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ARS Home » Plains Area » Kerrville, Texas » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #380488
Title: Integrated control of the cattle tick, Rhipicephalus australis, in New Caledonia through the Pasture and Cattle Management method

Author
item HUE, THOMAS - Agronomic Institute Of New Caledonien
item BERGER, ANNA - Agronomic Institute Of New Caledonien
item WANG, HSIAO-HSUAN - Texas A&M University
item GRANT, WILLIAM - Texas A&M University
item TEEL, PETE - Texas A&M University
item Perez De Leon, Adalberto - Beto

Submitted to: Veterinary Parasitology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/22/2021
Publication Date: 7/29/2021
Citation: Hue, T., Berger, A., Wang, H., Grant, W., Teel, P.D., Perez De Leon, A.A. 2021. Integrated control of the cattle tick, Rhipicephalus australis, in New Caledonia through the Pasture and Cattle Management method. Veterinary Parasitology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-021-07235-3.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-021-07235-3

Interpretive Summary: The cattle tick scientifically known as Rhipicephalus australis is the most economically important external parasite of cattle in New Caledonia. New methods are needed to deal with the problem of cattle tick populations that are resistant to the chemical acaricides used to control them. Development of the Pasture and Cattle Management (PCM) method is a priority to control R. australis. In this study we collaborated with 21 beef cattle producers and surveyed 37 cattle herds to understand how to: (1) assess the ability of PCM to reduce acaricide use, and (2) prioritize best practices and define recommendations for producers promoting efficient tick control with minimum acaricide use. Analyses of the data revealed that the number of acaricide treatments decreased from 7.9 to 5.3 per year by using PCM. Six factors involving farm characteristics as well as pasture and herd management recommendations accounted for ˜86% of the variability in number of acaricide treatments applied annually. Relevant farm characteristics included: 1) local annual rainfall; 2) percentage of tick-resistant cattle in the herd; 3) status of acaricide resistance in the herd, and 4) status of internal fences on the farm. Important pasture and herd management recommendations were: 1) duration of tick monitoring efforts, and 2) observation of ticks during the month prior to long-acting acaricide treatments. These results demonstrated the usefulness of PCM for integrated control of R. australis infestations while reducing acaricide use to improve cattle production in New Caledonia.

Technical Abstract: Development of the Pasture and Cattle Management (PCM) method is a priority to control the cattle tick, Rhipicephalus australis, in New Caledonia. The PCM method provides the foundation for sustainable integrated tick control because approximately 95% of cattle ticks in infested pastures are off the host in the non-parasitic life stages, and the practice of treating cattle intensely with chemical acaricides is a risk for the emergence of resistance to these active ingredients in commercial acaricidal products available for veterinary use. Here, we report the findings of an assessment survey to document the utility of the PCM method. Analyses of questionnaire data provided by 21 beef cattle producers describing their management of 37 herds informed how to: (1) assess the ability of PCM to reduce acaricide use, and (2) prioritize best practices and define recommendations to breeders promoting efficient tick control with minimum acaricide use. Boosted regression tree analysis showed a significant (p=0.002) reduction of ˜33% in the number of acaricide treatments from 7.9 to 5.3 per year by using PCM. Of the 24 factors identified as potentially affecting acaricide use, six factors accounted for ˜86% of the variability in number of acaricide treatments applied annually. The six most influential factors involved farm characteristics as well as pasture and herd management recommendations. Relevant farm characteristics included: 1) local annual rainfall; 2) percentage of tick-resistant cattle in the herd; 3) status of acaricide resistance in the herd, and 4) status of internal fences on the farm. Important pasture and herd management recommendations were: 1) duration of tick monitoring efforts, and 2) observation of ticks during the month prior to long-acting acaricide treatments. These results demonstrated the usefulness of PCM for integrated control of R. australis infestations while reducing acaricide use to improve cattle production in New Caledonia.