Control of the glassy clover snails Monacha cartusiana using Zingiber officinale extract as an ecofriendly molluscicide

High population densities of Monacha cartusianawere observed to cause perdition of various economic crops at Sharkia Governorate. The present study was carried out control this harmful pest using ethanolic Ginger extract as a natural and environmentally safe molluscicide.Toxicological tests revealed that low concentration (20%) of ethanolic Ginger extract caused 10 % mortalityof cloversnails after one day of exposure and 66.7% mortalityafter28 days. The highest mortality percentage (90 %) was recorded after 28 days of treatment with40% Ginger extract. Biochemical investigations showed thatLC25 (7.04%) Ginger extract elevated ALT, AST, α & β esterases andphenoloxidase levels of treated snails compared to control.Histological inspections of the digestive gland and ovotestis of snails exposed to LC25Ginger extract revealed that the digestive tubules showedvarious tubularanomalies, inflammatory hemocytes infiltration, excessive luminal secretionsand appearanceof necrotic areas. Acini of ovotestis weredeformedand comprised misshapen eggs and distorted sperms.TEM investigations showed cellular malformations in the digestive gland of treated snails including; severely disrupted microvilli, ruptured cell membranes, fractured RER and mitochondrial pyknosis.