The snail is a mollusk with unique biological characteristics, which is very common in life, it is an omnivorous animal, mainly plant food, especially vegetables, leaf buds of fruit trees and roots and leaves of crops. In addition, they will also eat some rotten fruits, mushrooms, and even some small insects, etc.
In terms of agricultural planting, snails are also a pest that eats the leaves of crops, which has a certain impact on yield. In the corn pest control article posted by the little helper, a friend left a message saying that the occurrence of snails this year is also heavy, and many corn seedlings that have just come out have been eaten by snails.
In this article, the little helper will talk to you in detail about the harm of snails to corn, learn more about the habits of snails, and how to effectively prevent and control them. It is the emergence of spring corn, and I hope that after reading it, it can bring you some help.
The number of teeth in a snail is indeed quite staggering, and each snail usually has 135 rows of teeth in its mouth, 105 in each row, so there are 14,175 teeth in total. Some snails even have more than 20,000 teeth.
In general, each snail can lay eggs 6-7 times a year, and the average number of eggs per spawn is around 200. However, the specific number of eggs laid is related to the weight and age of the snail, and under the same environmental conditions, the older the snail, the more eggs it lays, and the more harmful it will be.
Snails especially prefer to live in dark, damp, loose and humus environments, and are typical nocturnal animals, usually hiding in dark and damp corners during the day to rest, and only come out at night to be active. Snails have poor eyesight and can only see 6 centimeters away in low light, but their antennae have a keen sense of smell and rely on their antennae and sense of smell to explore their surroundings and find food.
How do snails harm corn?
First, it feeds on leaves and young shoots. Snails prefer new and tender green plant tissues, so young shoots and newly emerging leaves of corn are the main targets of snails. They will use their teeth and tongues to gnaw on corn leaves little by little, causing chips or holes in the leaves, and in severe cases, they can even eat the whole leaf incompletely.
When the corn leaves are damaged, the photosynthesis area of the corn is reduced, the photosynthesis efficiency is reduced, and the integrity of the leaves is also damaged, which affects the normal growth and development of the corn.
Second, disrupt the pollination process. When corn is pollinated, if there are snails in the field, it can also interfere with the pollination process of corn. When snails crawl in corn fields, they may touch the female and male ears of corn, causing pollen to be scattered or the female ears to be damaged, thus affecting the normal pollination of corn. This leads to a decrease in corn grains and even the formation of empty husks, affecting the yield and quality of corn.
Third, it consumes soil nutrients. Snails move in the soil, disturbing the soil structure and making the soil loose, although to a certain extent, it is conducive to soil aeration and root growth. However, in order to survive, snails also consume soil nutrients by feeding on organic matter and microorganisms in the soil. If there are too many snails in the field, it will lead to a decrease in soil fertility and competition with corn for nutrients.
Fourth, the spread of agricultural diseases. In the process of feeding and activities, snails may come into contact with and carry some plant pathogens. When snails migrate from one place to another, they can spread these pathogens to new corn plants, aggravating the damage of diseases in the field.
How to control snails?
For the prevention and control of snails in corn fields, it is recommended to "give priority to prevention and comprehensive control". The quickest measure is manual capture, but it is very labor-intensive, and it is only suitable for plots where corn is planted in small areas, and can be captured manually on the ground and on corn plants in the evening or on rainy days.
In addition, some farmers shared an experience that you can participate in: find a few large barrels with a moderate capacity and are durable, make a few small holes in the bottom of the barrel, and put a wooden board or other sturdy object in the barrel to form a separate space in the barrel. Add an appropriate amount of water to the bucket. The amount of water should be enough to submerge the small holes in the bottom of the bucket, but not overflow the outside of the bucket. Place the set vat smoothly on the edge of the corn field or in an area where snails often move.
In this case, when the snail comes out to harm the corn, the light inside the bucket is dim, and the snail is not easy to detect, so it may fall into the bucket and have a catchy effect.
In addition, in the corn plot with more snails, quicklime can also be sprinkled to prevent and control it, the specific method is as follows: sprinkle quicklime around the corn plant, especially the plants that have snails, and focus on sprinkling. During the spreading process, quicklime should not be sprinkled on the corn leaves, so as not to burn the corn leaves. After sprinkling, when the snail comes out at night, it will lose water when it encounters quicklime, and then it has the effect of prevention and control.
In addition, quicklime can also be sprinkled on the edge of the ditch and ridge of the farmland to form a blockade zone, reduce the number of snails in the field, and then reduce the damage.
As for chemical control, it is the choice of most growers, and the commonly used drugs are snail dichloride (paraacetaldehyde) granules or tetraacetaldehyde. When using, it is necessary to pay attention to the recommended dosage and method to avoid unnecessary harm to the environment and crops. Generally, sprinkle once every 10-15 days, 2-3 times in a row, and use the medicine in the evening to effectively prevent the harm of snails.
Seeing this, I believe everyone has a certain understanding of the hazards and prevention of snails. When planting corn, in addition to paying attention to pests such as corn borer, armyworm, and fall armyworm, the harm of snails should not be ignored. I hope that this content can bring some help to farmers and promote the normal growth of corn.