Pressure from corn pest Dalbulus maidis increases in Brazil

Source: Merieux Nutrisciences

The National Union of Plant Protection Products Industry (Sindiveg) predicts a 100% increase in the area treated with pesticides against the insect, Dalbulus maidis, in Brazilian corn plantations in 2022.

According to Sindiveg, this area should reach 39.1 million hectares, a 177% increase in pressure from this pest in the summer season alone, reaching 32.8 million hectares during the year.

″Dalbulus maidis causes very serious damage. In addition to feeding on the sap of plants, it transmits a bacteria that causes stunting right in the initial cycles of planting, whose symptoms are only manifested in the production phase,″ said Eliane Kay (Executive Director of Sindiveg).

Studies carried out at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) have shown that the presence of 10 leafhoppers per plant causes a 40% reduction in the dry weight of the aerial part, and a 62% reduction in roots.

The concerns of rural producers about this impact are reflected in the data: Applications of agrochemicals to combat leafhoppers should be reflected in the index of the treated area, from 19.548 million hectares in 2021 to 39.072 million hectares in 2022.

This data were obtained from the periodic survey carried out by the consultancy company, Kynetec, exclusively for Sindiveg, and refer to the two corn crops grown in the country.

In 2018, the area treated against the pest was 7.2 million hectares.

When only observing the second-season corn, the situation is more serious. The treated area can jump from 11.830 million hectares to 32.813 million. Five years ago, it was 4.843 million hectares.

″The increase in the treated area, both for the off-season and the summer crop, shows that farmers invest in pesticides to protect their production,″ said Júlio Borges Garcia (President of Sindiveg).

″After all, inputs are part of your investment, otherwise the consequences are serious, with an increase in the incidence of phytosanitary problems and the consequent sudden drop in productivity,″ he added.