Ecofriendly Management of Giant African Snail (GAS) Achatina fulica (Bowdich)

Abstract

The Giant African Snail (GAS) is a native of East Africa and. Presently the snail had infested over many areas and is becoming very difficult to control. This snail feeds on over 500 species of vegetation, and given that the Eastern Uttar Pradesh is self-sufficient in vegetable production, the burden of this pest can be a significant threat to Eastern Uttar Pradesh’s domestic food security. The GAS can be considered the only agricultural polyphagous herbivorous pest which is a threat to public health since it is a known vector of the rat lungworm which causes eosinophilic meningoencephalitis in humans. The study can provide insight into the preferences for selected parts within a plant which can be incorporated into the design for more target-specific crop protection approaches. Giant African snails are an invasive, and can cause extensive damage to important food crops and other agricultural and natural resources. They eat crops, reducing yields and making them unsuitable for sale. Some snails grow to 15 cm in length and 5- 8 cm wide, whereas others only grow to 6.5 cm in length. Commonly, the shells are light brown with darker brown and cream bands. The present review evaluated that the GAS is the second worst invasive alien species in the world.