Using golden apple snail to mitigate its invasion and improve soil quality: a biocontrol approach

Abstract

The invasive and widespread golden apple snail (GAS, Pomacea canaliculata) is a harmful crop pest in many parts ofAsia. The heavy use of molluscicides to control GAS could result in soil and water pollution as well as in loss ofbiodiversity. A sustainable and pollution-free control method is urgently needed to counteract this invasion. In this study,we proposed using dried and powdered GAS residue to neutralize and fertilize soils. We compared the effects of addingGAS residue (i.e., ground GAS shell and meat residue) to the effects of adding lime upon soil properties and microbes ina greenhouse pot experiment. Each pot was incubated for 120 days, and soil pH, nutrients, microbial species, andenzyme activity were assessed. Results showed that addition of GAS residue significantly improved soil pH, contentsof total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and available nitrogen but decreased soilavailable phosphorus (AP) content due to phosphorus sorption induced by soil organic matter (OM) and high pH. TheGAS residue added to soil released nutrients and alleviated soil acidity, as well as provided more resources to soilmicrobes to increase their bioactivity, although lime addition was better at mitigating soil acidity. We found that withadded GAS residue of 25 g kg−1, the soil nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) content increased by 10 times; microbial biomassincreased by 43%; and enzyme activity of β-1,4-glucosidase, β-1,4-N-acetylglucosaminidase, and β-D-cellobiosidasealso were enhanced, compared to the control. Our findings suggest that GAS residue functions well as a fertilizer andsoil amendment to aid the remediation of barren and acidic soils, making it a valuable and useful option in the control ofthe invasive GAS.

Citation

Wang, Jiaxin; Lu, Xuening; Zhang, Jiaen; Ouyang, Ying; Qin, Zhong; Zhao, Benliang. 2020. Using golden apple snail to mitigate its invasion and improve soil quality: a biocontrol approach. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 27(13): 14903-14914. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-07998-9.