Invasive slug species in Lithuania are causing serious damage to crops, gardens and public green spaces, and despite the use of plant protection methods, farmers are finding it increasingly difficult to control them.
Next year, municipalities will receive 840,000 euros to combat the pests.
In Marijampolė, slugs destroyed five hectares of winter rapeseed within just a few days of the first leaves appearing. Farmer Giedrius Aleknavičius, aware of the presence of slugs in the field, treated the field with seven kilograms of molluscicide (a snail control agent) three days after sowing, and repeated the treatment after several days, but it did not protect the crops. The farmer said that the field would have to be replanted with another crop in the spring.
Aleknavičius’ farm uses a method of growing in unplowed fields. In previous years, chemical agents have successfully helped fight slugs, but this summer’s significant humidity has encouraged the pests to multiply. Now the farmer plans to sow the field in the spring with wheat, which slugs do not eat, and in the future he will try to sow rapeseed after deeper soil cultivation. He noted that plowing exposes the soil to oxygen and sunlight, which destroys the pests, and therefore there will be no need to use molluscicides.
The head of the Marijampolė Farmers’ Union, Sigutas Jundulis, said that pests multiply especially in unplowed fields, because the soil is not disturbed, which allows them to hide under plant residues.
Scientists recommend that slug control be carried out repeatedly, from early spring to late autumn.
Grita Skujienė, a researcher at the Institute of Biosciences at Vilnius University, pointed out that some snails hatch in October, others even in November. When cold weather sets in, they freeze, but in the spring they will resume their activity, and farmers need to control them.
Currently, there is no insurance available in Lithuania against damage caused by slugs.
It is not only farmers who suffer – slugs can also be seen in large numbers in backyard gardens, city parks and compost heaps. Experts emphasize that it is very important to destroy their eggs and young slugs before they start multiplying.
Roberta Kelertienė, a representative of the Marijampolė municipality, informed that slugs are found everywhere, and said that the 14,000 euros that will go to Marijampolė from the total funding intended for the fight against slugs is “a drop in the ocean.” She added that currently the fight against the problem is left to the municipalities, and the citizens also need to take action. All that can be done now is to inform the public so that people pick up slugs and use molluscicides.
Read the full article in English here: https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/2765309/invasive-slugs-keep-devastating-lithuanian-gardens-and-crops
Read also: Researcher: Avoid extremes when offering organic food in schools