Ways to control golden apple snail damage to rice crops.

Currently, in many localities across the country, rice is being planted, and along with weeds and thrips, golden apple snails are also a pest that needs to be given utmost attention in the early stages of the planting season.

To mitigate the damage caused by OBV, no single measure can solve the problem; instead, you must apply a combination of measures in a coordinated and rational manner within an integrated pest management process. Here are some of the main measures:

- At the beginning of the season, it is necessary to organize the collection and destruction of snails and egg clusters in fields, canals, etc.

- Dig small trenches around the field and in low-lying areas within the field so that snails will concentrate in these trenches for easier collection.

- Use sticks or stakes to lure snails into areas with many eggs, then collect and destroy the egg clusters.

- In conjunction with weeding and thinning rice plants, collect snails and snail eggs before the eggs hatch and the baby snails fall into the water and spread, causing damage.

- Use nylon netting to carefully cover areas where water flows naturally from canals, ditches, rivers, etc. into the rice fields, or areas where water is pumped, to prevent snails from entering the rice paddies from outside.

- Before planting (or when the rice plants have grown), ducks can be released into the rice field to eat snails.

- In areas frequently damaged by snails, increase the seed quantity by 5-10% to compensate for plants lost to snails later. If transplanting seedlings, use slightly older seedlings and plant more tillers.

- When the rice plants are young, the water level in the rice paddy should only be about 1-2 cm deep to prevent snails from moving to other areas and damaging the plants.

- Use the leaves of certain plants such as castor oil plant, papaya, cassava, sweet potato, taro, elephant ear plant, jackfruit peel, etc., bundled together and dropped into deep water areas in rice fields to lure snails to gather together for easier collection and extermination.

- In areas heavily infested with snails, in addition to the above measures, you need to use pesticides to kill them. As you know, there are many types of pesticides on the market today to kill OBV (Oriental Black-Eyed Snail), however, according to the experience of many farmers in Can Tho, Tien Giang, Dong Thap, etc., Tatoo 150B, at a dosage of 3-5 kg/ha (depending on the number of snails), has yielded very high results. You can use Tatoo 150B in one of the following three ways:

1. Use before sowing: After the final tillage, flood the field with water to a depth of about 3-5 cm to lure snails to the surface from the mud. Apply the pesticide, keep the water level high for 1-2 days, then drain it. After that, sow the seeds as usual.

2. Use after sowing: Immediately after pumping water to apply the first dose of fertilizer (about 7-8 days after sowing), proceed to apply snail killer.

3. Use when snails are found in the field: After sowing, you must regularly check the rice field. If you find many snails, apply the pesticide to kill them.

Additionally, you can also apply the pesticide in areas where water pools or along drainage ditches in the fields.

To ensure even distribution of the pesticide across the field, you can mix it with seeds, fertilizer, or sand before spreading it. Remember that when applying the pesticide, the water level in the field must reach 3-5 cm and must be maintained at this level for 2-3 days.

According to (NNVN) - LC