Seasonal dynamics of Dalbulus maidis and occurrence of the corn stunt-associated pathogens and viruses in field-collected vectors from commercial maize fields in southern Brazil

Silva de Andrade, Marcos Vinicius 1 ; Pompelli Manica, Magda Alana1; Canale, Maria Cristina1

Published Aug 05, 2026 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.ttdz08md2

Data files

Aug 05, 2026 version files 84.28 KB

Climate.xlsx

18.85 KB
general_data_on_insect_populations.xlsx

13.69 KB
molecular_main_season.xlsx

27.48 KB
molecular_second_season.xlsx

16.34 KB
README.md

7.92 KB

Abstract

Dalbulus maidis is the principal vector of maize stunt-associated pathogens in the Americas and has become an increasing phytosanitary concern in Brazilian maize production systems, making an understanding of seasonal vector dynamics and pathogen circulation essential for epidemiological surveillance and disease management. This study characterized the population dynamics of D. maidis and the occurrence of maize bushy stunt phytoplasma (MBSP), corn stunt spiroplasma (CSS), maize rayado fino virus (MRFV), and maize striate mosaic virus (MSMV) in field-collected D. maidis from commercial maize fields in Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. Weekly monitoring was conducted during the 2023/24 growing season across nine municipalities representing main- and second-season maize production systems. Vector abundance was assessed using yellow sticky traps, and pathogen occurrence by molecular screening. Vector abundance differed markedly between production periods, increasing progressively throughout crop development during the main growing season but peaking earlier during vegetative stages in the second season. MBSP increased progressively throughout crop development, particularly during the main season, whereas MSMV showed contrasting seasonal patterns, including higher occurrence during the off-season and early vegetative stages. MRFV occurred consistently across crop stages, whereas CSS remained comparatively infrequent. Co-detection of multiple pathogens, particularly MBSP, MRFV, and MSMV, was frequent, indicating overlapping pathogen circulation within field populations of D. maidis. These findings show that maize stunt epidemiology in southern Brazil is shaped by seasonal vector dynamics and the concurrent circulation of multiple pathogens, highlighting the value of integrating entomological surveillance with molecular pathogen detection to support disease monitoring and management.

Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.ttdz08md2

Description of the data and file structure

Raw data for: Seasonal dynamics of Dalbulus maidis and occurrence of the corn stunt-associated pathogens and viruses in field-collected vectors from commercial maize fields in southern Brazil

Files included

Climate.xlsx – Climatic variables used in the correlation analyses (temperature, precipitation, thermal amplitude, and rainy days).
general_data_on_insect_populations.xlsx – Weekly abundance of Dalbulus maidis collected with yellow sticky traps from commercial maize fields in Santa Catarina, Brazil.
molecular_main_season.xlsx – Molecular detection results for maize bushy stunt phytoplasma (MBSP), corn stunt spiroplasma (CSS), maize rayado fino virus (MRFV), and maize striate mosaic virus (MSMV) during the main growing season.
molecular_second_season.xlsx – Molecular detection results for the same pathogens during the second growing season.

Files and variables

File: Climate.xlsx

Description: This file contains the summarized climatic variables obtained for each municipality, cropping season, and maize developmental stage. Climate data were obtained from the NASA POWER Project and integrated with Dalbulus maidis population data.

Variable	Description
Municipality	Municipality where the monitored maize field was located.
Season	Cropping season. Categories: main = main maize growing season; second = second maize growing season.
Stage	Maize developmental stage during the monitoring period. Categories include Off-season, VE–V2, V3–V5, V6–V8, V9–V14, VT-R1–R3, and R4–R6.
Start	Initial date of the monitoring interval.
End	Final date of the monitoring interval.
Mean_Dmaidis	Mean number of Dalbulus maidis adults captured during the monitoring interval.
Days	Number of days included in the climatic summary.
Mean_T2M	Mean air temperature at 2 m (°C).
Min_T2M	Minimum air temperature at 2 m (°C).
Max_T2M	Maximum air temperature at 2 m (°C).
SD_T2M	Standard deviation of air temperature (°C).
Thermal_Amplitude	Difference between maximum and minimum air temperature (°C).
Total_Precipitation	Total accumulated precipitation (mm).
Mean_Daily_Precipitation	Mean daily precipitation (mm day⁻¹).
Rainy_Days	Number of days with recorded precipitation during the monitoring interval.

File: general_data_on_insect_populations.xlsx

Description: This file contains the weekly abundance data of Dalbulus maidis collected using yellow sticky traps installed in commercial maize fields monitored in Santa Catarina, Brazil, during the 2023/2024 growing season.

Variable	Description
Municipality	Municipality where monitoring was conducted.
Season	Cropping season. Categories: main = main maize growing season; second = second maize growing season.
Stage	Maize developmental stage. Categories include Off-season, VE–V2, V3–V5, V6–V8, V9–V14, VT-R1–R3, and R4–R6.
Start	Initial date of the monitoring interval.
End	Final date of the monitoring interval.
average number of insects	Mean number of Dalbulus maidis adults captured during the monitoring interval.

File: molecular_second_season.xlsx

Description: This file contains the molecular detection results of maize bushy stunt phytoplasma (MBSP), corn stunt spiroplasma (CSS), maize rayado fino virus (MRFV), and maize striate mosaic virus (MSMV) from field-collected Dalbulus maidis during the main maize growing season.

Variable	Description
Municipality	Municipality where insects were collected.
Week	Epidemiological week of insect collection.
MBSP	Detection of maize bushy stunt phytoplasma. Categories: 0 = not detected; 1 = detected.
CSS	Detection of Spiroplasma kunkelii. Categories: 0 = not detected; 1 = detected.
MRFV	Detection of maize rayado fino virus. Categories: 0 = not detected; 1 = detected.
MSMV	Detection of maize striate mosaic virus. Categories: 0 = not detected; 1 = detected.
Development stage	Maize developmental stage at the time of insect collection (Off-season, VE–V2, V3–V5, V6–V8, V9–V14, VT-R1–R3, R4–R6).

File: molecular_main_season.xlsx

Variable	Description
Municipality	Municipality where insects were collected.
Week	Epidemiological week of insect collection.
MBSP	Detection of maize bushy stunt phytoplasma. Categories: 0 = not detected; 1 = detected.
CSS	Detection of Spiroplasma kunkelii. Categories: 0 = not detected; 1 = detected.
MRFV	Detection of maize rayado fino virus. Categories: 0 = not detected; 1 = detected.
MSMV	Detection of maize striate mosaic virus. Categories: 0 = not detected; 1 = detected.
Developmental stage	Maize developmental stage at the time of insect collection (Off-season, VE–V2, V3–V5, V6–V8, V9–V14, VT-R1–R3, R4–R6).

Code/software

The dataset is provided in Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) format and can be opened using Microsoft Excel or compatible spreadsheet software, such as LibreOffice Calc. Statistical analyses were performed using R (version 4.5.0). No custom scripts or software are included in this dataset.

Access information

Data was derived from the following sources:

Climatic variables included in Climate.xlsx were derived from the NASA Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources (NASA POWER) database, which provides publicly accessible meteorological data. All other datasets were generated by the authors during field sampling and laboratory analyses conducted as part of this study.