Secretariat of Agriculture releases new monitoring report on locust outbreak in RS

The Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development (SEAPDR) continues to monitor locust occurrences in Rio Grande do Sul and released, this Monday (21/12), another report. Several reports of insect occurrences have been received by the SEAPDR Department of Agricultural Defense. State agricultural inspectors carry out investigations into incidents and concentrate monitoring in the area where the outbreak is most likely to occur, on the border between the municipalities of Santo Augusto, São Valério do Sul and surrounding areas.

However, according to the head of Seapdr's Plant Health Defense Division, Ricardo Felicetti, several reports of locust “sightings” are being received. “In general, the predominant species of occurrences is Chromacris speciosa, the soldier grasshopper, black with red spots when young, evolving to camouflaged green when adult.”

Felicetti says that other species of the genus Sinipta, which occur in natural pastures, and the genus Zoniopoda were also observed. According to him, these species feed on native vegetation and spontaneous and weedy plants, with a low risk of damage to agricultural production.

“SEAPDR clarifies that these species are native, of common occurrence in RS and are not exhibiting agricultural pest behavior, with occurrences without damage to cultivated plants and commercial crops”, states Felicetti. The guideline is not to carry out control, considering that these species perform an ecological function in the environment and any suppression would allow local imbalance and adverse effects on the environment and the containment of agricultural pests provided by it.

“If occurrences are observed with significant populations causing damage to crops and cultivated plants, immediate communication must be provided to SEAPDR”, warns the agronomist.

Here GRASSHOPPERS REPORT 18/12/20 (.pdf 2,32 MBytes).