Agricultural inspectors monitoring locusts in RS detect defoliation in a native forest area

“There is extensive defoliation in an area of ​​native forest in the central region of the locust hotspot, between the municipalities of São Valério do Sul and Santo Augusto, in the northwest of Rio Grande do Sul”, warns the state agricultural inspector from the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development (Seapdr), André Ebone. He flew over the area this Friday, December 4th, thanks to a partnership with an airline and a rural producer, who provided the airstrip in the region.

“The estimate is 20 to 30 hectares of native forest with severe damage, included in the Inhacorá Indigenous Reserve. We noticed that the damage is concentrated in the continuous forest, not being observed in other remnants due to the interruption caused by the farming areas”, explains Ebone.

State agricultural inspector Alonso Andrade, in turn, reports that the team on the ground at the site found a large presence of locusts in forest areas, and some presence in agricultural areas, with little mobility and no increase in the damage already seen in crops during the week. "The forest areas, especially Timbó specimens, are severely attacked. But in the crops there are few locusts, with little or no damage", he explains.