In Northern Paraná (PR), producers of greenhouse-grown crops, with year-round production, continue to report higher pest pressure, especially from whiteflies and leafminers, due to drier weather in previous months, along with some cases of bacterial canker as humidity increased throughout March.
As a result, between January and February, the hot and dry weather in the region favored the incidence of whiteflies in the fields, and consequently geminiviruses. However, the damage was mitigated by the fact that, in the 2026 season, growers opted to invest more in resistant/tolerant varieties to the virus as a way to prevent greater production losses. The dry weather, as mentioned, also increased pressure from leafminers, requiring more frequent pesticide applications for proper management.
From March onward, higher rainfall volumes reduced pest incidence in the fields; however, according to surveyed agents, the presence of whiteflies remains significant, mainly due to soybean harvests in the region. The higher humidity led to cases of bacterial canker, a disease that affects the plant's vascular system, causing leaf "burn" or wilting. Thus, crops more impacted by the incidence of geminivirus and bacterial canker have recorded average yields around 350 boxes per thousand plants, while areas not significantly affected have reached levels between 450 and 500 boxes per thousand plants.
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