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<p>Conservation agriculture provides valuable ecosystem services but can exacerbate slug pressure, particularly in temperate agroecosystems. This study investigated the impact of contrasting soil management and cover crop strategies on the invasive slug <i>Deroceras invadens</i> and predatory ground beetles in conservation agriculture. A&#xa0;two-year field trial in northern Italy compared conventional ploughing against no-till systems with different cover crops, i.e., rye, vetch, and a&#xa0;multi-species mixture. We assessed species activity-density using pitfall traps and evaluated slug-induced damage on soybean across phenological stages. <i>Deroceras invadens</i> was the dominant pest, while <i>Poecilus cupreus</i> and <i>Pterostichus melas</i> were the most abundant potential predators. Treatment-specific negative associations between ground beetle and slug activity-densities were observed. The two ground beetle species exhibited complementary temporal roles: <i>P.&#xa0;cupreus</i> was present throughout the sampling period, whereas <i>P. melas</i> showed stronger negative associations with slugs during the late sampling period. Soybean damage was positively correlated with slug density and significantly influenced by cover crop type, reaching its highest levels in rye plots and lowest in vetch plots. Notably, crop susceptibility peaked at the seed and unifoliolate stages, decreasing significantly by the trifoliolate stages. These findings indicate that cover crop identity and soil management drive slug damage risks, potentially exacerbated by early sowing if vulnerable crop stages align with peak pest activity. Therefore, in conservation agriculture, aligning biological control dynamics with crop phenology under different cover crop systems is crucial to maximize predation, mitigate slug pressure, reduce dependence on pesticides, and promote long-term sustainability.</p>

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Influence of Cover Crops and Ground Beetles on the Invasive Slug Deroceras invadens and Soybean Damage Under Conservation Agriculture

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月14日

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  • Davide Scaccini,
  • Stefano Santelli,
  • Rinaldo Nicoli Aldini,
  • Vincenzo Tabaglio,
  • Emanuele Mazzoni

摘要

Conservation agriculture provides valuable ecosystem services but can exacerbate slug pressure, particularly in temperate agroecosystems. This study investigated the impact of contrasting soil management and cover crop strategies on the invasive slug Deroceras invadens and predatory ground beetles in conservation agriculture. A two-year field trial in northern Italy compared conventional ploughing against no-till systems with different cover crops, i.e., rye, vetch, and a multi-species mixture. We assessed species activity-density using pitfall traps and evaluated slug-induced damage on soybean across phenological stages. Deroceras invadens was the dominant pest, while Poecilus cupreus and Pterostichus melas were the most abundant potential predators. Treatment-specific negative associations between ground beetle and slug activity-densities were observed. The two ground beetle species exhibited complementary temporal roles: P. cupreus was present throughout the sampling period, whereas P. melas showed stronger negative associations with slugs during the late sampling period. Soybean damage was positively correlated with slug density and significantly influenced by cover crop type, reaching its highest levels in rye plots and lowest in vetch plots. Notably, crop susceptibility peaked at the seed and unifoliolate stages, decreasing significantly by the trifoliolate stages. These findings indicate that cover crop identity and soil management drive slug damage risks, potentially exacerbated by early sowing if vulnerable crop stages align with peak pest activity. Therefore, in conservation agriculture, aligning biological control dynamics with crop phenology under different cover crop systems is crucial to maximize predation, mitigate slug pressure, reduce dependence on pesticides, and promote long-term sustainability.