Continuing the assessment of the occurrence of the corn stunting complex, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa) began in March the measures to carry out disease monitoring activities in areas with crops of the crop during the year 2022.
The measure aims to diagnose the occurrence of the causative agents of the disease to subsidize any measures that may reduce or avoid damage to corn producers.
Stunting is caused by bacteria of the Mollicutes class and is classified into two types: pale stunt and red stunt, caused by Spiroplasma kunkelii (spiroplasm) and Maize bushy stunt phytoplasma (phytoplasma), respectively. Both pathogens are transmitted by the corn leafhopper Dalbulus maidis .
This year, seeking to improve the systematization of data and the elaboration of maps of the occurrence of the disease, the Department of Plant Health and Agricultural Inputs of the Department of Agricultural Defense promoted adjustments in the monitoring protocol, forwarded to the Federal Superintendencies of Agriculture and to the State Agencies of Agricultural Defense of the main corn producing states in the country.
Among the guidelines, there is a list of information that must be recorded during monitoring, such as geographic coordinates, stage of crop development, management practices used to control spittlebug and stunt, damage levels, among others.
In addition, as in the previous year, sampling will be carried out in two stages, starting with the collection of the insect-vector, if detected at the time of monitoring, and, later, of corn leaves, regardless of whether the plants show symptoms.
“To expand the collection of information on the occurrence of the disease among corn producers, the Agricultural Defense Department also hopes to count on the participation of the productive segment, through some of its representative entities, formally invited to participate in the actions at the beginning of the monthâ€, reports the general coordinator of Plant Protection, Graciane de Castro.
In 2021, Mapa, in partnership with state agricultural defense agencies and research institutions involved in the theme, carried out phytosanitary surveys that allowed the mapping of the occurrence of red stunt and pale stunt in the main corn producing regions of the states Bahia, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, in addition to the Federal District. ■