en.Wedoany.com Reported - The distribution of corn leafhoppers across Uruguay shows significant regional differences, with notably higher population densities in the northern and western coastal areas. After two complete monitoring seasons of data accumulation, the Uruguayan Leafhopper Monitoring Network (Rumci) confirmed that the corn leafhopper (Dalbulus maidis) is not uniformly distributed in the country, with higher populations in the northern and western coastal regions, which largely overlap with the main corn-producing areas.
The National Institute for Agricultural Research (INIA) of Uruguay released this monitoring conclusion to help identify high-risk areas and strengthen early warning systems. In contrast, multiple monitoring points in the central and southern regions recorded low or zero populations. The monthly maps published by Rumci also reveal clear seasonal patterns, with the highest captures concentrated between February and May, while captures remain low during most of winter and spring.
INIA recommends that continuous monitoring of population dynamics, control of volunteer corn plants, and integration of climate information are key tools for preventing damage from this pest. The corn leafhopper is a hemipteran insect that feeds on the phloem of corn plants, and its importance lies in its ability to transmit pathogens that cause corn stunt complex. This insect primarily inhabits the whorl and young leaves of corn plants, where it feeds and acquires or transmits pathogens. It is highly mobile and has a high dispersal capacity, facilitating its spread between fields and regions. Corn stunt is a complex disease caused by different pathogens (phytoplasmas and spiroplasmas), transmitted exclusively by the corn leafhopper, and its severity depends mainly on the crop's growth stage at the time of infection. Main symptoms include reduced plant growth, shortened internodes, reddening or yellowing of leaves, ear malformation, and yield loss.
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