Insect Science (2007) 14, 117-123

Cristina Schetino Bastos, João Carlos Cardoso Galvão, Marcelo Coutinho Picanço, Paulo Roberto Gomes Pereira and Paulo Roberto Cecon (2007)
Nutrient content affecting Spodoptera frugiperda and Dalbulus maidis occurrence in corn
Insect Science 14 (2), 117-123
Abstract: This work aims to study the effect of the nutrient contents in the leaves of corn on the incidence of Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and Dalbulus maidis (Delong and Wolcott) (Homoptera: Cicadellidae). The treatments were represented by unfertilized corn plants and corn plants fertilized with 250 kg of the formulation 4-14-8 (N-P-K) +100 kg of ammonium sulfate (AS)/ha and 500 kg of the formulation 4-14-8 (N-P-K) +200 kg of AS/ha, arranged in randomized blocks with four replicates. Attacks by S. frugiperda and D. maidis were higher as the nitrogen, sulfur, calcium and copper content in the leaves of corn increased. The effects of calcium and copper found in this study were not consistent with that of lower susceptibility associated with higher levels of these nutrients mentioned in the literature. We believe that there was a cumulative effect of the nutrients altogether, building up a nutritiously better vegetable which in turn had less reserve for defense, or that the content of both nutrients in the leaves were not high enough to induce such effects.
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Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Cristina S. Bastos, Marcelo Coutinho Picanco

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
environment - cropping system/rotation
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Spodoptera frugiperda	Maize/corn (Zea mays)
	Dalbulus maidis	Maize/corn (Zea mays)