Abstract:
The studies determined the feeding capacity of golden snail (Pomacea canaliculata Lamarck)
and described the age structure of the snail at irrigated rice field in Malaka regency, East Nusa
Tenggara Province, Indonesia, to support IPM program in this area. An individual snail was
allowed to eat on 60 rice seedlings of Ciherang variety and 1 to 6 weeks old for 24 hours. Results
showed that the rice seedlings of 6 weeks old were rejected by all stages of the snail. The young
snail (11-20 mm) fed on 1-3 week old of the rice seedlings while the old ones (21-40 mm) fed on
1-5 weeks old of the rice seedlings. The younger the rice seedlings age the more sensitive to be
eaten by the snail. The snail was very voracious. In average, snail individual of 11-20 mm, 21-30
mm, and 31-40 mm in length were able to eat transplanted rice seedlings of 3 weeks old as many
as 5.4, 14.2 and 20.2 seedlings, respectively. The snails existed in all stages of the rice crop
during planting season, from the times of before planting, planting, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 weeks after
planting, primordial, ripening, and after harvest. The snail population densities were dominated
by the smallest one (2-10 mm), followed by 11-20 mm, egg mass, 21-30 mm, 31-40 mm, and 41-
50 mm in length i.e. 43.43, 21.31, 13,74, 12.92, 8.51, and 0.08%, respectively. Potency of the
snail colonies to destroy paddy at 0 days after transplanting, with assumption that the
transplanted rice seedling was 3 weeks old and the water was available enough for snail
mobilization, was ca. 1.381seedlings with 148.6 snails/80m2
. It implies that destroy potential of
the snail colonies with various stages can be predicted since their feeding capacity and its age
structure are known. It also supports decision making for control action in the system of
integrated pest management. |
