Biological pest control – testing different type of soil covers to reduce slug damage [Practice Abstract]
The goal of this small experiment was to see how slug damage on lettuce could be reduced.
Two main approaches were chosen:
1. Different types of lettuce were planted ("normal" green lettuce, and red-leaved lettuce, both soft-leaved varieties).
2. Different types of soil cover were used in order to make access to the lettuce plants difficult for the slugs, and ideally impossible.
Various materials were used for soil coverage: wood chips, straw, sandpaper, fabric cover.
The different covers were laid across a 1m-long section of one of the beds. In total 6m of bed were covered.
The other part of the bed was the control section.
Observations were made during the vegetative period (in this case one month) for lettuce, planted as seedlings.
The results were twofold:
Red lettuce was not attractive to slugs, and was left alone, while green lettuce was targeted.
Cover effectiveness was rated as follows: sandpaper (expense!) was very effective, not much less effective however were straw and wood chip covers, followed by fabric cover.
Additional information
The evaluation of which covers to use will be specific to each farm, weighing effectiveness versus costs, area to be covered or other restrictions faced by the individual farms
Keywords: Biodiversity, Horticulture, Low input farming, Organic Agriculture, Transdisciplinary research
Country: Slovenia
