Producers in RS receive guidance on controlling corn leafhoppers

Rolante producers received, this Tuesday (06/07), guidance on Integrated Pest Management (IPM), how to make the appropriate choice of corn cultivars with resistance to the corn leafhopper and other aspects to be observed in corn seed. They also received information about the importance of monitoring the crop to diagnose the pest early, how to carry out seed treatment and control of the corn leafhopper, which transmits agents that cause diseases, called stunting in corn crops.

The guidelines were passed on at an event promoted by Emater/RS-Ascar de Rolante, linked to the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development (Seapdr), together with the Municipal Secretariat of Agriculture and the Union of Workers in Family Farming of Rolante/Riozinho ( STAF), in the events space of Associação Esportiva Farroupilha.

At the meeting, the Emater/RS-Ascar extension agent, Guilherme Martins Costa, explained that the presence of this insect is causing Emater/RS-Ascar technicians to guide producers in crop management, aiming to reduce the incidence of diseases transmitted by the leafhopper. in the next harvest, such as choosing hybrids tolerant to stunting, using seeds treated with insecticides, reducing the sowing window, among others. The insect has already had an impact on grain and silage production in the 2020/2021 harvest.

Crops attacked by the stunt complex present the symptoms of reddening and yellowing of leaves, shortening of internodes with reduced plant size, multi-stalking and poor formation of ears and grains, which directly affects crop yields.

The management of the corn leafhopper and the stunt complex must be carried out in an integrated and regionalized manner, involving producers, research institutions, technical assistance, associations, cooperatives and entities representing the sector, according to Martins Costa.

Within integrated management, recommended practices are the elimination of corn tigueras plants after harvest, synchronization of sowing and reduction of the sowing window between producers, the choice of tolerant hybrids, the treatment of seeds with systemic insecticides, monitoring the presence of the insect vector and, in the case of the presence of the insect, supplementation of control with biological and/or chemical insecticides in the initial stages of the culture within 40 days after emergence.

STAF's agronomist, Victor Hugo P. Ferreira, explained the difference between corn cultivars and the purpose for which they are intended so that the producer can choose the most suitable one for the purposes of the property, highlighting the importance of hybrid corn and the advantages compared to to attack by leafhoppers and other pests.

In addition to sharing information, the meeting allowed producers to clarify doubts.