• The Korean Journal of Malacology
• /
• v.16 no.1_2
• /
• pp.21-24
• /
• 2000

The apple snails of the genus Pomacea have been introduced by the snail breeders illegally into Korea. Authors confirmed that the natural life cycle of at least two pomacean species, Pomacea canaliculata and P. insularus, has been already settled down locally in the southern areas of Korea.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.129-137
• /
• 2008

Alien apple snails (Pomacea canaliculata, Pomacea insularus) used in environmentally-friendly agriculture are different from indigenous snails found in Korea. Due to high herbicidal effects and cost-effectiveness, the number of farmers using the snails has been growing every year since 2000. Moreover, in 2008, because of the outbreaks of avian influenza throughout the country from March to May, 2008, central and local governments recommended the use of alien apple snails in agriculture as an alternative to the ducks-oriented environmentally-friendly agriculture. Therefore, it is expected that the use of alien apple snails in agriculture should be expanded in a near future. Since alien apple snails lay eggs with 95.8% of eclosion rate, they are considered to be potential pests unlike indigenous snails. In addition, Japan, Taiwan and most of the southeast Asian countries had already experienced severe ecological and agricultural damage by the alien apple snails. Subsequently, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) designated P. canaliculata as one of "the 100 of the world's worst invasive alien species". It seems highly likely that the alien apple snails in Korea pose a potential threat to conservation of ecosystem and biodiversity since the snails were either found or invaded into the natural environments in some regions of Gangwon-Do and southern parts of Korean Peninsula. However, just recently, agricultural authorities and farmers using alien apple snails in agriculture opposed a proposition of designating the alien apple snails as an ecosystem-disturbing animal described by the Wildlife Protection Act. This is because there has been no concrete evidence of the ecological risk imposed by the alien snails up to now in Korea. Subsequently, in this paper, we analysed the ecological and agricultural risks imposed by the alien snails from the studies done in domestic and abroad. In addition, we proposed an urgent need and reasoning for ecological risk management of the alien snails at the national level as well as using the snails in agriculture.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.50-56
• /
• 2002

This experiment was carried out to obtain some information about overwintering, physiological and ecological characteristics of apple snails. Another purpose of this experiment was to characterize an appetite for rice plants by apple snails and to elucidate their choice of fresh green ones (vegetables, some other crops, weeds in rice fields). The freshwater snails were found with higher population at sites abundant organic compounds such as plant debris and at regions with high temperature. They also prefer calcium-rich water. This is a naturally occurring process. Apple snails were exceptionally veil-adapted to the south regions of Korea, especially Janghang, Jangseong and Haenam, even if the temperature of winter season is cold below 0$^{\circ}C$. Apple snails were not very selective in their food choice and eat almost everything available in their environment. A snail have something called a radula in its mouth for grinding up its food. A apple snail also chews on fruits and young succulent plant barks. In case of reproduction. apple snails deposit about 157$\sim$784 (average of 321 eggs) milky white to pale orange colored eggs above the waterline. In approximately every 22.4 seconds a new egg appears. The total time needed to deposit a egg mass varies from 58 minutes$\sim$4 hours 13 minutes. Apple snails reproduct actively from May to June and from September to October. An appetite of apple snails for rice plants was the different depending on their size and glowing stage for rice plants. Apple snails had a great appetite of rice plants as well as dropwort, tomato, cabbage, radish, aquatic plants etc. They preferred to eat young rice plants and drastically quit eating rice plants of over 40 cm in height. Thus considering the food preference of apple snail for various plants including rice, they were thought to be a potentially strong predator in fields, especially, at regions with warmer winter.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
• /
• v.32 no.3
• /
• pp.273-279
• /
• 2012

This experiment was conducted to determine a potential effective biological weed control and/or rice young seedling injury by golden apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata) at wet hill seeded rice field. The rice seeds used were treated by iron-coating. The efficacy of weed control as affected by golden apple snail has been tested with twice applications of young golden apple snails of 12 kg (24,000 young snails, $0.5g{\pm}10%$ per young snail, 30~40 days after hatching) per ha at the same day after harrowing and applied with rate of 10 kg (20,000 young snails) per ha at 15days after seeding, respectively. The comparison of this experiment was of the conventional machine transplanted rice paddy field in terms of weed control and rice plant injury as a visual grade. The weed efficacy was of 100% similar with the conventional paddy field which was applied by systematic herbicides of pre-emergence and post-emergence chemical herbicides and there was 1~3% significant rice young seedling injury but no yield losses and grain quality due to the input of golden apple snail.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.297-316
• /
• 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
• /
• v.42 no.4
• /
• pp.396-407
• /
• 2023

The golden apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata) has been utilized as a natural and eco-friendly control of weeds in rice paddy fields. However, P. canaliculata can damage other crops. In this study, the effectiveness of plant extracts from various natural sources that are reportedly effective against pests in the control of P. canaliculata was investigated. The four plant extracts were effective against P. canaliculata and ranked in descending order as green tea seed (Camellia sinensis) > root of red spider lily (Lycoris radiata) > leaves of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) > root of sophora (Sophora flavescens). The mortality rate of P. canaliculata was increased using 200 to 2000 mg/kg of green tea seed powder. However, shrubby sophora root extract did not significantly increase the mortality rate. The LC₅₀ and LC₉₀ of green tea seed, tobacco leaves, shrubby sophora root, and red spider lily root were 900 and 2800 mg/L, 956 and 2320 mg/L, 2162 and 5325 mg/L, and 512 and 1054 mg/kg, respectively. The LC₅₀ and LC₉₀ of ground powder of C. sinensis, N. tabacum, S. flavescens and L. radiata were 248 and 646 mg/L, 403 and 733 mg/L, 409 and 905 mg/L, and 493 and 1141 mg/L, respectively. The findings indicate the remarkable control potency of green tea seeds against the golden apple snail. An organic material incorporating the four plant powders may help control green apple snail in an ecosystem-friendly manner.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
• /
• v.49 no.4
• /
• pp.343-349
• /
• 2010

The golden apple snail was introduced to the Korea from Japan as a potential food for people in 1983. It is one of the pests of direct-seeded rice in korea. This study was conducted to investigate rice(Oriza sativa) consumption and the extent of damage by the golden apple snail(Pomacea canaliculata) in direct-sown paddy fields. Food consumption of the golden apple snail was highest at $30^{\circ}C$. When the emergence of the 1st, 3rd, and 5th leave of rice supplied food, the consumption of young(shell height 15mm) and adult golden apple snail(over shell height 30mm) at $30^{\circ}C$ were 19.0/79.8, 11.0/54.5, 5.5/18.5, and 0.0/2.0 individuals, respectively. Young rice seedings(before 5th leaves of rice) are very susceptible to golden apple snail damage because the young, tender leaves and stems favor the snail's feeding habits. The field experiment with four treatments (0, 2, 5 and 10 individuals respectively per 10 $m^2$) was carried out. The most serious yield loss was 16% from the plot with 10 adults released at emergency stage of rice.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
• /
• v.38 no.1
• /
• pp.23-33
• /
• 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 Environmental Biology
• /
• v.41 no.2
• /
• pp.126-137
• /
• 2023

Paddy fields provide important habitats for biodiversity conservation within the agricultural ecosystem. Their importance is gradually increasing as their ecological value is better understood. Benthic macroinvertebrates dominate paddy fields. They play an essential role in maintaining the biodiversity of paddy ecosystems. This study aimed to analyze characteristics of benthic macroinvertebrate communities and main environmental factors affecting the distribution of golden apple snails (Pomacea canaliculata). Results showed that the diversity index (H') of the benthic macroinvertebrate community was the highest at the Sangju site (St. 12) but the lowest at the Sancheong site (St. 18). Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), salinity, and Electrical Conductivity (EC) values were the highest in Gimhae and Yeongam based on Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA). Numbers of P. canaliculata (m-2) were relatively low in Gunsan and Iksan where water temperatures were high. Therefore, changes in geographical characteristics and environmental factors might affect the distribution of P. canaliculata and characteristics of benthic macroinvertebrate communities. Results of this study can be used as primary data for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem service evaluation in agroecosystems.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
• /
• v.40 no.4
• /
• pp.279-289
• /
• 2021

BACKGROUND: Recently, the golden apple snail, Pomacea canaliculata has been used as an environmentally-friendly weed-control agent in rice farming. Although effective for this particular style of farming, P. canaliculata can be destructive to other crops. The objective of this study was to identify overwintering as well as regional and seasonal distribution characteristics of P. canaliculata. Notably, winter is typically fatal for P. canaliculata. However, owing to increasing average global temperatures, we assessed the ability of P. canaliculata to survive through uncharacteristically warm winters. METHODS AND RESULTS: To examine the distribution and overwintering regions of P. canaliculata, We conducted a survey from April 2020 to May 2021 on environmentally-friendly rice fields, agricultural waterways, and streams in 23 cities belonging to 8 provinces. In addition, because air temperature may influence the distribution density of P. canaliculata, we analyzed the winter temperature data (http://weather.rda.go.kr). CONCLUSION(S): In 2021, overwintering of P. canaliculata (1-3 individuals/m²) was observed in the Goheung and Yeongam regions in Jeonnam. Overwintering of P. canaliculata was observed in fewer regions in 2021 than in 2020; this fact may be attributed to the lower minimum temperatures measured in 2021 (approximately 8℃ lower) than those in 2020. Our results suggest that overwintering occurs as long as overnight temperatures are ≥ -15℃, but can take place if temperatures are as low as -19℃.