Abstract
Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate the incidence of corn stunt disease and its effects on the grain yield of off-season corn (Zea mays) hybrids in different sowing seasons. The experiment was conducted in three sites in the state of Tocantins, in different sowing seasons, in a randomized complete block design, with 30 hybrids (treatments) and three replicates. Corn stunt disease incidence was assessed at 80 days after emergence, varying between hybrids and sowing seasons, with a marked effect of sowing season. The most resistant hybrids were: MG652 PW, Penta VIP, MG600 PW, NS90 PRO2, LG3040 VIP3, MG580 PW, and Defender VIP. The Fórmula VIP2 hybrid was the most susceptible to corn stunt disease. The incidence of the disease increased in the later sowing seasons, causing significant declines in grain yield. The most productive hybrids were: MG580 PW, SYN 5T78 VIP, 2B810 PRO, MG600 PW, Supremo VIP, 2B512 PW, NS92 PRO2, P30S31 VYH, MG652 PW, Penta VIP, SX5371 VIP3, and LG6036 PRO. Corn hybrids vary greatly in their resistance to corn stunt disease, and, the later the sowing season, the higher the disease incidence and the lower the grain yield.
Highlights
The objective of this work was to evaluate the incidence of corn stunt disease and its effects on the grain yield of off-season corn (Zea mays) hybrids in different sowing seasons
Corn (Zea mays L.) stunt diseases, such as maize bushy stunt and corn stunt spiroplasma, are systemic diseases caused by bacteria of the Mollicutes class
There was a significant interaction between sowing season and corn hybrids regarding corn stunt disease incidence, grain yield, and average grain weight per ear (AGWE), which is an indicative that the isolated effects of the studied factors do not account for all variation found in these characteristics (Table 1)
Summary
Corn (Zea mays L.) stunt diseases, such as maize bushy stunt and corn stunt spiroplasma, are systemic diseases caused by bacteria of the Mollicutes class. These bacteria infect corn phloem tissues and are persistently propagated by the corn leafhopper Dalbulus maidis DeLong & Wolcott, Homoptera: Cicadellidae (Nault, 1980; Whitcomb et al, 1986). Due to their historical low incidence, stunt diseases have long been considered less harmful than other ones. According to Teixeira et al (2013) and Oliveira et al (2007), these losses vary as a function of sowing time and hybrid susceptibility
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