PLANT CELL BIOTECHNOLOGY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

This study was conducted to test the effect of the Cuprol compound (plant growth activator) on the lung of land snail, Massylaea vermiculata, and test its efficiency under field conditions. Serial concentrations of Cuprol compound were tested for three, and seven days using the thin layer film method. LC₅₀ and LT₅₀ of the examined compound were estimated. Moreover, the effect of ½ LC₅₀ was studied on the LPO enzyme, and lung tissues were inspected after one week of treatment. The field performance of the Cuprol compound was evaluated as a spray, compared with methomyl on land snails in the field for three weeks on citrus nursery trees at the Ministry of agriculture nurseries, El-Dokki, Giza Governorate, Egypt. The laboratory results indicated that the most effective concentration was 1% which gave 70 and 100% mortality after three and seven days of treatment, respectively. The LC₅₀ of Cuprol was 0.26% and LT₅₀ was 1.6 days. Based on the LPO enzyme, the compound caused a significant increase in the enzyme level of treated snails compared with the control. Concerning the histopathological effect, the compound induced thickening and hyalinization of the septa between the atrophied alveoli and vacuolization in the musculature in the lung tissue of treated snails compared with the lung of the untreated snail. Regarding the field performance of Cuprol application, it achieved a 65 and 87.4% reduction in the snail numbers during November 2020 and April 2021, respectively, compared with 72% for the methomyl compound during the two period’s application.

Finally, Cuprol compound caused severe damage in the lung tissues and prevents the snail to respire by its effect on the oxidative enzyme. Therefore, it can be used as a safe molluscicide against land snails under field conditions.