Detailed Explanation of Open-Field Farming Techniques for the White Jade Snail

The white jade snail is an edible snail, large in size, with pure white flesh that is tender and delicious. It offers high economic returns and is quite competitive on the international market.

(1) Advantages of Open-Field Artificial Farming

First, it grows fast. Open-field farming can satisfy the snail's requirements for the three key factors of temperature, humidity and feed, so growth and development are rapid, with a growth rate higher than that of box farming. Second, the flesh is pure white and of good quality. Third, the shell markings are clear and bright, making it very suitable for making shell-carving handicrafts. Fourth, it saves labor and feed, yields more product and brings higher income.

(2) Conditions for Open-Field Farming

① The white jade snail will freeze to death below 5°C. Therefore, areas with an average winter temperature above 5°C can serve as the boundary for open-field farming. Most areas of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China are suitable for open-field farming.

② A sales outlet must be found. Before farming snails, a sales outlet must be secured first, so as to avoid economic losses caused by unsold products.

③ There must be strict measures and equipment to prevent the white jade snail from escaping.

④ The ecological environment of the open-field farming site must be maintained and kept free from damage by humans and other organisms.

(3) Farming Techniques

① Selection of site: Choose a site sheltered from the wind, shaded, moist and well-drained, with weeds or shrubs growing on it, such as the foot of a mountain, sloping land, hills, wasteland, or idle land in front of and behind houses; all of these can be used as release sites.

② Building escape-prevention facilities. (a) Dig a ditch around the site. Dig a ring of ditches around the farming site, generally 10 cm wide and 5 cm deep; if conditions permit, shallow water can be stored in the ditches. This ring ditch both prevents snails from escaping and serves to drain and store water for the site. (b) Plant scallions, garlic, chives, onions, etc. around the site as an isolation belt. Because these plants give off a pungent odor, they have a certain deterrent effect on snails. (C) Use wire mesh or plastic mesh to make a fence with inward-facing corners, forming a "┐" shape. When the snail climbs to the top, it cannot easily turn and its center of gravity shifts downward, so it falls back into the farming site. (d) Taking advantage of the snail's physiological avoidance response to high alkalinity, build a wall about 1 m high around the farming site with bricks, and coat the inner wall with a layer of highly alkaline lime-sand-cement mortar about 1 cm thick, with a pH of 11.5; the escape-prevention effect is very good.

③ Release young snails at the right time. Release young snails when the air temperature begins to stabilize at 20°C. In the Nanjing area, this is from May 10 to 20. The young snails should be of uniform age, preferably 2-3 months old and 5-10 g in weight. The release density is 100-200 snails per sq m.

④ Strengthen management. Every night and early morning, especially after rain, is the peak period for white jade snails to come out and move about; timely inspection allows escaped snails to be retrieved in time.

⑤ Take effective measures against natural enemies such as rats, frogs, snakes, birds, turtles, centipedes and ants.

⑥ Sell the product in time. Generally in early September, when the snails reach an individual weight of more than 30-50 g, they should be sold promptly to prevent losses caused by changes in disastrous weather.