Snail Breeding Research Articles

Comparative Study on the Effect of Citrillus lanatus and Cucumis sativus on the Growth Performance of Archachatina marginata

Feeding accounts for a reasonable percentage of the cost of livestock production and a major factor that determines the viability and profitability of livestock farming ventures. Also scarcity and high cost of meat for human consumption has necessitated the need for intensive rearing of some non-conventional livestock such as the snail hitherto hunted from the wild, in view of this, this study evaluated the effects of two fruits, Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) and Watermelon (Citrillus lanatus) on the growth performance of Archachatina marginata. The study was conducted using One hundred and thirty five (135) snails, 15 snails per treatment and each treatment was replicated three times and the experiment lasted for a period of eight weeks. In terms of growth, results showed that the snails fed with watermelon and cucumber performed generally better than others but statistically, no significant difference (P>0.05) existed between the snails (in terms of weight, length, circumference of the snail) fed with the two fruits and the combination of both. From the result, it was observed that the mean weight gain of snails fed with Citrillus lanatus ( Cage A) was 5.43g, those fed with Cucumis sativus (Cage B) had mean weight gain of 1.22g , while those fed with both fruits (Cage C) had 7.53g. The mean shell length increase in snails fed with Citrillus lanatus was 10.74mm, those of Cucumis sativus was 10.52mm, while those fed with both had 12.24mm. The mean shell circumference of snails fed with Citrilus lanatus was 14.47mm, those fed with Cucumis sativus had 14.15mm, while those fed with both had 15.16mm. From the results, snails fed with both Citrillus lanatus and Cucumis sativus performed best while snails fed with Citrillus lanatus performed better than those fed with Cucumis sativus in all parameters measured. Therefore, snail farmers are advised to use the combination of cucumber and watermelon for a better yield.

A Refinement of an International Standard Method (ISO/TS 15216–2:2013) to Allow Extraction and Concentration of Human Enteric Viruses from Tissues of Edible Snail Species

In the recent years, a revival in interest in snail meat consumption has promoted a rapid development of snail farming systems to cover an increasing consumer demand and to protect the free-living snail population. Snail meat, like other types of food intended for human consumption, should be free from any microbiological hazards before being placed on the market. Snail meat may contain bacteria, but little is known about the possibility of contamination with human enteric viruses. Therefore, to test snail tissues for viruses, a suitable virus detection method is needed. Up to now, many methods for virus extraction and concentration from molluscan shellfish have been published, but only one has been adopted as an international standard procedure. In this study, a refinement of an ISO method (ISO/TS 15216–2:2013) was conducted to make it suitable for processing of edible snail tissues. The digestive glands from three edible snail species (Helix pomatia, Cornu aspersum maxima, Cornu aspersum aspersum) were used as samples, and method performance was assessed on the basis of murine norovirus RNA detection in spiked samples using a one-step real-time reverse transcription-PCR. The mean percentage of virus recovery from tissues of C. a. maxima was 5.71 %, 0.31 % for C. a. aspersum and 1.28 % for edible snail. As demonstrated here, this method was successfully applied for virus detection in snail samples, and its use can be recommended in monitoring of snails for virus contamination.

Economic Analysis and Production Techniques of Snail Farms in Southern Greece

In the present study was examined the economic viability and the production techniques of commercial snail farms, grounded in Peloponnese (). The primary data were collected through personal interviews from a sample of nine snail farms, during the years of 2009 and 2010. The farms produce fresh snails<i> Cornu aspersum, </i>raised and reproduced in net covered greenhouses with vegetation and artificial food provision. The impact of the production cost and the selling price on the business profitability was examined. A comparative presentation of profits and expenses was conducted for the economic viability control and the Net Present Value criterion was applied, as an indication of potential profitability of the investment plan. The net cash flows were estimated for a time period of ten years and sensitivity analysis was applied for a variation rate of 20% (with 5% as the discounting interest rate). The initial investment was 19.478 €, 60% of this concerns expenses for the creation of the net covered greenhouse. The annual revenue was estimated to 20.028<b>€ </b>during an average year (3<SUP>rd</SUP> year) within the ten-year evaluation horizon. In the selling price of 5,3 €/kg the investment was deemed marginally economically viable. Problems which concerned mainly the design of the livestock installations but also the productions techniques were detected. Sensitivity analysis, demonstrated that the enterprise was sensitive to variations of the product's selling price (of fresh snails) and less sensitive to variations of feeding cost (of the green vegetables and artificial diet). Heliciculture has the potential to constitute an innovative and viable agricultural activity with economic, social and environmental benefits.

Natural resource and biodiversity conservation in Ghana: the use of livelihoods support activities to achieve conservation objectives

Threats to biodiversity from increasing populations and poverty has resulted in the use of investments in livelihoods support activities as economic incentives for natural resource and biodiversity conservation in Ghana. Examples of such activities include woodlots, beekeeping, snail breeding, and mushroom farming. In order to assess and evaluate the effectiveness of these activities as tools for conservation planning and resource allocation, it is essential to document their use for environmental conservation. This study presents a consolidated documentation of the use of livelihoods support activities for natural resource and biodiversity conservation in Ghana. This documentation includes the specific activities, the number of such interventions since they were first used until 2010, their geographical distribution in the country, and implementation strategies. The methods used in this study include thematic and chronological analysis of conservation project reports, interviews with project managers, collection of primary data on the specific activities, and focus group discussions with participants of livelihoods support activities in rural Ghana. Seventy-one different types of livelihoods support activities belonging to eight categories have been employed for conservation in Ghana since 1993. The majority of these activities were based on non-timber forest products. A chronological trend analysis indicated an increasing tendency to make livelihoods support activities part of conservation projects in Ghana. These activities have become very relevant to Ghana’s current collaborative policy because they are used to buy-in local support for natural resource and biodiversity conservation.

Modification of chitosan onto PE by irradiation in salt solutions and possible use as Cu2+ complex film for pest snail control

ABSTRACTChitosan‐grafted‐polyethylene (CS‐g‐PE) film was prepared using simultaneous radiation‐inducing grafting technique. The copper ion (Cu2+) adsorptivity on the CS‐g‐PE film was determined. The CS‐hydroxybenzyltriazole (CS‐HOBt), CS‐N‐hydroxysuccinimide (CS‐NHS), CS‐acetic acid (CS‐HOAc), and CS‐glutathione (CS‐GSH) were used as CS‐salts in aqueous solutions. Among these grafting solution systems, the CS‐g‐PE film prepared from CS‐HOBt solution showed the greatest grafting amount and highest Cu2+ adsorptivity, up to 30.2% (1.51 ppm, 7.56 µg cm−2). The effects of the CS‐HOBt concentration and mixing solution on the grafting amount were also observed to clarify their efficacies to assist radiation‐induced grafting reaction. SEM/EDS mapping, ICP and XRF were used to clarify the Cu2+ adsorption capacity of the CS‐g‐PE film and the stability of Cu2+ on the CS‐g‐PE complex film. The Cu2+ showed its stability on the CS‐g‐PE film at room temperature in neutral and basic solutions. The Cu2+‐‐‐CS‐g‐PE complex film reduced pest snail breeding as high as 54%. The success of this observation is a new approach to modify PE surface with a functional biopolymer, CS containing Cu2+ complex for controlling pest snail breeding. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 41204.

Snail consumption and breeding performance of pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) along a pollution gradient in the Middle Urals, Russia

During the years 1989–91, 1997–2003, and 2005–07, we studied how emissions from the Middle Urals copper smelter affect snail availability and reproduction of free-living pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca). We counted snail shells dropped in nests and analysed food samples of nestlings. Pied flycatchers brought to nestlings fewer shells in heavily polluted sites compared to background sites, resulting in reduced Ca intake. Species diversity of snails collected by birds decreased with decreasing distance from the pollution source. The pattern was the same both in deciduous and coniferous forests. In sites closest to the smelter, 20–50% of breeding females suffered from Ca deficiency, which resulted in an increased proportion of deserted clutches and clutches with defective eggshells. Number of fledglings per nest decreased in heavily polluted sites, especially in broods with decreased snail supply. This study demonstrated that pollution can cause both direct effect of toxicants to birds and indirect effects via reduced Ca availability.

Microbiological and Chemical Evaluation of Helix Spp. Snails from Local and Non-EU Markets, Utilised as Food in Sardinia.

With this study, 28 pools of snails of the genus Helix, respectively Helix aspersa (n=24) and Helix vermiculata (n=4) were analysed. They were taken from snail farming and stores. The snails were from Sardinia, other regions of Italy, and from abroad. All the samples were examined as pool looking for these microbiological target: Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157, Clostridium perfringens, Norovirus and Hepatitis A Virus (HAV). In the same pools, the concentration of cadmium and lead by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was also determined. The levels of these heavy metals were quite high, especially for cadmium. Two samples were positive for Salmonella spp., while no sample was positive for Escherichia coli O157, HAV and Norovirus. Two samples were positive for Clostridium perfringens and 8 for Listeria monocytogenes. The microrganisms related to Listeria monocytogenes were identified using biochemical techniques, then serotyped and gene sequenced by multiple loci sequence typing technique. Furthermore, antimicrobial restistence was tested on the same samples.

Microbiota from &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Helix aspersa&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; M&amp;#252;ller in Barcelona Area (Spain)

In recent decades snail consumption has been increasing throughout Europe. The Heliciculture meets this need and gets snail farms, in order to get consistent production in the shortest possible time. The research provided, has a main objective to establish the microbiota of Helix aspersa Müller, both from healthy animals, and individuals with gastrointestinal processes. The samples selected for the study were feces obtained from snails collected in both breeding farms as field snails. In the case, farm animals were selected apparently form healthy individuals and others were with signs of gastrointestinal process study. Aliquots of each sample were plated on a range of culture media and incubated under different conditions of temperature and respiration. From the results we can note that the healthy snails (farmed or free-living) have been isolated and identified mostly, as strains belonging to the genera Pediococcus, Lactobacillus and Lactococcus and five strains of yeasts of the genera Candida and Cryptococcus. Individuals suffering from gastrointestinal disturbances processes have been isolated in high proportion species of Klebsiella, Pantoea, Citrobacter and Enterobacter. The results obtained indicate that the snails with health problems reduce the presence of strains of Lactobacillus and Lactococcus in favor of increasing and/or establishing colonization by strains of Enterobacteriaceae.

CAN HELICICULTURE ACT AS A TOOL FOR EDIBLE LAND SNAILS’ NATURAL POPULATIONS’ MANAGEMENT IN ROMANIA?

ABSTRACT Edible land snails are intensively exploited and the management of natural populations is a complex issue due the variety of factors involved. Two species of the genus Helix are present in our country, Helix pomatia and Helix lucorum, both of them collected since 1956. Although current legislation regulates the exploited amount and the dimension of collected snails, the exploitable amount is not assessed using appropriate ecological studies. The farming of edible snails has evolved in Romania especially during the period 2004-2008, the first farms being financed by the SAPARD Project. The inappropriate documentation on the matter of snail farming had lead to a quick failure of this practice in Romania. It is unlikely that snail farming will replace collection on short or medium term, but obtaining reasonable quantities of snails in snail farms could help to reduce their exploitation in nature to an acceptable level and keep a sustainable exploitation

Microbiological quality of raw and processed wild and cultured edible snails

An increasing interest in snail farming in Greece and other European countries has been observed. Despite the fact that edible snails have been involved with problems of Salmonella spp. contamination, there are to our knowledge only limited studies regarding microbiological safety and hygiene of such products. Enumeration of microbial populations and presence/absence of Salmonella spp. in snail meat and intestines of wild Cornu aspersum, Helix lucorum and cultured Cornu aspersum snails from indoor/outdoor type farms was conducted. Furthermore, snail-processing steps were simulated in the laboratory and the population reduction in snail meat was determined. Microbial populations were higher in intestines than snail meat in almost all cases. Escherichia coli/coliforms and Enterococcus spp. populations were lower in the intestines and snail meat of cultured C. aspersum. Salmonella spp. were detected in the intestines and snail meat of wild snails only. The high levels of bacterial populations were considerably reduced after the appropriate processing. The lower populations of E. coli/coliforms, Enterococcus spp. and especially the absence of Salmonella spp. in cultured snails show that the controlled conditions decrease the possibility of pathogen presence and contribute to food safety and public health.

Potential schistosomiasis foci in China: A prospective study for schistosomiasis surveillance and response

Schistosomiasis japonica was endemic in 12 provinces (including municipalities and autonomous regions) in the People's Republic of China (PR China). Despite the tremendous decrease of schistosomiasis incidence after almost 60 years of control, the distribution of snail-breeding sites has not been reduced significantly. In order to verify current transmission risks and identify the potential establishment of new foci of schistosomiasis driven by environmental changes, we conducted surveillance in selected risk areas of three provinces: Jiangsu, Anhui and Shandong from 2008 to 2010 in addition to routine snail surveillance. We investigated populations and possible reservoirs in sentinel sites and report that the total number of new acute cases did not diminish further in spite of ongoing control activities. In Anhui Province the local count compared to the national count was 43% (19/44) in 2008, 33% (25/75) in 2009 and 40% (17/42) in 2010. In all, 31.58km2 areas of snail breeding sites were newly detected nationwide through the year 2008–2010, of which the proportion of Anhui was 42% (5.03/11.98) in 2008, 95% (8.39/8.79) in 2009 and 79% (8.52/10.81) in 2010. Sentinel surveillance showed eight, nine and five confirmed cases of acute schistosomiasis in mobile populations (fishermen, migrant workers) in 2008, 2009 and 2010, respectively. All these cases were detected in Chaohu County, which must therefore be deemed an area at risk. We conclude that continuous surveillance with an emphasis on snails must be enhanced in potential risk areas in PR China.

Snail Farming as an Environment Friendly and Viable Enterprise in Ondo State, Nigeria

Snail Farming as an Environment Friendly and Viable Enterprise in Ondo State, Nigeria

Characteristics of snail farming in Edo South Agricultural Zone of Edo State, Nigeria

The study was carried out to determine the characteristics of snail farming in Edo South Agricultural Zone of Edo State Nigeria. The interview schedule was used to collect data from 60 snail farmers randomly selected from six cells in the study area. Information on the socioeconomic status of the farmers, production system, management practices and production constraints in the snail farms were elicited. The constraints were determined using a four-point Likert-type scale; a mean score of ≥ 2.5 was considered as a production constraint. Majority (85.0 %) of the respondents were part-time snail farmers. The major species of snails reared were Achatina achatina and Archachatina marginata, reared by 43.3 and 26.7 % of the farmers, respectively. Semi-intensive system of production was practised by 40.0 % of the farmers. Majority (78.0 %) of the respondents used car tyres to house their snails. About 56 % of the respondents kept their snails for 1-2 years before sale. Up to 51.7 % of the respondents separated their snails into different pens according to their size/age. The most commonly used feeds were vegetables (71.2 %), plant leaves (67.8 %) and kitchen waste (59.3 %). Records of snail production activities were kept by 75.0 % of respondents. The major constraints identified were lack of capital (3.31), inability to get good laying stock (3.00), lack of formulated feed to buy (2.98) and slow growth rate of snails (2.52). The potentials of snail farming in the study area have not been fully exploited as farmers produced at subsistence level.

English

The study examined the economics of snail production in Edo state of Nigeria. The socio-economic characteristics of the respond- ents cost and returns and factors affecting revenue generation in snail production were the specific areas of focus of the study. Snow balling sampling technique was adopted to identify a total of 95 snail farmers in the study area and this formed the sample size for the study. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics, budgetary and regression analyses. The results indicated that the respondents had average stock size of 630 snails. The business of snail production required low capital investment and was highly profitable with gross margin and net profit per snail of N68.45 and N63.44 respectively. The results further showed that stock size, labor cost and educational level were the significant factors influencing revenue from snail production. They all correlated positively with the revenue and explained about 79% of the variation in the revenue (R2 = 0.785). It was concluded that since snail production required low capital investment, low income earners could comfortably embark on it; and in view of the high profit level of the business, it could be a veritable enterprise for uplifting the living standard of its producers and advance the economy of the nation. Keywords- Economics, Cost, profitability, Snail, Production, Nigeria.

Foraging Behaviour Responses in the African Giant Land Snail &lt;i&gt;Achatina Achatina&lt;/i&gt;

The study was carried out to determine the conditioning procedure of tentacle lowering to determine foraging behaviour responses in Achatina achatina . Snails were exposed to unripe fruit odour of paw paw and pear as conditioned stimuli (CS), while they ingested carrot as unconditioned stimulus (US). There were 4 treatments of 10 snails each replicated 3 times. During experimentation (conditioning), all snails ate carrot as US, but exposed to the odour of carrot in control treatment (T1); paw paw in T2; pear in T3; pair of paw paw and pear in T4 as CS respectively. Responses were measured through posterior tentacle lowering to sensory stimuli from experimental vegetable odour during feeding. Results indicated T1 with highest tentacle lowering; T2 indicated an acquisition effect; T3 indicated latent inhibition effect; T4 indicated over shadowing effect between paired odour. The A. achatina demonstrated at least 7 days of odour memory retention. The immediate significance of this study is that snail farmers should feed their stock with a diet in which snails will develop habituation and hence optimal performance. Key words : Land snail, tentacle lowering, foraging behaviour

Information-Seeking Behavior and Utilization among Snail Farmers in Oyo State, Nigeria: Implications for Sustainable Animal Production

Information-Seeking Behavior and Utilization among Snail Farmers in Oyo State, Nigeria: Implications for Sustainable Animal Production

The Growth Performance of Young Archachatina marginata Swaison (African Giant Snail) Fed with Mulberry (Morus alba) and Siam-weed (Chromoleana odorata) Leaf Meal Supplementary Diet

Two of the most costly sources of protein ingredients in livestock feed are soya and fishmeals. These ingredients are now becoming scarce due to their multiple uses, hence the needs for sourcing for substitutes. A six weeks Completely Randomised Design experiment was conducted at the FRIN Snailery unit, Ibadan to evaluate the growth perfomance of Archachatina marginata Swaison on mulberry and chromoleana leafmeals. Thirty (30) young snails of 3-5 weeks old were fed with mulberry and siam-weed leafmeals in addition to the unripe pawpaw fruit. Concentrate feed containing soya and fish meals serves as the control. Average feed intakes, body weight gain, shell length and circumference of snails were the parameters assessed. The results showed that highest feed intake and feed conversion ratio were obtained in chromoleana leafmeal treatment but snails fed with mulberry leafmeal performed best in terms of average body weight gain, shell length and circumference of snails. This indicated that leaves of some tropical plants especially especially mulberry and siam-weed could be used as a good substitutes in snail supplementary ration and help to reduce the cost of production in snail farming.

농가실천 친환경 벼재배 논의 토양특성 및 시비추천량

친환경농업은 합성농약, 화학비료 등 화학 투입제의 사용을 최대한 줄이고 자원의 재활용을 가능케 하여 지역자원과 환경을 보전하면서 장기적으로 일정한 생산성과 수익성을 확보하고 안전한 식품을 생산하는 것이다. 본 연구는 호남지역 친환경 농업지구 논 토양의 환경특성을 조사하여 토양관리 기준을 설정코자 2007년도에 충남, 전북, 전남지역에서 쌀겨농법 2지구, 쌀겨+왕우렁이농법 8지구, 왕우렁이농법 5지구, 오리농법 3지구로 총 18지구를 선정하여 친환경 농법별 토양화학성을 분석하고 농가설문 및 토양물리성을 조사하였다. 친환경농업지구의 토양물리성중 토양경도는 관행농법보다 낮았으며 특히 쌀겨를 시용한 농법의 토양경도가 다른 친환경농법 보다 약간 낮았다. 또한 친환경농업지구의 토양화학성 중 유효인산과 유효규산 함량은 적정수준보다 약간 낮았으며 친환경농법 중 쌀겨를 시용한 농법의 유효인산과 유효규산 함량은 다른 친환경농법 보다 약간 낮았다. 작물별 시비처방 기준에 따라 토양 양분 부족분에 대한 시비량 (<TEX>$N-P_2O_5-K_2O$</TEX>)을 계산한 결과 쌀겨농법에서는 <TEX>$83-49-30kg\;ha^{-1}$</TEX>, 쌀겨+왕우렁이 농법 <TEX>$77-48-30kg\;ha^{-1}$</TEX>, 왕우렁이농법 <TEX>$84-42-33kg\;ha^{-1}$</TEX>, 오리농법 <TEX>$86-36-34kg\;ha^{-1}$</TEX>로 나타났다. Environment-friendly agriculture (EFA) are aimed to reduce use of chemical inputs as possible the recycling of resources and the environment while preserving the local resources in the long term to ensure a constant productivity and profitability for producing safe food. This study was conducted to investigate characteristics on soil environment at paddy field of environment-friendly agriculture regions (EFARs) in Honam area. Survey point of EFARs Chungnam, Jeonbuk and Jeonnam, rice bran farming method in two districts, rice bran + snail farming method in eight districts, snail farming method in five districts and ducks farming method in three districts a total of 18 districts were selected. Annual of farming method, friendly-environment certification, amount of applied fertilizer, and history of cultivation to the farm household were surveyed. The content of available phosphate and silicate among the soil chemical properties in EFA paddy field were a little lower than optimum level, and those of agricultural methods fertilized with rice bran were a little lower than those of others. Hardness among the soil physical properties in EFA paddy field were a little lower than conventional practices, and that of agricultural methods fertilized with rice bran were a little lower than those of others. We showed fertilizer recommendation dose about soil nutritional shortages according to fertilization prescriptions index by crops.

자연분해비닐 논토양 피복이 저서성 대형무척추동물의 군집구조에 미치는 영향

This study was conducted to investigate the influence of natural degrading polymer film covering in rice paddies on the benthic macroinvertebrate community structure in Dangsu-dong, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do from May 2009 to September 2009. We compared 5 treatments: golden apple snail farming (GF), natural degrading polymer film + organic farming (NOF), natural degrading polymer film + chemical farming (NCF), conventional farming (CF), and no fertilization (NF) as the control. The total number of species was highest in NOF followed by GF, NF, NCF, and CF. The total number of individuals was highest in NOF followed by NCF, CF, NF, and GF. The Dominance index (DI) ranged from 0.43 to 0.95. The highest dominance index was in GF followed by NCF, NF

A survey of snail farms in Cross River State, Nigeria

The existence of snail in the wild has become threatened, and information on the efficiency and effectiveness of ex - situ management of snails in many areas is urgently needed for consistent supply of snails. This work, therefore surveyed the practice and adoption of snail farming technology in Cross River State, Nigeria. Cross River State was stratified into threezones, and three local government areas were randomly selected from each stratum. A total of nine Local government Areas were randomly selected for the study. A set of pre – tested structured questionnaire and in-depth interviews were used to elicit information from ownersof all the functioning snail farms in selected Local Government Areas. Group Discussion was held with management of all non functioning snail farms. Data collected were augmented with on - farm investigation. Results were presented in form of percentages, frequency of counts and tables. Owners of snail farms in the study area were all males, Christians andliterates. Majority of the farms (71.43%) were between 1 and 3 years old. About 35.71% of established farms have stopped functioning and the active ones (64.39%) may become passive before 5 years due to poor management (100%), inadequate knowledge of snail farming (100%), lack of capital (100%) and no encouragement from the government (100%). Majority of the respondents (71.43%) embarked on snail farming as hobby while some joined for conservation of snail (42.86%). Only 14.29% established snail farms for income generation. With exception of farm 7 with 1600 snails, no other farm had above 300 snails.Farm 1 has only 30 snails. About 57.14% of the respondents sourced their breeding stocks from the wild alone. Snail feed were locally sourced by all respondents. The housing system mostly used by respondents was enclosure with nets (71.42%) while only 14.20% used motortyres and concrete trench indicating low scale of production. All the 9 functioning snail farms are located in Calabar, Boki, Obubra and Yakurr while other areas had no adoption of the technology. Calabar metropolis had the highest concentration of 3 farms. Incubation periodof snail eggs was unknown to most respondents (71.40%) revealing that they had not been breeding snails. The impact of snail farming has not been felt in the study area.