Booklet guides producers on how to eliminate volunteer corn

Rural producers in Paraná now have a guide on how to eliminate volunteer corn from their crops – plants that grow without being sown, also called guaxo or tiguera. Starting this year, Ordinance 133/2023 of the Paraná Agricultural Defense Agency (Adapar) prohibits the presence of this type of vegetable in commercial plantations. Therefore, the Faep/Senar-PR System, together with the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Adapar and the state secretariat of Agriculture and Supply (Seab), prepared a guidance booklet. The material is available for download.

Volunteer plants, in general, originate from ears or grains lost during harvesting and transport operations. They spread pests, such as the stink bug and the corn leafhopper, an insect that is difficult to control and transmits pale and red mold and viruses. What makes the scenario more worrying is that there are no products registered to treat these diseases.

The booklet contains a first part that explains what voluntary corn is, what the possible damages are and details the obligation to eliminate tiguera plants. A section then explains how to minimize corn harvest losses, which reduces the incidence of volunteer plants. At the end, there is a guide on chemical management with authorized herbicides to control corn that grew alone in plantations.

According to Ana Paula Kowalski, from the Technical and Economic Department (DTE), in addition to serving as a green bridge for the corn leafhopper from one harvest to the next, tiguera corn has another point of attention. “Volunteer plants reduce crop productivity, as they compete with the planted crop for water, light and nutrients. One corn plant per square meter has the capacity to cause losses of up to 20% in productivity”, he warns.

Ordinance 133/2023, which requires the adoption of management measures for voluntary corn plants, states that the producer has 30 days after notification from the agency to resolve the problem. Among the penalties provided for in case of non-compliance with the legislation are warnings, fines, prohibition of trade and access to agricultural credit and even interdiction of agricultural property, depending on the case.

Guidelines

– Use certified seeds;

– Carry out correct soil management;

– Harvest grains with adequate humidity;

– Train harvesting operators;

– Carry out integrated weed management.

  To download the complete booklet, click here.