Slugs as a possible cause of establishment failure in pasture legumes oversown in boxes

Abstract

Preliminary studies on the survival of legume seedlings exposed to slug attack were conducted in two box experiments. The first experiment investigated the effect of slugs and their control by molluscicide seed-coating on seedling survival in turf, and the second the survival of legume seedlings at several stages of growth when subjected to grazing by slugs. When slugs were present, less than 10% of oversown legumes survived at six weeks. Coating of seed with the molluscicide methiocarb greatly increased seedling survival. Seedlings in the early stages of development (germinating seed to cotyledon stage) were severely depleted. Once seedlings reached the 1–5 true-leaf stage there was little seedling mortality.