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The palatability of 78 wildflower strip plants to the slug Arion lusitanicus
Author(s) -
BRINER T.,
FRANK T.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
annals of applied biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1744-7348
pISSN - 0003-4746
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7348.1998.tb05808.x
Subject(s) - biology , palatability , botany , perennial plant , horticulture , food science
Summary. As Arion lusitanicus has been observed in high densities in wildflower strips, the palatability of the foliage of 78 species of sown and naturally occurring plants found in such strips was investigated. In the laboratory, the slugs were offered a surplus of fresh, mature leaves and, after 16 h, a consumption index was calculated to rank the plants according to their palatability to the slugs. Arion lusitanicus showed clear preferences for particular plant species, but more than two thirds of all plants investigated were scarcely eaten. Brassica napus was most eaten, followed by Papaver rhoeas, Capsella bursa‐pastoris and Lamium purpureum. Overall, A. lusitanicus preferred sown species to naturally occurring ones and preferred annuals to perennials.