Implementation Research for Integrated Tick Control of Rhipicephalus australis (Acari: Ixodidae) Through the Pasture and Cattle Management Method in New Caledonia

Abstract

Abstract New Caledonia is a major livestock producing country in the Southwest Pacific where cattle raising for beef production is a primary agricultural activity. The cattle tick, Rhipicephalus australis, is the most economically important ectoparasite of livestock in New Caledonia. Blood feeding by the parasitic stages of R. australis limits the productivity of tick-susceptible European cattle breeds, which are preferred by livestock farmers. Methods that consider the interplay between tick biology and ecology of pastured cattle provide an opportunity for integrated tick management approaches to mitigate the deleterious effects of R. australis on cattle health and production. Research to implement a Pasture and Cattle Management (PCM) method for integrated control of R. australis in New Caledonia is presented here. Principal aspects of the PCM are described. Optimizing the use of long-acting acaricides contributes to these efforts. Its agroecological foundation affords versatility in the strategic application of practices that follow the PCM method at the farm and agricultural landscape levels. This allows the incorporation of other control technologies like the use of a vaccine against R. australis. Research recommendations to refine integrated R. australis control involving the PCM method for sustainable cattle production in New Caledonia are discussed. Continued research on the biology and ecology of R. australis across the changing agricultural landscape of its geographic range will inform science-based adaptations of the PCM method, which could facilitate its implementation as part of integrated cattle tick management efforts in other semi-extensive cattle management settings.