Gastropods as pests in New Zealand pastoral agriculture, with emphasis on Agriolimacidae, Arionidae and Milacidae.

Abstract

The composition, population density and phenology of gastropod pests (including Deroceras reticulatum and Tandonia sowerbyi) in various agroclimatic zones (high-fertility, moderate-to-high-rainfall lowlands; low-to-moderate-fertility hilly lands; cold intermontane and high-altitude lands; dry, arable areas; and sub-antarctic and Chatham islands) of New Zealand pastures, as affected by the agricultural and climatic factors prevailing in the area, are reviewed. The nature of crop damage, risk areas and yield loss due to gastropod infestation; gastropod management strategies (including the use of resistant species and biological control agents); and the effects of gastropod herbivory on the ecology of established and establishing pastures are discussed.