Given the recent losses caused by corn stunting, diseases caused by bacteria transmitted by the leafhopper Dalbulus maidis, in several regions of the country, producers must follow the recommendations of Embrapa and partner institutions. Various technical and informative content on integrated disease and pest management is available on the internet and can be downloaded free of charge.
On the page Corn leafhopper management, Embrapa brings together materials produced by the Company on the topic, such as publications, news, videos and a question and answer section.
Between 2020 and 2021, new easy-to-read products on corn leafhoppers and stunting were launched by Embrapa and partners. Launched by Embrapa Milho e Sorgo (Sete Lagoas, MG) and the Faep/Senar-PR System, the booklet Leafhopper management and stunting in corn crops guides the producer on how to combat the pest, identify the problem and correctly combat it in the field.
In partnership with CropLife Brasil, an association that brings together experts, institutions and companies that work in the research and development of technologies in seedlings and seeds, biotechnology, chemical pesticides and biological products, Embrapa developed the Guide to good practices for managing stunts and corn leafhoppers. The guide addresses basic and applied aspects of diseases and pests, and presents appropriate practices for managing stunts and the insect vector.
The technology transfer supervisor at Embrapa Cerrados (DF), Sérgio Abud, notes that the increase in corn production to meet the growing demand for the cereal, in addition to environmental conditions that favor the cultivation of two or more crops of the same crop in several regions, have favored the presence of corn plants in the field all year round, whether cultivated or tiguera. “This provides a favorable environment for the increase in corn leafhoppers and, consequently, the stunting complex”, he points out.
Abud participates in the webinar Phytosanitary management of stunting and corn leafhopper, promoted by CropLife Brasil and available on Youtube.
The main symptoms of stunting are plants with reddish or yellowish leaves, especially at the tips and edges. Plants may be smaller due to the shortening of the internodes, with small ears and flat grains. Proliferation of shoots in the leaf axils may also occur. In epidemic disease outbreaks, the drop in production can reach 70%.
The main measures to avoid or minimize the incidence of stunting include eliminating tigueras (volunteer plants), checking the level of incidence of the disease in the region, avoiding sowing close to crops with a high incidence of the disease, treating the seeds with registered insecticides and spraying leaf harvesting in the early stages of the crop, diversify and rotate corn cultivars, as well as synchronize the sowing time as much as possible. Resistant cultivars, if available, should be rotated to avoid adaptation of pathogen variants and loss of resistance over time.
Researcher Charles Martins de Oliveira, also from Embrapa Cerrados, highlights the importance of following the technical recommendations generated by the research. “It is important to tell producers that corn stunting is a disease that has no cure. Therefore, prevention, through the adoption of a set of management measures recommended by Embrapa and other research and teaching institutions, must be adopted as a way of living with these diseases. It is also worth remembering that these management measures must be adopted jointly by all producers in a region so that action on diseases and the insect vector is more efficient”.
On video Leafhoppers and corn stunting - Agro com Ciência, Oliveira answers questions from producers and consultants on the topic. In another video, Corn Plants, the researcher explains the disease cycle, the importance of monitoring crops regarding the level of stunting incidence, in addition to pointing out measures that must be taken by the producer.
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