Fermented Apple Snails (Pomacea canaliculata) as Source of Amino Acids Used as Pesticide and Fertilizer in Pechay

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Apple snail, (Pomacea canaliculata) was reported could cause severe damage to food crop especially in rice crops here in the Philippines, which is a staple food for the Filipinos. The farmers mostly rely on chemical and synthetic molluscicides to overcome this problem which improper use of pesticides could give a negative impact on the environment. Now, the researchers found out a way to utilize these apple snails so that the large population of the species could be reduced. The present study investigated the effectivity of the snails to be used as a pesticide and fertilizer as they are fermented.

METHODS

The apple snails were beaten until completely destroyed and then incorporated with molasses. This was tested on pechay plants only, with two set-ups with five pechay plants each. One set up was watered with the snail amino acids while the other samples were not. The growth of the leaves and the holes in the leaves were observed for two weeks. Data was recorded in between the said time.

RESULTS

The results showed that the pechay plants used with the IMO (Indigenous Microorganisms) from snail amino acids enhanced the growth of the plant. The length of the longest leaf in each sample was measured in centimeters showing results on the last day: the plants watered with IMO had the longest leaf of 10.5 centimeters while the one watered with water measured only 8 centimeters. in terms of the ability to get rid of pests, the study showed significant differences in terms of the leaves having holes. There are many more holes in the plants that are not watered with IMO compared to the other.

DISCUSSIONS

The results of this study suggested that amino acids from apple snails can be used for pests and enhancement of growth of plants and its application can be provided an alternative way for sustainable fertilizers and pesticides. However, the researcher suggests doing further testings on the effectiveness of the fertilizer on the height of the plant instead of the length of the leaves only, the comparison of the vibrancy of the leaves and other characteristics proving the plant's health.