Dinâmica populacional de Dalbulus maidis com estimativa de danos sobre a cultura do milho

Abstract

One of the main factors negatively impacting corn productivity is insect infestation, with the corn leafhopper (Dalbulus maidis) standing out as the most detrimental pest to this crop presently. This is due to the fact that the corn leafhopper acts as a vector for mollicutes and maize streak virus. The primary objective of this study is to determine the population dynamics of the corn leafhopper (Dalbulus maidis) in corn crops and the potential estimation of corn stunting severity using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). To achieve this goal, insect population dynamics were estimated using yellow sticky traps and through drone usage in three distinct areas of interest, aiming to assess the viability of employing aerial Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) imagery for production loss estimation. The influence of climatic variables was considered for the study. Prior to planting, a high presence of leafhoppers was observed, notably 2,219 specimens in Formosa do Sul-SC. However, throughout the study, there was a significant reduction in the population, dropping by over 89% by September and October. Climatic conditions such as temperature and relative humidity did not play a significant role in the population variation of leafhoppers, being conducive to the insect throughout the crop cycle. On the other hand, precipitation had a direct impact on population reduction. This led to disease occurrence at extremely low levels, associated with the fact that corn in the main season suffers much less from disease occurrence compared to the off-season. Furthermore, this study explored the use of drone imagery to assess damage caused by the corn leafhopper to crops. Although the capability of using drones to estimate this damage is quite promising, the low disease occurrence did not allow for a conclusive analysis regarding the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.