Is there hope for sustainable management of golden apple snails, a major invasive pest in irrigated rice?

Publication date: Available online 9 August 2016 Source:NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences Author(s): Janina Schneiker, Wolfgang W. Weisser, Josef Settele, Van Sinh Nguyen, Jesus Victor Bustamante, Leonardo Marquez, Sylvia Villareal, Gertrudo Arida, Ho Van Chien, Kong Luen Heong, Manfred Türke The golden apple snail or GAS (Pomacea canaliculata) is an important invasive pest in irrigated rice that feeds on young rice plants. In many countries in SE-Asia, governments have recently decreased their support of training courses for snail management, because farmers are now considered to know how to effectively manage this pest. Although a great number of sustainable control methods is recommended which do not involve the use of pesticides, it is uncertain whether these are taken up by farmers. Probably, the easiest way to control GAS, is the application of synthetic ‘instant kill’ molluscicides, which can have detrimental effects on the environment, non-target species, and health. The aim of this study was to develop ideas for solutions on how to achieve a sustainable management of GAS without or at least a decreased use of molluscicides. In a large-scale approach, we conducted interviews with rice farmers in seven regions across Vietnam and the Philippines, assessing the participation in training courses, knowledge on snail ecology, the methods of controlling and the utilization of the snail, and the farmers’ suggestions on how to improve pest snail co...
Source: NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences - Category: Biology Source Type: research