关键词: 棕色田鼠, 植物不育剂, 雷公藤, 莪术

Abstract: Objective To compare the effects of mixed chow with different concentrations of Tripterygium or Curcuma on the reproductivity of Microtus mandarinus and determine the appropriate concentration of Tripterygium or Curcuma in mixed chow to reduce the rodent reproductive rate. Methods Healthy mature male and female M. mandarinus were fed with the chow that was mixed with Tripterygium or Curcuma. The palatability, ovarian and testis organ coefficients, and the number of sperms in the testes were calculated. Testicular and ovarian histological sections were prepared. The number of new-born rodents after mating in each group was calculated. Results Compared with the male control group, the male experimental group showed no significant differences in palatability when fed with 0.2 mg/kg Tripterygium-containing mixed chow (t=1.27, P=0.250) and with 0.3 mg/kg Tripterygium-containing mixed chow (t=1.42, P=0.124), and so was the comparison between female control group and female experimental group fed with 20 mg/kg Curcuma-containing mixed chow (t=1.29, P=0.243) and with 30 mg/kg Curcuma-containing mixed chow (t=1.33, P=0.134). The male experimental group fed with 0.3 mg/kg Tripterygium-containing mixed chow had the lowest testis organ coefficient (t=2.46, P=0.048), the least number of sperms in the testes (t=12.11, P=0.000), the smallest seminiferous tubule diameter (t=13.97, P=0.000), the thinnest germinal epithelium (t=18.03, P=0.000), the longest incubation period of birth (Z=1.971, P=0.050), and the least number of offspring (Z=2.003, P=0.046). The female experimental group fed with 30 mg/kg Curcuma-containing mixed chow had the smallest cross-section of the corpus luteum (t=14.17, P=0.000), the longest incubation period of birth (Z=1.973, P=0.049), and the least number of offspring (Z=2.023, P=0.043). Conclusion The chow mixed with 0.3 mg/kg Tripterygium has the strongest antifertility effect and the best palatability on male M. mandarinus, while the chow mixed with 30 mg/kg Curcuma has the strongest antifertility effect and the best palatability on female M. mandarinus. But it requires further investigation in order to apply the mixed chow reported in this paper as a green rodenticide in farmland and woodland.

Key words: Microtus mandarinus, Plant sterilant, Tripterygium, Curcuma