As acreage of row crops managed with conservation tillage
increases, more growers are encountering slugs, elevating their
importance as crop pests. Slugs can eat virtually all crops, and
they are challenging to control because of the limited number of
management tactics that are available. In "Slug (Mollusca:
Agriolimacidae, Arionidae) Ecology and Management in No-Till
Field Crops, With an Emphasis on the mid-Atlantic Region," a
free, open-access article appearing in the Journal of Integrated
Pest Management, the authors discuss the species of slugs that
are commonly found in mid-Atlantic field crop production and
discuss their natural history, ecology, and some of the factors
limiting their populations. The authors also suggest possible
cultural, biological, and chemical management options,
particularly for corn production, and they suggest elements of a
potential integrated management program for slugs. Over 15 slug
species occur in the mid-Atlantic United States, but only four
appear to be common in field