WOOD ASH AS SOIL TREATMENT AND BEDDING IN AN INTENSIVE SYSTEM OF GIANT AFRICAN LAND SNAILS PRODUCTION (Archachatina marginata)

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the effects of wood ash on certain growth parameters of Giant African Land Snails (Archachatina marginata) when used as soil treatment and bedding in an intensive system. This was carried out to monitor the weight, shell height, shell width, aperture width, aperture height and shell thickness on different levels of Wood ash. During the study, weekly data were collected on the weight of the mollusc, the height and width of the shell, the height and width of the aperture, and the thickness of the shell. The data were analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to determine the significance of differences between the treatment groups. The snails were divided into three treatments, treatment one served as the control, receiving no wood ash (0%). Treatment 2 received a moderate level of wood ash (15%), while Treatment 3 received a higher level of wood ash (30%). This study contributes to the understanding of soil requirements for optimal growth and shell formation in Giant African Land Snails, and may have implications for commercial snail farming practices.