The European wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.) can cause significant damage to crops in cereal agrosystems where rabbit populations can reach high densities. Control of rabbit populations is usually achieved by applying intensive hunting efforts over time, which can generate conflicts between hunters, farmers and conservationists. In this scenario, however, the reduction of trophic resources provided by crops could be a complementary strategy to increase the effectiveness of rabbit control programs in this type of agrosystems. Recently, empirical observations have suggested that triticale (X Triticosecale Wittm. ex A. Camus) could be a candidate cereal to be considered in this strategy, since the preference of rabbits for this cereal was apparently lower than for other ones. In this way, the aim of this study was to determine, over four years, the association of a rabbit kilometric abundance index (KAI) with the presence and relative extent of different crops (including triticale) in a cereal agrosystem located in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula. The results showed a clear negative association of KAI with the percentage of uncultivated agricultural land (annual fallow) and the percentage of crop area occupied by triticale, suggesting that both agricultural practices could increase control efficacy if were included in rabbit control strategies. However, further research is needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms involved in the negative relationship between KAI and triticale cultivation to validate its application in rabbit control strategies.

Calvete C., Estrada R. (2025). ¿Puede el cultivo de triticale (X Triticosecale Wittm. ex A. Camus) ayudar al control de la abundancia de conejos silvestres (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.) en agrosistemas cerealísticos?. ITEA‑Información Técnica Económica Agraria 121(3): 204-222. https://doi.org/10.12706/itea.2025.005

El presente estudio ha sido financiado con fondos del Programa de Desarrollo Rural para Aragón 2014‑2020, Gobierno de Aragón y fondos FEADER, dentro de las subvenciones de cooperación de agentes del sector agrario, proyecto GEST‑CONEJO (GCP2021002200).