An IPM strategy for slugs in vegetable and salad crops

摘要

The very low thresholds for slug damage in many vegetable crops mean that some growers use molluscicide pellets as a routine treatment. Despite these treatments some crops still sustain damage and, equally some treatments may be unwarranted. To minimise both the use of pellets and damage to crops we have investigated a number of control tactics in lettuce and Brussels sprout crops. These tactics form the components of an integrated pest management strategy for slugs and include; improved detection ofslug problems, prediction of population changes, and rational timing of treatments including both cultivations and molluscicide applications. The integration of these tactics into a useable strategy and the relevance of the strategy for other horticultural crops are discussed.