• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.297-316
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• 2018

The golden apple snail (GAS, Pomacea canaliculata) is an invasive freshwater snail. The GAS was introduced in Korea without prior studies on the possibility of crop damage or its impact on the natural ecosystem. The freshwater apple snails can be found typically in ponds, rice paddies, irrigation canals, roadside ditches or slower portions of streams. In this study, we were carried out to investigate the assessment of physiological and ecological characteristics, environmental characteristics inhabited area in winter season and cause of massive death at one time of golden apple snails used for weed control in wet rice paddies. The GAS was introduced from Japan to Korea for commercial production as a dietary protein supplement. The golden apple snail was also used a recently for weed control in wet rice cultivation. The species of freshwater Pomacea snails is belonging to the genus Pomacea, family ampulariidae, order mesogastropoda, subclass pulmonata, class gastropoda, phylum mollusca. The GAS spread into irrigation ditches and natural waterways. It is now distributed in ponds and canals near rice fields of southern parts of the country and has overwintered. It increases its cold hardiness before winter. However, the physiological mechanism of cold hardiness in molluscs is poorly understood, especially in freshwater molluscs. Our results on physio-ecological characteristics of the Pomacea apple snail showed that the ratio of males to females was 1: 1.99~2.33. The daily growth was 87.7 mg in weight, 0.31 mm in height and 0.33 mm in width of the their shell. On the other hand, the golden apple snails were very high to resistance on drying condition and survived rate about 80% up to 3 months. The inhabitation of GAS was no statistical significant impacts on the water quality. An important property of aqueous solutions is agricultural water quality because it affects chemical and biochemical properties such as chemical reactions, equilibrium conditions, and biological toxicity. The death rate of weed control apple snails by Ostracoda (Stenocypris hislopi) was only 2.86% and 5.71% depending on the density. Therefore, GAS was not a direct death caused by Ostracoda (Stenocypris hislopi).

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.371-381
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• 2023

The effectiveness of plant-based attractants was studied using large traps, which attracted relatively more snails in agricultural water drainage ditches and rice-cultivating environments, although their effectiveness in rice fields and lakes was limited. The rate began to rise after three hours of observation. Watermelon peel exhibited the highest apple snail attraction rate (13.8%), followed by potatoes (10.0%), and apple peel (8.8%). These values significantly differed from the attraction rate attributed to papaya leaves (F=3.84; P=0.0387). After 24 h, watermelon peel and apple peel indicated a higher rate of attraction (23.4% and 21.7%, respectively), which were significantly different compared with those of papaya leaves and potatoes (F=9.94; P=0.00455). Large bait traps outperformed funnel traps in capturing golden apple snails and trapped a significant number of snails measuring over 1 cm in size. Watermelon peel was the most effective attractant for a large bait trap, followed by apple peel, potatoes, and papaya leaves. On average, 110 snails were captured in the lure net. However, potatoes, apple peels, and papaya leaves caught an average of 93, 80, and 79 snails, respectively. Among the attractants, the lure effect of the snails was not significantly different. The efficiency of large bait traps in capturing snails, regardless of the plant attractant employed, followed the order: apple peel > watermelon peel and potatoes > papaya leaves > melon > Korean melon. Watermelon peel is highly recommended for farmer use, as well as apple peel and potatoes. Utilizing these snail attractants may contribute positively to developing a safe and environment-friendly integrated pest management strategy.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.282-290
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• 2010

The objective of this research was to discover the best method for weed management in environment-friendly rice paddy fields through the study on the effect of weed control and injury levels of rice plants as affected by size, input time, and input amount of golden apple snail (GAS). The efficacy of weed control as affected by GAS when applied at 5, 10, and 15 days after transplanting (DAT) was 98, 89, and 58%, respectively. The efficacy of weed control had declined as late the input time of GAS. On the other hand, the efficacy of weed control as affected by rice bran followed by GAS treatment was higher than by GAS treatment alone. Weed species such as Persicaria hydropiper, Echinochloa crus-galli, Scirpus juncoides, and Monochoria vaginalis were not completely controlled by GAS when applied late. Input amount and time of adult GAS (70 days after hatching) for effective weed control were 3 kg $10a^{-1}$ at 5 DAT, 6-7 kg $10a^{-1}$ at 10 DAT, and 7 kg $10a^{-1}$ at 15 DAT. Input time and amount of young GAS (35 days after hatching) for effective weed control were 0 day after harrow (DAH) and 1 kg $10a^{-1}$, respectively. The young GAS when applied 0 DAH at 1 kg $10a^{-1}$ provided 100% control of P. hydropiper, E. crus-galli, S. juncoides, M. vaginalis, Ludwigia prostrata, Eleocharis kuroguwai, Sagittaria trifolia and Cyperus difformis. The rice foliar injury caused by adult (3 kg $10a^{-1}$) and young (1 kg $10a^{-1}$) GAS were 5-7% and 1% respectively. There was no significant difference in rice injury by size and input amount of GAS on plant height and number of tiller. These data indicate that the young GAS when applied 1 kg $10a^{-1}$ at 0 day after harrow was the best method for weed management in environment-friendly rice paddy fields.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.23-33
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• 2019

BACKGROUND: The golden apple snail(GAS, Pomacea canaliculata Lamarck) is an invasive freshwater snail. It has occurred 34 years since the introduction of the GAS to the Korea. The GASs have been used recently for weed control in wet rice cultivation. The GASs'adaptability to the environment of GAS has been improved and the GASs devour the young stage of the crops as well as weeds. METHODS AND RESULTS: We surveyed the survival area of the snails throughout the country during the winter seasons from 2000 to 2017 and crop damage due to GASs in 2017. Local maximum, minimum, and average air temperatures were monitored daily. The surveyed regions for the survival of the GASs in winters were Gangjin, Goheung, Shinan, Haenam, Gimhae, Haman, Busan, Jeju, and Seogwipo. The survival durations at low temperatures were 12 hours at $-5^{\circ}C$, 1 day at $-3^{\circ}C$, 2 days at $-1^{\circ}C$, 10 days at $0^{\circ}C$, and over 30 days at $3^{\circ}C$. The eggs of GASs were not able to overwinter. The overwintering condition of the GAS needed a water depth of 10-20 cm with well formed mud. Crop damages caused by the overwintering GASs occurred in rice and water dropwort. CONCLUSION: The overwintering GAS was first identified in Haenam, South Korea 2000 after introduction of the GAS. The overwintering area of GAS expanded to the mid-southern parts of Korea. We propose that it has not yet become a pest to rice or any other crop.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.272-281
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• 2010

The objective of this research was to find out the weed management techniques in environment-friendly rice paddy fields through the study on herbicidal effects and problems of various organic materials. This experiment was conducted under different conditions of weed species and weed densities in environment-friendly rice paddy fields. There was no difference in weedy efficacy on golden apple snail (GAS), paper mulching (PM), and machine weeding (MW) between low and high weed densities. However, the effect of weed control in rice bran (RB) and effective microorganism (EM) + molasses was higher in high weed density than in low weed density. In general, the effect of weed control as affected by various organic materials was in the order of GAS (97-100%) > PM (93-98%) > RB (15-80%) > EM (7-31%). GAS provided excellent control of all weed species tested except for Persicaria hydropiper. PM gave acceptable control of the weed species except for Echinochloa crus-galli, Ludwigia prostrata, and Eleocharis kuroguwai. However, MW gave fair control (70% biomass reduction) of all weed species tested. BR followed by MW or EM followed by MW treatments had similar effect on weed control compared to each treatment alone. However, BR followed by GAS or EM followed by GAS provided 100% control of weed species tested. The level of rice foliar injury caused by various organic materials was in the order of GAS and MW (10-20%) > RB (10-15%) > PM and EM (5-7%). Typical symptoms of organic materials are wilting, inhibition of growth, missing hill, and reduction of tiller. Cost for weed control of GAS, RB, EM, and PM were 2.1, 3.1, 2.3, and 13.2 times higher than that of the herbicide. These data indicate that GAS was the best method for weed management in environmentfriendly rice paddy fields. Further study is required to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the rice injury as affected by GAS.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.279-288
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• 2011

To suggest the weed management technique for environment friendly rice cultivation, we investigated occurrence patterns of weeds, the actual condition of weed management, and rice yield at the environment friendly agricultural complex located in Honam and Chungnam regions. The practical performance of weed management was relatively satisfactory in decreasing order of agricultural technique with golden-apple-snail (GAS) > agricultural technique with duck (Duck) > agricultural technique with rice bran (RB) > agricultural technique with soft-shelled turtle (ST). In the rice fields employed by agricultural technique with GAS, the dominant weeds were Echinochloa crus-galli, Ludwigia prostrata, Monochoria vaginalis, Sagittaria trifolia, and Aneilema keisak. However, E. crus-galli, M. vaginalis, L. prostrata, Aeschynomene indica and Bidens frondosa were found as dominant weeds at the fields using the Duck and E. crus-galli, M. vaginalis, L. prostrata, Polyganum hydropiper and Eleocharis kuroguwai at the fields using RB. In comparison of rice yield ($5.2\;MT\;ha^{-1}$) obtained from the conventional cultivation using herbicides, about 93% was reached by Duck, about 91% by GAS, about 92% by RB, and about 78% by ST. When rice qualities obtained from environment friendly rice cultivation were compared with those from the conventional cultivation, the producing rates of perfect kernel, immature kernel, immature opaque kernel, cracked rice, and damaged kernel were lower in the former cultivation, whereas contents of protein, amylose, and fatty acid were similar in the two cultivation methods. The problems found in the environment friendly agriculture were poor plowing and harrowing, carless irrigation management, and geological poor condition as cultivation area with cold water. These have caused severe infestation of weeds, frequent incident of disease and insect pest, and rice lodging. This resulted in reduction of rice yield as high as about 32 to 79% as compared with the conventional cultivation using herbicides.