Nortox registers two new technologies against maize leafhopper

By Leonardo Gottems, Reporter for AgroPages

The Brazilian agrochemical company, Nortox, revealed, to AgroPages, that it has two products under registration against the maize leafhopper (Dalbulus maidis), which is a sap-sucking insect and a vector for various diseases, focusing on those caused by the pathogens, spiroplasmas and phytoplasmas. 

For the chemical control of the maize leafhopper, the pesticide company is registering Imidacloprid Nortox, which is used during seed treatment and stands out in terms of efficiency and residual effect. “In foliar applications, recent research has shown that the product’s efficiency is close to 90% in terms of insect control. Imidacloprid Nortox is currently being registered for foliar application on corn,” stated the agrochemical company, which based in the municipality of Arapongas, Paraná.

The other product is Acetamiprid Nortox, which is also in the registration phase and has been evaluated by researchers. “Recent research has shown that this product can also deliver control with an efficiency close to 90% within the first seven days after application,” said Guilherme Acquarole, Marketing Manager at Nortox.

Pale stinking is a disease that is characterized by the appearance of chlorotic streaks from the base to the apex of leaves. In red stalks, reddening of the leaves has been observed, followed by symptoms of leaf necrosis and drying. This insect also transmits the Maize Rayado Fino Virus (MRFV).

The symptoms of the disease appear between seven and ten days after inoculation by the vector, and the virus can cause reduced growth and miscarriages in reproductive structures. In infested areas, adult maize leafhoppers can easily be observed feeding, usually in the corn plant cartridge.

The factors that favor the high incidence of this disease are climatic conditions, especially high temperatures of above 17 °C at night and 27 °C during the day, as well as corn crops in various phases favoring the multiplication and migration of leafhoppers, unsown corn plants that serve as a host for both the disease and the vector, and the susceptibility of corn cultivars.