Avaliação do ataque do caramujo gigante africano (ACHATINA FULICA) em variedades de palma forrageira

Abstract

The African giant snail (Achatina fulica) was disseminated in Brazil in the 1980s and, under favorable climatic conditions, may present itself as a potential threat to vegetable crops, including forage palm, largely due to its ability to damage plants during foraging and its high proliferation rate. It also requires attention from public health authorities because it is a possible vector and transmitter of diseases. This study evaluated the action of A. fulica on forage palm varieties under irrigation 10 conditions and climatic variations between the months of May and October. The experiment was carried out under field conditions, in the area of the Sewage Treatment Plant (WWTP) of the Sergipe Sanitation Company DESO in Nossa Senhora das Dores – SE. The experiment was arranged in a randomized block design, using three treatments with palm varieties (Baiana, Miúda and Orelha de Elefante Mexicana), evaluating the following data during the period: average of plants and rackets attacked, weight and quantity of snails collected according to age and mean leaf area index (LAI) and percentage of defoliation. Of the cultivated varieties, the Mexican Elephant Ear and the Baiana suffered the greatest attacks, demonstrating that the architecture of both with a more robust size and larger and thicker rackets, provide greater accommodation of the individuals. It was also noted that the rackets lower in relation to the ground had a higher incidence of the mollusk, because in addition to being more accessible, they are shaded by the upper portion of the plant, conditioning a favorable environment for A. fulica. The activity of A. fulica in forage palm varieties impairs the development of the crop, and the lesions may be an entry for pathogen infections or compromise its growth through the reduction of the photosynthetic area, resulting from the scraping performed by the snail while feeding on the tissues of the plant.