  Recent discoveries of multiple long-period pulsars (periods ${\sim}10\,$s or
larger) are starting to challenge the conventional notion that coherent radio
emission cannot be produced by objects that are below the many theorised death
lines. Many of the past pulsar surveys and software have been prone to
selection effects that restricted their sensitivities towards long-period and
sporadically-emitting objects. Pulsar surveys using new-generation
low-frequency facilities are starting to employ longer dwell times, which makes
them significantly more sensitive in detecting long-period or nulling pulsars.
There have also been software advancements to aid more sensitive searches
towards long-period objects. Furthermore, recent discoveries suggest that
nulling may be a key aspect of the long-period pulsar population. We simulate
both long-period and nulling pulsar signals, using the Southern-sky MWA Rapid
Two-meter (SMART) survey data as reference, and explore the detection efficacy
of popular search methods such as the fast Fourier transform (FFT),
fast-folding algorithm (FFA) and single pulse search (SPS). For FFT-based
search and SPS, we make use of the PRESTO implementation, and for FFA we use
RIPTIDE. We find RIPTIDE's FFA to be more sensitive; however, it is also the
slowest algorithm. PRESTO's FFT, although faster than others, also shows some
unexpected inaccuracies in detection properties. SPS is highly sensitive to
long-period and nulling signals, but only for pulses with high intrinsic
signal-to-noise ratios. We use these findings to inform current and future
pulsar surveys that aim to uncover a large population of long-period or nulling
objects and comment on how to make optimal use of these methods in unison.
