TASMANIAN farmers are being encouraged to heed lessons learnt from a recent slug control study. Southern Farming Systems conducted the evaluation across three sites in western Victoria. Chief executive Jon Midwood said the findings of the mainland study applied in exactly the same way to Tasmania. Mr Midwood said two slug species - grey field slugs and black keeled slugs - caused the most crop damage in high rainfall zones and the nation's southern cropping region. "Unfortunately we didn't find a silver bullet to control these slugs," he said. "There isn't one easy means of eliminating these pests. "The best approach is identifying the slugs you are dealing with and using a variety of control methods in a timely fashion." The study showed different species became active and fed on crops at different times. Mr Midwood said grey field slugs were surface feeders and could breed at any time of the year if conditions were favourable. "Grey field slugs were found to be the main cause of root damage at the emergence of new crops," he said. Mr Midwood said farmers needed to be vigilant against black keeled slugs, which could survive in dry conditions before surfacing when a moisture front cames through. "You have to watch out for these slugs coming through, particularly after you think you've got slugs under control," he said. "They can cause big issues." Mr Midwood said farmers needed to be able to accurately identify different slug species and know which species were active to be able to choose appropriate control strategies. Stubble burns, light cultivation and rolling immediately after sewing were found to boost the effectiveness of bait treatments.