The book “Diseases in Corn: insect vectors, molicutes and viruses” is now on sale at Livraria Embrapa, whose technical editors are researchers Charles Martins de Oliveira, from Embrapa Cerrados (Planaltina, DF) and Elizabeth de Oliveira Sabato, from Embrapa Corn and Sorgo (Sete Lagoas, MG). 25 researchers from Embrapa and other teaching and research institutions in Brazil, Italy, Argentina and the United States participate in the work.
Aimed at technicians who work in the cereal production chain, researchers, teachers and students in the area or related areas, the bilingual publication (Portuguese/English) brings together information on corn diseases called stunting, caused by mollicutes (spiroplasma and phytoplasma), a class of bacteria without a cell wall, and viruses caused by viruses – both transmitted by insect vectors, mainly leafhoppers and aphids. These are diseases that have caused significant damage to crops, especially in hot regions of Brazil, where corn is grown in more than one crop per year.
The book seeks to present the reader with a detailed view of the complexity of the cycle, incidence, diagnosis and management of these diseases spread by insect vectors. The information also covers other countries where these diseases occur in corn or the causal agents from the same groups infecting other plant species in similar pathosystems (composed of the plant, the pathogen and the environment). Many of them were generated from scientific studies developed by the authors themselves and include unpublished and recently obtained results.
The authors' expectation is that the book can contribute both to the management of insect vectors and diseases (stuntings and viruses) in corn crops and to future research into different components of these pathosystems. “We hope that the information contained in this book, the result of almost two decades of scientific studies, can contribute to a better understanding of this pathosystem and to the adoption of management strategies that will allow the cultivation of corn that is always healthy and productive”, explains researcher Charles de Oliveira.
Source: Embrapa
