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Managing Weeds With Golden Kuhol
| By Pinoy Farmer | April 24, 2009 | 
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About the module
The golden apple snail (GAS), popularly known as “golden kuhol” was introduced into the Philippines between 1982 and 1984. It came from South America (Brazil and Argentina) via Taiwan. Its high nutritive value as food for human beings and farm animals generated interest among both public and private sectors to propagate the production of this organism. However, a few years after its introduction, the golden apple snail became a major pest of rice. But believe it or not, the golden kuhol could be managed to control weeds in transplanted irrigated lowland rice. As in other innovations, most people who come to learn about this discovery may not believe that it can be done.
Objectives
At the end of this module, you will be able to:
- List the benefits of using golden kuhol for paddy weeding.
- Discuss the requirements for successful use of the GAS to control weeds.
- Explain how golden kuhol can be used for paddy weeding.
Benefits of this technology to farmers
- Save on the cost of herbicide and molluscicide.
- Does not kill non-target soil organisms like earthworms.
- Be influenced to eat the snail as it is already chemical-free.
- Safe to farmers’ health.
Requirements for the success of this technology
This technology is possible in areas where:
- Land is well leveled.
- There is good water management.
How to use golden kuhol for paddy-weeding
- GAS paddy-weeding technology does not differ much from the usual PhilRice recommendations. The new technology starts right away from seedbedding. Each seedbed must be raised for easy draining of water.
- Apply compost on top of the seedbed to make the soil loose and friable.
- This will facilitate pulling of seedlings and minimize root damage during transplanting.
- Maintain a saturated level of water to make the leaves of the seedlings erect and somewhat pale, and the culms hard, making it difficult for the snail to chew.
- Level the soil surface very well to have uniform water level and better drainage.
- Use a wood leveler, which is either pulled by hand or a carabao.
- Transplant 21 to 25-day old seedlings, 20 cm between hills and between rows in saturated soil.
- Let it dry slowly to prevent the snails from moving around and from devouring the growing rice plants.
- When the weeds start to grow (six days after transplanting), raise the water level to more than one centimeter to enable the snails to move around and feed on the young weeds.
- The rice plants by this time would be spared because they already have hard culms.
- The snails prefer to eat soft plants like weeds that are just starting to grow, thereby eliminating weeds that compete with the rice plants for soil nutrients.
One word of caution: this technology cannot be used in direct-seeded rice, in upland rice and flood-prone areas.
Source: Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture
Topics: Farming Methods | No Comments »
