Slugs and snails represent significant pests in agriculture, as their feeding can cause damage to various types of plants. Therefore, their control is necessary, with chemical, mechanical-physical, or biotic methods being employed. Biological control, where harmful organisms are suppressed using beneficial organisms or biotic agents, has become increasingly popular. A study conducted in 2021 discovered the species O. myriophilus within the body of Spanish slugs in Slovenia, marking the first recorded instance of this type of nematode in a mollusc. As part of the master's thesis, we examined the influence of different types of mollusc slime on the movement of O. myriophilus nematodes at different temperatures. It was found that the undirected movement of nematodes is more intense at lower temperatures (20 °C). Additionally, we observed directed movement of the nematodes, with the slime of the vineyard snail standing out as the most attractive to them. The results of the study raise new research questions regarding chemotaxis mechanisms and substances in mollusc slime that could be responsible for its attractiveness to nematodes. O. myriophilus nematodes show potential for use in biotic control of snails, with the slime of the vineyard snail potentially playing a crucial role. Further research would be beneficial for better understanding the interactions between nematodes and molluscs and for optimizing the practical use of nematodes.
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