Integrated Management to Control Golden Apple Snails (Pomacea canaliculata) in Direct Seeding Rice Fields: An Approach Combining Water Management and Rice-Duck Farming

Abstract

Direct seeding has high potential to reduce water and labor use. However, the extension of conventional direct seeding is facing great golden apple snail pest problems. To establish an agrochemical-free management for reducing damage, an integrated approach combining rice-duck farming system and water management was developed. Results showed that dry direct seeding was effective in reducing seedling loss at the beginning of rice growth, and the following duck herding significantly reduced the snail populations in the flooding period. With increasing shortage of water and labor force, this integrated approach might have great potential for controlling snails, especially for water-deficient areas in Asia.