Management strategy with bioinputs for Dalbulus maidis (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) on a non-preferential host plant

Abstract Dalbulus maidis (DeLong & Wolcott) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) causes significant yield losses in various types of maize produced in Brazil through pathogen transmission. Its occurrence in fields lacking its preferential hosts has increased, including Solanaceae and Fabaceae crops. Chemical methods provide up to 90% control, but with a residual period of only seven days via seed treatment plus foliar applications. This short temporal efficacy window may be useful for integrating chemical and microbiological methods, a premise of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Therefore, we evaluated the entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana (Bb), Metarhizium anisopliae (Ma), and Isaria fumosorosea (Isa) against D. maidis on pea plants (var. Gallant), a candidate off-season host, under field conditions. We also assessed these fungi tank-mixed with the resistance inducer potassium silicate (SilK), including effects on crop yield (kg ha − 1). Treatments were arranged in a (3×2) + 2 factorial design, with three levels of the Fungi factor (Bb, Ma, or Isa), two levels of the SilK factor (with and without potassium silicate), plus two controls: an absolute control (water only) and a positive control (profenofos+lufenuron). Leafhoppers were sampled using yellow sticky traps at 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 days after application (DAA). The mixture of SilK and entomopathogenic fungi increased the infection capacity of these entomopathogens on D. maidis adults. However, 85.63% of the sampled corn leafhoppers showed no fungal infection. A greater number of infected leafhoppers were sampled in plots treated with I. fumosorosea than with Bb or Ma. The addition of SilK also increased pea yield.