Golden Applesnail (Keong mas)

Golden apple snails damage plants by grating plant tissue and eating it, causing seeds to be lost in the crop. The former pieces of leaves and stems that he attacked look floating. The critical time for controlling golden snails is 10 days after transplanting or 21 days after sowing (wet seeds). After that, the plant growth rate is greater than the rate of damage by golden snails.

In the event of an invasion of golden snails, rice fields need to be drained immediately because golden snails are like places that are flooded with water. If farmers plant with the transplant system, 15 days after transplanting, the fields need to be dried and then soaked alternately (flash flood = intermittent irrigation).

If rice is planted by direct sowing, for 21 days after sowing, the fields need to be dried and then flooded again in turn. In addition, it is necessary to make a pond trough in and around the rice fields before planting, both during the rainy and dry seasons. This is so that when drying, the golden snail will go to the pond trough so that it is easier to take the golden snail and control it.

The golden snail is one of the important pests that attack young rice, especially in rice fields planted with the table system. Its presence in the field is indicated by the presence of pink eggs and golden snails of various sizes and colors. The golden snail can be controlled through:

• Physically, use a 5 mm mesh filter installed where the water enters the dam to minimize the entry of golden snails into the fields and make it easier to collect by hand.
• Mechanically pick up the snails and crush them. The golden snail eggs are crushed with wood/bamboo.
• If in a Balaisi it is known that the golden snail is the primary pest, it is advisable to plant seedlings aged > 21 days and plant more than one seedling per clump; make a pond trough in and around the rice fields.
• If necessary, use pesticides with active ingredients such as niclosamide and botanical pesticides such as lerak, deris, and saponins. Pesticide application is carried out in flooded rice fields, in the pond trough, or in basins where there is water where gold snails gather.

Source: Putra, R. (2018). Hama dan penyakit tanaman padi dan deskripsi padi sawah. Balai Pengkajian Teknologi Pertanian Kepulauan Riau.