Possibilities of the Alternative Management of Mollusk Pests in Agricultural Crops. A Review.

Abstract

Introduction— Mollusks are important pests of agricultural crops, for which chemical molluscicides are used in many cases that pollute the environment and crops.

Objective— To assess updated information on alternatives for the management of species of mollusk pests in agricultural crops in Colombia and in the world.

Methodology— A descriptive documentary research was carried out where the units of analysis were the articles collected in a bibliographic search on information related to the pest mollusk species and alternative control methods during the period 2010 to 2021.

Results— From the last decade articles were obtained on alternatives for the control of mollusk pests in all continents. From Colombia only 7 articles, of which 3 correspond to the use of diatomaceous earth, 3 to vegetable extracts and 1 to agroecological management, while, at the international level of the 54 articles located, 21 were related to vegetable extracts, 17 biological control, 6 with essential oils, 5 with barriers, 3 with agroecological management and 2 with biopesticides.

Conclusions— Alternatives with the use of plant extracts predominated, followed by biological means such as insects, nematodes, microorganisms and others, natural products such as lime and diatomaceous earth, as well as different materials such as repellents or barriers, depending the type of recommended alternative, on the mollusk species and its size, the phytogenetic resources present and the reported bioregulators, which should be taken into account in Colombia.