Effect of burning of rice straw on snails and soil in a brackishwater pond

Abstract

The effects of burning the varying amounts of dried rice straw on snails and soil properties in brackishwater ponds in the Philippines were evaluated. Cerithium tenellum, Telescopium telescopium and other unidentified snail species present in a drained brackishwater ponds were exposed to heat by burning 1.3, 2.7, and 4.0 kg dried rice straw piled 5, 10, and 15 cm thick in nine 1 m2-plot. While T. telescopium and the unidentified snail species were killed (100%) in all the treatments, C. telellum mortality ranged fro 83±3.75 percent in plots with 1.3 kg straw. The chemical properties of the soil after burning the straw revealed a decrease in the organic matter and available phosphorous and increase in the available iron and potassium. There was no effect of burning on soil pH. The acetate soluble sulfate decreased with 1.3 kg of straw and increased with the higher amounts of straw.