The damage caused by slugs

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Extent of the damage

	Density per m²	Density per hectare
Normal Rate	10 to 50 slugs	100 to 500,000 slugs
Heavy attack	200 to 500 slugs	2 to 5 million slugs

Losses can be counted especially in terms of loss of plants. The plants do not appear or perish, after having appeared, in groups in sections of ground. The disappearance of 20% of new plants is quite frequent. In extreme cases, 70 to 80% of sowings of oil-seed rape in the autumn or of sunflower in the spring have been known to disappear.

For certain crops such as vegetables, strawberries or flowers the effect of slug attack can make them impossible to sell. Slugs can also transmit viruses, bacteria or other disease causing agents through their mucus, but researchers have few data available in this area.

In very wet years, 1995 for example, more than two million hectares in France, all crops included, required treatment against slugs. In 1998 nearly 2.5 million hectares were treated. 

An upsurge in slugs

In the course of the last ten years, France has experienced an upsurge in slug attack. The powerful increase of this parasite can be explained by the more numerous areas under oil-seed rape, sunflower and winter wheat, by the appearance of fallow land, climate change and the more widespread use of green fertiliser crops.

Young plant attack 

Slug attack has also been encouraged by the disappearance of certain active substances such as nitrite colorants, or cultivation practices such as stubble burning.

Crop sensitivity

The most delicate stage in cultivation is between sowing and the appearance of the tiny plants, then the period which immediately follows their appearance.

Crops	Sensitivity	Vulnerability
Sunflower	****	From germination until 2 to 6 leaves
Oil-seed rape	****	From germination until 6 leaves
Wheat, barley	***	From germination until 2 to 4 leaves
Potatoes	***	From the end of the summer to harvesting
Maize	**	Leaves of the young plants
Grassland	**	At sowing

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