in mosque or to call the people for an important assembly. The device is made of bamboo and a short wooden stick is (one foot) fastened to a piece of string tied to both ends of the tap (kertuk). The knock rod is tied with a used fertilizer sack that acts as a blade and receives wind blows that eventually moves the knocker to knock the tap (kertuk). These three components are hung using a rope on a long pole stick and fastened to a coconut trunk. The generated sound alarms the squirrel and repels them from coconut fruit. This tap (kertuk) produces a loud sound each time the wind blows. Objective of this study is to determine the effectiveness of invented squirrels repellent via traditional knowledge in coconut farm. The methods used are observations and informal conversational interview where observation was conducted for 10 months from March until end of December 2020 at the coconut farm. One coconut tree with 15 fruits without invented squirrels repellent was used as reference and one coconut tree with 32 fruits fixed with invented squirrels repellent were used as a treatment. The results show that, in 10th month times six fruits from the reference tree were damaged, meanwhile only two fruits from the treatment tree were only scratched on the husk? But were not damaged. Based on an interview and observation, this invention is effective in repelling squirrels from destroying the coconut fruit in the farm.