The current trend in biological control approaches in the mitigation of golden apple snail Pomacea spp.

Golden apple snails (GAS) (Pomacea spp.) is one of the major pests that rampantly invaded many countries and brought a heavy bloom to agricultural cultivation. Their invasion had resulted in huge crop damage and ulti-mately caused massive economic loss. For the past few decades, many strategies had been developed to overcome the GAS infestation. Among all the strategies, chemical synthetic molluscicides had been the mainstay within the farmer community. Despite their effectiveness in controlling the GAS infestation, extensive use of chemical molluscicides has negative impacts on humans, non-targeted organisms, and the environment. Climate change is expected to hasten the reproduction of GAS, necessitating the development of more sustainable GAS mitigation strategies. This paper examines the current stage of GAS invasion and its implications for global rice production. This review also includes an in-depth discussion of the various potential biological based strategies involved in pest management, and the recent technological breakthroughs in entomopathogenic nematodes and entomo-pathogenic fungi as molluscicides, integrated pest management, and precision pest management. To summarize, this review provides a potential trend in the use of biocontrol as a substitute for chemically manufactured synthetic molluscicides for the sustainable management of GAS.

Automated summary

Golden apple snails (GAS) are major pests that invade many countries and cause significant damage to agriculture. Chemical synthetic molluscicides have been the main approach to control GAS, but they have negative impacts on humans, non-targeted organisms, and the environment. Sustainable strategies are needed to mitigate GAS infestation.