The leafhopper of corn, Dalbulus maidis (DeLong & Wolcott, 1923) (Hemiptera: Cicadelidae), is considered one of the main corn pest due to its damage of sap suction and disease transmission to plants. This work had the aim to get information about population fluctuation of D. maidis in the Southern region of Mato Grosso do Sul State. Yellow stick cards of double side (7 by 12cm) were installed fortnightly on a wood frame of 0.5m and 1.5 above soil surface within areas cultivated with corn in Dourados and Ponta Porã, MS and stayed in the area for seven days. The same kind of traps was also installed in a grass-plot of Dourados, MS without corn crop nearby. Two peaks of leafhopper were observed being one during the dry period (the period without corn in the field - between July and September) and the other during summer (between December and January). Stick traps installed at 0.5m above soil surface did capture significantly more leafhopper than the ones installed at 1.5m if we consider all sampling carried out during the two years of study.
Dalbulus maidis; population dynamics; sampling; Zea mays
