The Santafesina Plant Protection Commission (COPROVESA), a consultative body of the Ministry of Productive Development, established a series of objectives to advance the control of the corn leafhopper (Dalbulus maidis), vector of the complex of diseases that cause “stunting.” due to which the second-grade corn harvest was almost completely lost in the central north of Santa Fe and neighboring provinces.
After the session, which took place this Thursday, April 25, in the productive portfolio, the Secretary of Agriculture, Ignacio Mántaras, declared that the following points were approved and agreed upon: declare the insect a pest in the province and manage the same before the Nation , with the aim of promoting a surveillance and monitoring program that is being developed in your area; promote training and information to producers and advisors about the pest and control mechanisms; and involve Science and Technology, in search of strategies or tools to mitigate the population.
“It is an issue that Santa Fe cannot address alone,” Mántaras clarified, due to the great dispersion that the plague showed in this campaign. For this reason, he anticipated that “we have already spoken with Chaco and Santiago del Estero.” He also announced that national officials and officials from other provinces could attend Santa Fe next week to continue working on the issue.
The official warned that the entire chain, from production to those who use corn as an input, could suffer the impact in the next campaign if “urgent” measures are not taken. He even stated that not only should the problem be addressed from a technical perspective, but also from a financial perspective, which is why negotiations are about to be carried out with Banco Nación.
“If we do not do this urgently nationally, next year’s campaign is going to be very critical,” he warned. “What do we do if corn is not planted in Argentina?” He asked himself, given the possibility that producers would not plant or considerably reduce production.
Regarding possible actions in the short term, Mántaras pointed out: “there is something clear, very critical, which is the guacho corn where the leafhopper is staying today.” He also maintained that “there are producers who are understanding and controlling it, but others are not.” For this reason, he insisted on the need for a comprehensive strategy, since – as was demonstrated this year – vector control is very difficult and it is not enough to do it in batches.
During the meeting, the recent approval of insecticides for leafhoppers by Senasa was also analyzed, as well as the evaluation of the control strategies implemented in Brazil.
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