The Brazilian Union of Plant Protection Products Industry (Sinveg) estimates that the area of agricultural chemicals used to control the corn yellow winged leafhopper (Dalbulus maidis) will double in 2022.
By the end of this year, this area will reach 39.1 million hectares. For the second season corn planted in Brazil, the area will increase by 177% to 32.8 million hectares. These data are from the regular survey conducted by the consulting company Kynetec for the Brazilian Union of Plant Protection Products Industry (Sinveg), involving two corn crops planted in the country.
Eliane Kay, executive director of Sindiveg, said, "The scientific name of the corn yellow winged leafhopper is Dalbulus maidis. It is only half a centimeter in size, but it can cause very serious damage to crops. In addition to feeding on plant juice, it can also transmit a kind of bacteria - causing stunting of plants in the initial growth cycle of planting, but its symptoms only appear in the production stage.
Research by the Brazilian Academy of Agricultural Sciences (Embrapa) shows that the presence of corn yellow winged leafhopper can reduce the dry weight of the aboveground part of each corn plant by 40% and the volume of the root by 62%.
The concern of farmers about this impact is also reflected in the data: in the control of corn yellow winged leafhopper, the area of agrochemical products has increased from 19548000 hectares in 2021 to 39072000 hectares in 2022. In 2018, the treatment area for pest control was only 7.2 million hectares.
Júlio Borges Garcia (president of Sinveg) said, "The increase of these treatment areas shows that farmers will still protect their production by investing and using pesticides. The problems of plant quarantine and productivity are still serious.".
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