MANAGEMENT OF THE GOLDEN APPLE SNAIL POMACEA-CANALICULATA (LAMARCK) IN RICE

The golden apple snail Pomacea canaliculata (Lamarck) is a recently in troduced rice pest in Asia. Its management is based on preventative an d corrective methods emphasizing cultural and mechanical practices,wit h molluscicide as a measure of last resort. The planting method greatl y influences the period of susceptibility to snail damage: wetbed-tran splanted 20-day-old seedlings were less damaged than dapog-transplante d 13-day-old seedlings or direct-seeded rice. Seedlings greater-than-o r-equal-to 30 days old were more tolerant of snail damage than younger seedlings. Drainage immobilizes snails. More preventative measures sh ould be undertaken in high-risk (greater-than-or-equal-to 2 snails m-2 ) than in low-risk (< 2 snails m-2) fields. Snails can be controlled i n low-risk fields by employing one or two cultural methods. Dapog or d irect-seeded methods would benefit from drainage and mechanical contro l (hand-picking). If cultural methods cannot be carried out, snails ca n be controlled with molluscicide at low dosage. High-risk fields, on the other hand, should be protected with a combination of cultural and mechanical methods. These methods can be substituted with low or high dosages of molluscicide. Molluscicide alone, however, requires a dosa ge of 0.5 kg a.i. ha-1, which most farmers cannot afford.