Flying heroes of Ecuador's rice fields

Felix, I; Horgan, FG; Stuart, A

Flying heroes of Ecuador's rice fields

Felix, I Horgan, FG

Stuart, A

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Publisher:: Research Information
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Appropriate Technology, 2014, 41 (4), pp. 44 - 45
Issue Date:: 2014-12

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Felix, I	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Horgan, FG https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3796-667X	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Stuart, A	en_US
dc.date.issued	2014-12	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Appropriate Technology, 2014, 41 (4), pp. 44 - 45	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	1751-6900	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/117241
dc.description.abstract	Apple snails (Pomacea spp.) have been a problem for Asian rice farmers for decades. However, the pest was first noticed in 2005, and since then, the snail has spread to most of Ecuador's major rice-growing regions. Losses to the rice sector from apple snails in 2013 alone were estimated at over US$56 million. However, Ecuadorean rice farmers have one big advantage in dealing with apple snails over their Asian counterparts -- the snail kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis), a predatory bird that specialises in eating snails. Meanwhile, Agrocalidad, Ecuador's agricultural extension service, has been working with farmers to control snail damage to rice. However, although Agrocalidad discourages the use of highly toxic insecticides, farmers overwhelmingly use these chemicals, particularly endosulfan, to kill the snails. For scientists, consequently, the events in Ecuador are an opportunity to better understand how snails invade rice and how predators and prey interact with each other.	en_US
dc.publisher	Research Information	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Appropriate Technology	en_US
dc.title	Flying heroes of Ecuador's rice fields	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	4	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	41	en_US
utslib.for	0905 Civil Engineering	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Life Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	open_access
pubs.consider-herdc	false	en_US
pubs.issue	4	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	41	en_US

Abstract:

Apple snails (Pomacea spp.) have been a problem for Asian rice farmers for decades. However, the pest was first noticed in 2005, and since then, the snail has spread to most of Ecuador's major rice-growing regions. Losses to the rice sector from apple snails in 2013 alone were estimated at over US$56 million. However, Ecuadorean rice farmers have one big advantage in dealing with apple snails over their Asian counterparts -- the snail kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis), a predatory bird that specialises in eating snails. Meanwhile, Agrocalidad, Ecuador's agricultural extension service, has been working with farmers to control snail damage to rice. However, although Agrocalidad discourages the use of highly toxic insecticides, farmers overwhelmingly use these chemicals, particularly endosulfan, to kill the snails. For scientists, consequently, the events in Ecuador are an opportunity to better understand how snails invade rice and how predators and prey interact with each other.

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:

http://hdl.handle.net/10453/117241